CoHo Productions Presents RADIANT VERMIN

A wickedly comic satire by groundbreaking British playwright Philip Ridley, Radiant Vermin examines consumerism in the age where enough is never enough. A young couple, Jill and Ollie, sign a contract for their dream home at seemingly no cost. With a baby on the way, they are forced to find out how far they'll go to get everything they've ever dreamed of... and more.

As the housing crisis in Portland continues, the homeless population is rising as quickly as the rent. Newly built multi-use residential buildings have sprouted up in CoHo's Slabtown neighborhood, but who can afford to live in them? What measures are we willing to take and who are we willing to displace for the sake of consumerism, brand name household goods, and a nice view?

Philip Ridley is an artist, playwright, screenwriter, and novelist for both children and adults. He was born in London and studied Art at St Martin's School of Art. His art work has been exhibited throughout Europe and Japan. He wrote the acclaimed screenplay for the feature film, The Krays (1997), and wrote and directed the films The Passion of Darkly Noon and The Reflecting Skin. His stage plays for adults include: The Pitchfork Disney (1991); The Fastest Clock in the Universe (1992); Ghost from a Perfect Place (1994); Vincent River (2000); Mercury Fur (2005); and Tender Napalm (2011).

SPECIAL EVENTS
Preview Performances: September 5 & 6, 7:30pm ($5 in advance or PWYC at the door)
Thrifty Thursdays: September 13, 20 & 27, 7:30pm (all tickets $25)
Sunday Post-Show Discussions: September 9, 16 & 23 (matinees begin at 2:00pm)

Kelly Godell (Jill and Co-Producer) was most recently seen in The Secretaries at Profile Theater, and can be seen in Small Mouth Sounds at Artist Rep later this Fall as well as Sense and Sensibility at Portland Center Stage this Winter. Some other favorite credits include Noises Off (Third Rail Repertory) and Miss Julie (Shaking the Tree). Television credits include Grimm and Leverage. Kelly has a BFA from the University of Oregon and is a member of the Actors Equity Association.

Diane Kondrat (Miss Dee) is appearing in her first CoHo Production. Since moving to Portland in 2013, Kondrat has appeared with Third Rail Repertory Theatre, Profile Theatre, Shaking the Tree, Oregon Children's Theatre, and the sketch comedy monster Spectravagasm. Her history includes 18 years as the head of an interactive theatre company that brought productions to prisons and universities, and 20 years as the creative impulse behind Oasis Productions, a stage company featuring small cast shows with great roles for women. Recently she tried to poison Hitler in Adroit Maneuvers and was in the fight cage of Girl in the Red Corner at defunkt theatre. In spring 2018, she was honored to play Tracey in Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize winner Sweat at The Phoenix Theatre, and at Halloween she'll again be one of Sam Dinkowitz's coven as they mix horror and hilarity in Terrorg*sm! www.dianekondrat.com.

Chris Murray (Ollie) has performed in many CoHo shows, including The Receptionist, Animals and Plants, and Hamlet. He has appeared locally at Portland Center Stage, Artists Repertory Theatre, Third Rail Rep, Profile Theatre, Portland Playhouse, Oregon Children's Theatre, triangle! Productions and Stark Raving Theatre. Regional credits include The Humana Festival, The Denver Center, The Kennedy Center, and LAByrinth Theater Company. This season he can be seen in In The Wake at Profile Theatre, Sense and Sensibility and Crossing Mnisose at Portland Center Stage.

Scott Yarbrough (Director) is the Founding Artistic Director of Third Rail Repertory Theatre, where he directed 28 shows and produced 42. He brought National Theatre Live to Portland and leads an annual theatre tour to London. Scott has degrees in Theatre from Oklahoma Baptist University (BA), Louisiana State University (MA), and Ohio University (MFA), and his work as a director has been recognized with four Drammy awards. Representative credits: Recent Tragic Events, Dirty Story, The Lonesome West, Grace, Number Three, A Lesson From Aloes, Shining City, Nobody Here But Us Chickens, Dead Funny, A Skull In Connemara, Kiss Me Like You Mean It, The Lying Kind, The Gray Sisters, The Wonderful World Of Dissocia, Last Of The Boys, The Pain And The Itch, Noises Off, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Night Alive, The Nether, The Events, Chesapeake, Red Noses, The Farce of Scapin, and The Road To Mecca.

For 23 years, CoHo Productions has pioneered artist led co-production as a model of creating theatre. Each season, CoHo solicits scripts and project proposals from Portland's community of theatre professionals and selects three to produce in partnership. The artistic vision is democratic, reflecting the tastes of the Portland theatre community from the ground up. Seasons are diverse and unpredictable; the sole quality nurtured and insisted on is excellence.

 

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