Having an entire season devoted to my own work is a true gift – and the fact that
Profile Theatre is in my home town makes it all the more magical.” ~ TB

 

Portland native Tanya Barfield’s plays intertwine subjective memory, truthful relationships and poetic language like fingers clasped together. Barfield’s work is infused with a sensitivity toward characters that are human beings rather than mouthpieces. They flicker through time in an exploration of how we define ourselves. Through sexuality, class, race, gender, politics, and love, Barfield’s plays focus on a microcosm while examining the macrocosm of the world we live in, the lies we tell to protect ourselves and those we care about, and the truths we must face to grow. Through snarled arguments and honest conversations, Barfield expresses the difficulty and the necessity of authentic dialogue. LEARN MORE ABOUT TANYA HERE.

THE CALL
2.4.2016 – 2.21.2016
Morrison Stage

Annie and Peter have it all: successful careers, a lovely home and a good marriage, until failed attempts to start a family begin to turn their lives inside out. The choice to expand beyond the American border and adopt a child from Africa reveals to the couple new insight into their marriage, their identities, and their community. Faced with an ever more complex set of circumstances, they must decide together if they are willing to embark upon a most unexpected path to parenthood.

BLUE DOOR
4.7.2016 – 4.24.2016
Alder Stage
Lewis, a highly successful mathematician, has never found himself up against a problem he cannot solve. But underneath his veneer of success lies a soul troubled by questions of personal and cultural identity. On a night of disorienting insomnia, Lewis inadvertently conjures three generations of ancestors and finds he must take in the wholeness of his history and face the life he has chosen. With beautiful songs and haunting imagery, Pulitzer Prize-nominated Blue Door resonates with anyone who has ever struggled to live with – or escape – the past.

Fall Festival: ANTIGONE PROJECT
9.7.2016 – 9.11.2016
Alder Stage
Antigone Project is a collection of short plays written by five of America’s top playwrights: Tanya Barfield, Karen Hartman, Chiori Miyagawa, Lynn Nottage and Caridad Svich. Based on the ancient Greek play by Sophocles, the five pieces are a modern retelling that confirms an ancient story can be both contemporary and relevant.

Antigone fights for justice, peace and religious and political freedom in a world that intends to keep her and her family enslaved. Revisiting this myth in light of our nation’s present civic unrest encourages audiences both young and old to examine their own roles in our society and how we may rise out of conflict to create new hope for the future.

BRIGHT HALF LIFE
10.27.2016 – 11.13.2016
Morrison Stage
Time stops when you meet the love of your life. Vicky and Erica are catapulted through a lifetime of love and heartbreak as they navigate an ever-shifting present.  Through courtship, children, marriage, conflict and the whisper of mortality, this kaleidoscopic journey is a stunningly honest depiction of the fortitude and courage it takes to fight for love.

IN DIALOGUE STAGED READINGS
In Dialogue Staged Readings include new and contemporary plays in conversation with Tanya Barfield’s body of work, as well as readings of Barfield plays not included in our Main Stage season. Readings will be announced throughout the season. These staged readings are free and general admission, but do require reservations. Subscribers receive exclusive early seating for staged readings.