Portland Center Stage Announces IN THE HEIGHTS, SCHOOL GIRLS; OR, THE AFRICAN MEAN GIRLS PLAY, and More

Portland Center Stage at The Armory announced their 2019-2020 season, the first that new Artistic Director Marissa Wolf has planned for the company.

"You'll find a lineup brimming with music and humor, that also wrestles with the urgent ideas and questions of our time," said Wolf, who joined the company as artistic director in September 2018. "You'll find classic titles envisioned through a bold, relevant lens. You'll find new plays that light up fresh perspectives. You'll find musicals that will lift you a foot off the ground with their buoyant melodies and irresistible beats.

"With a wonderfully diverse body of playwrights who bring perspectives from around the world, each show invites us in to laugh, to gasp, to wonder as we travel through landscapes we recognize and regions we get to experience for the first time," Wolf continued.

Subscriptions are on sale now! To purchase season tickets, call 503-445-3700 or visit www.pcs.org. The Create Your Own Package starts at $105 for three plays. The U.S. Bank Main Stage Series starts at $245. The Everything Series starts at $350. The eight-admission Flexpass is available for $520. The Armory Card, a hugely popular option for those who are 35 years old or younger, starts at $100 for five admissions. Groups of 10 or more can sign up for the priority seating list now. Groups that book by August 1 receive 25% off regular ticket prices. To order group tickets call 503-445-3794 or visit www.pcs.org/groups. Find out more about the 2019-2020 season at www.pcs.org/2019-2020-season.

IN THE HEIGHTS

Music & lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Book by Quiara Alegr a Hudes

Conceived by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Directed by May Adrales

Aug. 31 Oct. 13, 2019 | On the U.S. Bank Main Stage

Opening Night/Press Night: Sept. 6, 2019

The sizzling musical from the creator of Hamilton! Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical takes us to New York's vibrant Washington Heights, where the air is filled with the sounds of salsa, merengue, soul, hip-hop, and R&B. It's a community on the brink of change, where a tight-knit group of friends and neighbors struggles to achieve their dreams.

MACBETH

By William Shakespeare

Edited script by Lee Sunday Evans

Original Music by Heather Christian
Directed by Adriana Baer

Sept. 28 Nov. 24, 2019 | In the Ellyn Bye Studio
Opening Night/Press Night: Oct. 4, 2019

Shakespeare's infamous tale of political gluttony and supernatural vengeance finds refreshing new life in this piercing, stripped-down adaptation that creates a taut, contemporary thrill ride. Three women tackle all the roles, with captivating shape-note singing lending a haunting soundtrack to the rise and fall of Scotland's most notorious royal assassin. Perennially relevant and breathtaking, Macbeth is a drama that demands to be seen whether it's your first or five hundredth time.

REDWOOD

By Brittany K. Allen
Directed by Chip Miller

Oct. 26 Nov. 17, 2019 | On the U.S. Bank Main Stage
Opening Night/Press Night: Nov. 1, 2019

When Steve Durbin sets out to chart his (Black) family's ancestry online, his revelations unwittingly throw his entire family into turmoil. Chiefly: his niece, Meg, is forced to consider her relationship with Drew (her white boyfriend) in an unsettling new light. Guided by a hip-hop dance class chorus, this singular American family must find a way to live in a present that's overpopulated with ghosts.

• World Premiere!

MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY

By Lauren Gunderson & Margot Melcon

Nov. 30 Dec. 29, 2019 | On the U.S. Bank Main Stage
Opening Night/Press Night: Dec. 6, 2019

Delicious as a mug of frothy eggnog, meet your new favorite holiday classic!

Middle sister Mary finally takes center stage in this charming and clever sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. While happy in the company of books and her piano, Mary has grown tired of her role as the dutiful daughter. When the Bennet sisters gather at the home of Lizzy and Darcy for the holidays, an unexpected guest sparks Mary's hopes for independence, an intellectual match, and perhaps even love. Blending modern wit and period style, this enchanting romantic comedy promises to delight Austen aficionados and newcomers alike.

HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH

By John Cameron Mitchell

Music & lyrics by Stephen Trask

Dec. 28, 2019 Feb. 23, 2020 | In the Ellyn Bye Studio
Opening Night/Press Night: Jan. 3, 2020

Brilliantly innovative, heartbreaking, and wickedly funny, this genre-bending, fourth-wall-smashing musical sensation tells the story of one of the most unique characters to ever hit the stage. Hedwig, a German emigrant, is out to set the record straight about her life, her loves, and the operation that left her with that angry inch. Part rock concert, part cabaret, part stand-up comedy routine, this one-of-a-kind musical proves time and again that an indomitable spirit can't ever be tied down.

• Winner of four Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical
• Special New Year's Eve performance!

SCHOOL GIRLS; OR, THE AFRICAN MEAN GIRLS PLAY

By Jocelyn Bioh

Jan. 18 Feb. 16, 2020 | On the U.S. Bank Main Stage
Opening Night/Press Night: Jan. 24, 2020

Paulina, the reigning Queen Bee at Ghana's most exclusive boarding school, has her sights set on the Miss Universe pageant. But the arrival of Ericka (a new student with undeniable talent, beauty, and light skin) captures the attention of the pageant recruiter and nearly topples the social order of Paulina's hive-minded friends. Jocelyn Bioh's biting comedy explores the challenges facing teenage girls across the globe and cautions that while beauty may be only skin deep, its pursuit can cut much deeper.

THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME

Based on the novel by Mark Haddon

Adapted by Simon Stephens
Directed by Marissa Wolf

Feb. 29 Apr. 5, 2020 | On the U.S. Bank Main Stage
Opening Night/Press Night: Mar. 6, 2020

This Broadway smash hit takes you inside the mind of 15-year-old Christopher, a boy with an extraordinary brain. He is exceptional at mathematics, incapable of lying, detests being touched, and distrusts strangers. Now, it is seven minutes after midnight and Christopher is under suspicion of killing his neighbor's dog, Wellington, with a garden fork. Determined to find the true culprit, Christopher carefully records each fact of the crime. Ultimately, his detective work takes him on a deeply personal quest that upturns his world.

9 PARTS OF DESIRE

By Heather Raffo
Directed by Evren Odcikin

Mar. 7 Apr. 19, 2020 | In the Ellyn Bye Studio
Opening Night/Press Night: Mar. 13, 2020

An intimate and complex portrait of the extraordinary (and ordinary) lives of nine Iraqi women, this remarkable solo work offers a meditation on what it means to be a woman in a country overshadowed by war. Based on her interviews with real women during the reign and fall of Saddam Hussein, Heather Raffo weaves nine utterly distinct voices into a tapestry of humanity, love, and endurance in the face of oppression.

HOWARDS END

Based on the novel by E.M. Forster
Adapted by Caroline Hewitt

Directed by Marissa Wolf

Apr. 18 May 17, 2020 | On the U.S. Bank Main Stage
Opening Night/Press Night: April 24, 2020

Margaret and Helen Schlegel are savvy, intellectual women struggling to be heard over the stubborn dominance of England's early 20th century social strictures. When their lives intersect with two very different men, the sisters' relationship to each other, themselves, and the way they see the world, changes forever. Four actors play 20 characters learning how to connect with each other in a landscape of changing values and alliances.

• World Premiere!

CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND

By Lauren Yee

Featuring songs by Dengue Fever

May 30 Jun. 28, 2020 | On the U.S. Bank Main Stage
Opening Night/Press Night: Jun. 5, 2020

Dubbed fierce, gorgeous, and heartwarming by the Los Angeles Times, this play (part comedy, part mystery, part rock concert) follows a young woman trying to piece together her family history 30 years after her father fled Cambodia. Featuring a cast that performs a mix of contemporary Dengue Fever hits and classic Cambodian oldies, Lauren Yee vividly brings to life the Cambodian rock scene of the '60s and '70s, a movement cut short by the Khmer Rouge's brutal regime, which nearly erased the music (and musicians). A story about survivors, the resilient bond of family, and the enduring power of music.