Previews: Fertile Ground Festival 2025 Kicks Off This Week - 10 Shows to Check Out
This festival of new works provides the opportunity to see shows in various stages of development.
By: Krista Garver Apr. 01, 2025
This year’s Fertile Ground Festival of New Works kicks off on April 4! With two weeks of programming, and 64 shows in venues across the city, the 2025 lineup is the most ambitious yet. If you’ve read any of my coverage in the past, you know that this is my favorite time of year in Portland theatre. This festival is unique in that it provides the opportunity to see shows in various stages of development. Get all of the details and tickets here.
Here are 10 shows on my must-see list.
Rogues (Staged Reading)
by Charlotte Higgins
About the show
In Sacramento California there is a church. A church with a basement. In this basement there are meetings. Meetings that are safe, that can allow people to go back to their authentic selves. A time for peace, paying attention to their own needs. The church is having problems but, in the basement, there’s donuts, coffee and Father Tom and Bobbie. (Side note: everyone has a crush on Father Tom.)
These women age from an 18-year-old caregiving for their father to the 70-year-old caring for her husband who believes that the sewing machine is alive. The group finds solace in their shared struggles, but not without confronting the raw, painful truths of their caregiving roles. From moments of laughter to heartbreak. Rogues shines a light on the silent battles caregivers face – fighting for their loved ones while struggling to keep from losing themselves.
Why I’m excited
It’s estimated that more than 20% of Americans are currently providing care for a loved one, yet this work is not often talked about publicly. This show promises to be a “realistic, unsentimental, often funny, and sometimes brutal” exploration of caregiving – and the toll it can take. Plus, it has an incredible cast!
Details
- Saturday, April 5 @ 11am
- Sunday, April 6 @ 2pm
- Tuesday, April 8 @ 5pm
- 21ten Theatre
- Get tickets
The Wonderful Woman of Oz (Fully Staged World Premiere)
by Erin Fitzgerald & David Koff
About the show
This once-in-a-lifetime theatrical experience will leave you and your family laughing and amazed. Emmy-nominated voice actor Erin Fitzgerald recreates the entire "Wizard of Oz" story, playing every single role in the story with no props, sets, costumes, or special effects.
This superhuman feat required Erin to memorize 80+ pages of dialogue, create voices and body language for 27 different characters, learn how to create dozens of her own sound effects, and create a dozen, different, virtual sets in her mind, so she would know how and where to rotate between characters and "set pieces." It must be seen to be believed.
This production is a modern, hysterical, and unauthorized re-imagining of L. Frank Baum's classic novel which took over six years of writing, refining, and improvising to develop and then perfect the script.
Why I’m excited
Seems pretty self-explanatory – it sounds awesome. Also, there’s a singalong component, and I’ll sing along to musicals any chance I can get!
Details
- Wednesday, April 9 @ 5pm
- Friday, April 11 @ 8pm
- Sunday, April 13 @ 12pm
- Monday, April 14 @ 7:30pm
- CoHo Theatre
- Get tickets
Dave's Basement (Fully Staged World Premiere)
by David Wester
About the show
Let’s hide from the world! Descend into Dave’s Basement — a solo sketch comedy show that walks the line from despair to delight. Mr. Basement invites you to join his cast of characters in a concrete palace of the mind. Featuring enchantments such as: grandiosity, sincerity, amusing scenarios, audio-visual mayhem, and (at least) one person on a stage.
Nobody leaves the basement unchanged.
Why I’m excited
This looks very funny, and we can all use as much laughter as we can get right now!
Details
- Wednesday, April 9 @ 7:30pm
- Sunday, April 13 @ 7:30pm
- Wednesday, April 16 @ 7:30pm
- The Siren Theatre
- Get tickets
Harvest of Woman (Early Workshop)
by Olga Kravtsova
About the show
Step into a world of cracked vessels, spilling water, and whispered voices. Harvest of Woman is an immersive solo performance blending visceral movement, evocative design, and raw storytelling to uncover the unseen labor and quiet resilience of women. Witness, feel, and ask—what will you do with what you have seen?
Why I’m excited
Multiple trustworthy people have recommended Olga Kravtsova’s work to me. Plus this is an early workshop of a show that is scheduled to get a full production at CoHo this summer, and I love watching new works develop.
Details
- Thursday, April 10 @ 6pm
- Saturday, April 12 @ 5pm
- Sunday, April 13 @ 3pm
- CoHo Theatre
- Get tickets
The Mask I Wear (Advanced Workshop)
by Jonathan Hernandez
About the show
The Mask I Wear is a powerful solo performance that explores the internal struggles of a Latino actor caught in the cycle of typecasting and cultural stereotypes. Set in the dreaded waiting room of a casting office, Actor Jonathan battles with the limitations placed on him by the industry, while confronting Johnny H - a successful but compromised actor who has embraced stereotypical roles, and Jon-something-or-other, a talented performer paralyzed by self-doubt. Through these character shifts, Jonathan reflects on his own journey, facing the pressure to conform while yearning to break free. With raw emotion and humor, the show invites the audience into his battle for self-worth, culminating in a triumphant decision to reclaim his identity and choose a path of true artistic expression.
Why I’m excited
I’ve seen Jonathan Hernandez in three plays here in Portland, and each time his performance was the highlight of the show. I look forward to checking out his original work.
Details
- Saturday, April 12 @ 8pm
- Sunday, April 13 @ 3pm
- Tuesday, April 15 @ 7:30pm
- 21ten Theatre
- Get tickets
Everybody's Eyes are on The First! (Staged Reading)
by Teague Shattuck & Naama Friedman
About the show
Pride kitty litter (with plenty of glitter), rainbow pasta makers, and lounge chairs with built-in speakers that only play “Born This Way”: These are some of the quality products you can find on the R&R Productions Shopping Channel!
After a series of problematic infomercials lead to a social-media spurred boycott, Rudy and Rhonda, seasoned hosts of R&R Productions, hire a struggling actor named Rafi to market as the First Transgender Infomercial Host! Drama, sex, hilarity, and moral conundrums ensue on a set that simultaneously declares “Hate Has No Place in Our Studio” and “There’s Nothing Trendier than a Transgender.” Amidst clashing opinions from his girlfriend, Mag, and PR exec fling, Sloane, Rafi must decide for himself how much he is willing to compromise his values for his dreams. Be swept away by catchy tunes, scathing satire, and late-stage capitalism in this disarmingly heartfelt dark comedy!
Why I’m excited
This one had me at “a dark comedy musical about the first transgender infomercial host.” Plus, the music really is catchy!
Details
- Monday, April 14 @ 7pm
- Tuesday, April 15 @ 7pm
- Saturday, April 19 @ 2pm
- The Back Door Theater
- Get tickets
Every Pretty Thing (Reading)
co-created by Alanna Fagan & Ken Yoshikawa
About the show
Structured more like a house party than a traditional performance, Alanna Fagan and Ken Yoshikawa obliterate the fourth wall in this new devised work. Audiences can expect to dance, mingle, and snack freely on concessions while guided through an immersive narrative as Fagan and Yoshikawa experiment with human interaction. Part social experiment, part avant garde performance art, this guerrilla theatre experiment will be unlike any other audience experience.
Why I’m excited
I love weird experimental theatre, especially when there’s snacks! This show is also working toward a full production later this year.
Details
- Wednesday, April 16 @ 7:30pm
- 21Ten Theatre
- Get tickets
unbound: a bookish musical (Concert Reading)
book & lyrics by erin rachel
About the show
This special concert reading of unbound: a bookish musical follows Jane, a recent divorcee who returns to her hometown and finds herself working at Bookish, a beloved neighborhood bookstore. There, she meets a unique group of individuals, each navigating their own personal and professional challenges. Together, they explore ways to build community, embrace creativity, and redefine their understanding of themselves and one another. With book and lyrics by erin rachel and music direction by Daniel Buchanan, unbound: a bookish musical explores themes of love and loss, grief and growth, and the profound journey of reclaiming what you thought was lost.
Why I’m excited
This show combines two of my favorite things: musicals and books!
Details
- Thursday, April 17 @ 6pm and 8:30 pm
- Saturday, April 19 @ 3pm
- 21ten Theatre
- Get tickets
Twas the Night Before (Staged Reading)
by Laura Anne Harris
About the show
When Claudette comes home for Christmas she expects the typical holiday company - her passionate mother Simone, her tender father Pascal, and her polar opposite sister Gabrielle. However, when a mysterious woman named Rebecca comes to the door with a secret about Simone’s past, it sends a shock wave through the family and threatens to ruin Christmas!
Twas the Night Before is written and directed by award winning theatre artist, Laura Anne Harris. She was seen last year at Fertile Ground in her piece, "Have Fun Kids."
Why I’m excited
I enjoyed Laura Anne Harris’s show last year, so I’m looking forward to seeing what she has for us this year.
Details
- Thursday, April 17 @ 7:30pm
- Saturday, April 19 @ 5pm
- CoHo Theatre
- Get tickets
Exemplar (Staged Reading and Feedback Session)
by Jody Read
About the show
At The Company, everything is as it should be. Women have the power, and the men are only around for busy work (and a bit of eye candy). It takes a second for meek new hire Sam Harper to get used to her new spot at the top, and she's still not quite comfortable with how her inferiors are treated. But when rumors of a men's revolt begin to make their way up to her office, she is faced with a pivotal choice...
Exemplar is a corporate fable for the modern age, looking at gender and power dynamics in the corporate world. This performance will be a staged reading, followed by a short talkback. An excerpt of this piece was previously presented at the 2023 Reed College Playwriting Festival.
Why I’m excited
I saw a very short excerpt of this piece at the Fertile Ground festival showcase, and it was hysterical.
Details
- Saturday, April 12 @ 1pm and 5pm
- Old Moody at Zidell Yards
- Get tickets
Photo credit: Andrea Markowski
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