WINE IN THE WILDERNESS Staged Reading Debuts On March 27 As Part Of PCS Remix

Celebrated writer Alice Childress' study of race, gender, and class that explores how the Black community perceives, defines, and affirms itself from within will mark the next offering from the PCS Remix: Staged Reading series. Wine in the Wilderness will be directed by Tiffany Nichole Greene, a resident director of Hamilton.

The reading will be released March 27, at 7:30 p.m., featuring a live, pre-show discussion about the play with Greene and Portland Center Stage's Literary Manager Kamilah Bush. Following the kickoff event, the staged reading will be available through April 11. Tickets are Pay What You Will starting at $5 and can be reserved at pcs.org/wine-in-the-wilderness. The cast will be announced next week.

"This play takes a deep dive into a very specific wound in the Black community," Greene said. "There's an internalized shame that swirls about in this room full of Brothers and Sisters, as they all reckon with their own insecurities, internalized prejudices, and pride."

As race riots blaze on the streets outside his Harlem home, painter Bill Jameson works feverishly to complete a triptych depicting his vision of Black womanhood. While he struggles to find his final muse - the "messed up chick" - his friends discover the perfect model in Tommy, a woman they meet at a bar after she's been burned out of her home in the riots. However, Tommy is more than she seems, and her presence changes everything.

Wine in the Wilderness tickets can be purchased at pcs.org or by calling the box office at 503.445.3700, Monday through Thursday, from 10 a.m to 4 p.m. The run time for this staged reading is approximately 90 minutes. Closed captioning will be available in English and the pre-show Q&A will be ASL interpreted. More information at pcs.org/wine-in-the-wilderness.