Photo Flash: ASTORIA: PART TWO Premieres at The Armory

The world premiere of Astoria: Part Two - the conclusion of a two-part stage adaptation of Peter Stark's best-selling bookASTORIA: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire; A Story of Wealth, Ambition, and Survival adapted and directed by Chris Coleman - begins preview performances at The Armory on January 20, opens January 26 and closes February 18.

Prior to the opening of Astoria: Part Two, special reprise performances of Astoria: Part One will be presented on January 13, 14, 16 and 17. During the run, three opportunities will be offered to see both productions together as a one-day marathon, on February 11, 15 and 17.

"Every once in a blue moon you run across a story that catches your imagination and won't let go," said Chris Coleman. "Astoria was that for me: riveting, shocking, surprising, transforming. I became obsessed with it, and knew that we had to find a way to do it. The will to survive against impossible odds is a major thread in the story, as is the question of what makes a worthy leader. The current economic landscape of the American theater presses us to produce smaller and smaller work, so it's a thrill to have found the support to bring a work of this scope and moment to Portland."

TICKET INFO

Regular tickets start at $25. Tickets may be purchased at www.pcs.org, 503.445.3700, or in-person from the box office (128 NW Eleventh Avenue, Portland, OR). Rush tickets are $20. Students and patrons who are 30 or younger can purchase $30 premium tickets. $5 tickets are available for Oregon Trail Card holders through the Arts for All program. Discounts for groups of 10+. Active duty or veteran military personnel and their immediate families get 50% off the price of regular tickets. General performance times are Tuesday through Sundayevenings at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.; Thursday matinees at noon; special exclusions apply, see below for more information. Recommended for ages 14 and up. Contains gunshot sound effects and some mature content/language. Tobacco-free herbal pipes will be used.

THE STORY

At a time when the edge of American settlement barely reached beyond the Appalachian Mountains, two visionaries - President Thomas Jefferson and millionaire John Jacob Astor - foresaw that one day the Pacific would dominate world trade as much as the Atlantic did in their day. Just two years after the Lewis and Clark Expedition concluded in 1806, Jefferson and Astor turned their sights westward once again. Thus began one of history's most dramatic but largely forgotten turning points in the conquest of the North American continent. Astoria: Part One is about the journeys by land and sea to reach present-day Astoria; Astoria: Part Two details the extraordinary endeavors that followed to establish the first permanent United States settlement on the West Coast. The premiere of Astoria: Part One last season broke box office records as the highest-selling world premiere in the company's history. Production photos from Astoria: Part One are available for download on Flickr. A short video recap of Astoria: Part One, for those who missed it or want a refresher, will be available at www.pcs.org/astoria closer to the opening.

THE CAST

Returning after last season's run of Astoria: Part One are Jeremy Aggers (Edward Foote, ALLIANCE THEATRE); F. Tyler Burnet (national tours ofSister Act, West Side Story); Nick Ferrucci (A View from the Bridge, Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Michael Morrow Hammack (Adrift in Macao, Broadway Rose Theatre Company); Christopher Hirsh (God of Love, Oscar-winning short film); Gavin Hoffman (Great Expectations, The Armory); Chris Murray (The Oregon Trail, The Armory); Ben Newman (JAW: A Playwrights Festival, 2014-2016); and Leif Norby (A Christmas Memory/Winter Song, The Armory); Ben Rosenblatt (Waiting for Godot, Commencez! International Beckett Festival); DeLanna Studi (August: Osage County, First National Tour); Benjamin Tissell (Fly By Night, Broadway Rose Theatre Company). New to the company are Douglas Dickerman (Never Swim Alone, Off-Broadway); Jimmy Garcia (An Octoroon, Artists Repertory Theatre); Anthony Lam (Elliot in the Elliot Trilogy, Profile Theatre); Michael Evans Lopez (The Taming of the Shrew, Off Square Theatre); and Rafael Untalan (The Price, Arena Stage).

THE CREATIVE TEAM

The design team from Astoria: Part One returns - scenic designs by Tony Cisek, costume designs by Toni-Leslie James, lighting design by Diane Ferry Williams and sound design Matthew Nielson - with the addition of Alex Wren Meadows, who will design the new costumes for Astoria: Part Two. Completing the creative team are Mary McDonald-Lewis (dialect coach); Rick Lewis (music director/vocal arranger); Randall Robert Tico (composer); Brandon Woolley (assistant director); John Armour (fight director); Christopher Hirsch (movement director); Benjamin Fainstein (production dramaturg); Barbara Hort, Ph.D. (consulting dramaturg); DeLanna Studi (cultural consultant); Mark Tynan (stage manager); Kristen Mun (assistant stage manager); and Will Bailey and Katie Nguyen (production assistants).