Portland Center Stage is holding its first summer cabaret series, Gavin & Susannah: An Intimate Evening of Musical Theater, featuring Gavin Gregory and Susannah Mars with musical director Rick Lewis. Performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings from July 7-23, 2010. All tickets will be $25.00 each, plus applicable handling fees. Due to the special ticket price, there will be no under 30 discounts or rush tickets offered. Tickets are now on sale at http://www.pcs.org/gavin-susannah/.
Gavin Gregory, another PCS favorite, is currently performing as Mitch Mahoney in Spelling Bee. He returns to Portland Center Stage after playing Coalhouse Walker in this season's opener, Ragtime. Gavin made his Broadway debut in
Oprah Winfrey's The Color Purple. His other credits include The Lion King (first national tour), as well as regional performances in Violet, Chess, Once Upon A Mattress, Keep the Faith, A Christmas Carol and Black Nativity. Film and television credits include Law & Order: SVU, Dawson's Creek and The Cold Dish.
Co-starring in the show is PCS favorite
Susannah Mars, who is currently playing Rona Lisa Perretti in Portland Center Stage's Spelling Bee. Susannah has also performed at PCS as Mother in Ragtime, Rose in Gypsy, and Meredith in Bat Boy. She was most recently seen in Portland as Eva in Broadway Rose's Evita. Last season, Susannah appeared at Seattle's The
5th Avenue Theatre in Sunday in The Park With George, as Frieda and Betty. She is the recipient of five Portland Drama Critics awards.
Accompanying Gavin and Susannah will be
Rick Lewis, who is currently working as Musical Director for Spelling Bee. His previous credits at Portland Center Stage include Ragtime, Grey Gardens (in which he also played the role of
George Gould Strong), Guys and Dolls, Cabaret, A Christmas Carol, West Side Story, The Fantasticks, and Bat Boy. Rick won a Drammy Award for Musical Director for Guys and Dolls and West Side Story. He is also the creator of the hit off-Broadway musical The Taffetas, with productions currently around the world.
Portland Center Stage inspires our community by bringing stories to life in unexpected ways. Established in 1988 as an off shoot of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, PCS became an independent theater in 1994 and has been under the leadership of Artistic Director
Chris Coleman since May 2000. The company presents a blend of classic, contemporary and original productions in a conscious effort to appeal to the eclectic palate of theatergoers in Portland. PCS also offers a variety of education and outreach programs for curious minds from six to 106, including discussions, classes, workshops and partnerships with organizations throughout the Portland metro area.
THE GERDING THEATER AT THE ARMORY houses a 599-seat Main Stage and the 200-seat black box Ellyn Bye Studio. It was the first building on the National Register of Historic Places, and the first performing arts venue, to achieve a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification. The Gerding Theater at the Armory opened to the public on Oct. 1, 2006. The capital campaign to fund the renovation of this hub for community artistic activity continues.
