TABLE 17 to Open at Portland Playhouse This Fall
Directed by Charles Grant, the production centers Black love and features a immersive theatrical experience.
Portland Playhouse will continue its 2026-27 season with Douglas Lyons' Table 17, a funny, warm and unapologetically Black romantic comedy about good chemistry, bad timing, and everything that is left unsaid when a relationship ends. Directed by Playhouse Producing Director Charles Grant, Table 17 runs September 30 - November 1, 2026.
For Table 17, Portland Playhouse itself becomes Bianca's, the fictional restaurant where former couple Jada and Dallas meet for the first time in the two years since their breakup. Audiences won't just be watching from afar: they'll be seated inside the restaurant with them where they'll get a full serving of drama – but, sadly, not dinner. Concessions are available for purchase.
Moving between past and present with humor and honesty, Table 17 revisits the spark of Jada and Dallas' relationship, its unraveling, and the question still hanging between them: what if?
Playwright Douglas Lyons found the seed for Table 17 during the pandemic, after watching a YouTube video of two exes sitting across from one another and unpacking their relationship. “The video screamed theatrical stakes and felt like a juicy topic to delve into,” says Lyons. “Why and how does love end? Just because a relationship is over does that mean the love is gone? Does it ever leave?”
For Lyons, the play was also an opportunity to bring a genre he grew up loving to the stage. “I was raised on a lot of Black Rom Coms in the film space, but had never seen the genre explored in the theater space. This play is my exploration.”
Humor provides the way into some of the play's more complicated questions. “Humor is the best entry point or release when dealing with tough life topics.” Lyons says. “Love is a very delicate subject, so I wanted to give the audience an opportunity to laugh as much as they felt while watching this play.”
At its heart, Table 17 places Black love, joy and romantic possibility squarely at the center of the story.
“Centering Black love and Black joy is always a revolutionary act,” Lyons says. “It sometimes feels like the theater wants us to believe that the only Black stories worth telling are traumatic or oppressive tales. Table 17 is proof that Black love, like any other love, is relatable to the masses. Watching people of all backgrounds, identities and genders find a piece of themselves in this story is my greatest pride.”
Grant was immediately drawn to the play's combination of theatricality, humor, and emotional honesty. “When I first read Table 17, it was a page turner!” he remarks. “It's full of so many things I love in a play - it quickly breaks the fourth wall and takes us on a journey filled with music, comedy, passion, surprises, truth, and hope. I'm drawn to these characters because they do their best to keep it real, even when it's hard.”
Grant was drawn to the honesty at the heart of Jada and Dallas' relationship, and to the vulnerability of two people willing to sit across from one another and confront their shared past.
“They don't always have the 'right words', but we get to spend an evening with people who have committed to coming together to look into each other's eyes and lay it all out on the table.” Grant says. “This story is an exploration of love in all its forms. Love of partners, love of friends, love of strangers, and love of self.”
While dreaming about the play, Grant found himself thinking about Soulmates: “do they exist? What makes a soulmate? Can you have more than one?” Those questions sit at the heart of Jada and Dallas' reconnection, but Grant hopes they'll also prompt the audience to think about the relationships in their own lives. “As we explore this question and watch Jada and Dallas' reconnection unfold, I hope that audiences have FUN and lean in with us,” Grant says. “I hope that we can inspire people to reflect on all of the love and soulmates in their lives and feel empowered to reach out to those they feel a deep connection with. Call them. Go on a date. Dance wildly. Embarrass yourself. Laugh out loud. Love deeply, honestly, and with abandon.”
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Join us for the 2026–2027 Season Portland Center Stage at The Armory (9/27-6/27) |
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The Shark is Broken The Sanctuary at Sandy Plaza (9/10-9/27) |
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You Can’t Take It With You Lakewood Theatre Company (9/11-10/18) |
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FOOLISH MORTALS: A Haunted Mansion Burlesque Cabaret The Triple Door Theatre (10/17-10/17) |
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Annie Stumptown Stages (11/27-12/20) |
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Henry IV, Part One Oregon Shakespeare Festival (6/06-10/10) |
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Jaja's African Hair Braiding Clackamas Repertory Theatre (9/10-10/04) |
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SIX (Boleyn Tour) Hult Center (4/30-5/02) |
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The Rocky Horror Picture Show Spooktacular Tour with Patricia Quinn Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (10/16-10/16) |
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Come From Away Albany Civic Theater (9/11-10/03) |
