The Fertile Ground Festival of New Works is a citywide, multi-week performing arts festival taking place in venues throughout Portland, Oregon and the surrounding areas.

This year's lineup includes site specific theatre, dance, solo shows, aerial performance, puppetry, and dozens upon dozens of brand-new scripts by some of Portland's most celebrated and prolific playwrights.

Schedule of Events:

12:00pm - The Poison Squad by Anthony Orkin

The late 19th century was the Wild West of food. The supermarket was a lawless place, where manufacturers could put whatever they wanted into the can, and there was no list of ingredients. Your peas don’t look green enough? Pour some copper sulfate on them. Your fish smells fishy? Try a sprinkling of borax. Your milk doesn’t have an appetizing froth on its top? Add some whipped cats’ brains. The newspapers were filled with stories of mass poisonings, when a bad batch of something hit the shelves. The spirit of free enterprise driving the industrial revolution also drove food companies to chase profit at the expense of the public’s health. Women’s groups were especially appalled; how were they to take care of their families? They wrote letters to Congress, but the food companies, with their ‘campaign contributions’, spoke louder than any mail. Would no one save us from these rapacious robber barons?

'The Poison Squad' takes us through that epic legislative battle, poking gentle fun at Wiley and his boys. While certain parts of the story (you'll know which) are invented, many of the strangest bits are true. So sit back, enjoy the show, and try to enjoy that snack you're eating without wondering: what's in it?

Rating/Recommended Age:
6+

Performance Length:
2 hours, with intermission

Location: CoHo Theatre, 2257 NW Raleigh St, Portland , Oregon , 97210

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1:00pm - Exemplar by Jody Read: A Staged Reading and Feedback Session

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...

Rating/Recommended Age:
18+

Performance Length:
Less than an hour, No Intermission

Location: Old Moody at Zidell Yards, 3121 S Moody Ave, Portland , Oregon , 97239

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3:00pm - Portland Storytellers' Guild presents Dancing with Death

If you were to believe the stories, Death seems pretty easy to outwit. Or maybe he’s just more compassionate than one would think. Come decide for yourself when Storytelling Crones, Anne Penfound, Pam Maben, Barbara Fankhauser and Julie Strozyk tickle your funny bone and shiver your spine with a collection of their favorite stories of everyone's final dancing partner.  From the promise of saving one's soul -- or sole-- to a rollicking birthday bash and a visit to a graveyard, we promise you’ll never think of death in quite the same way.

Rating/Recommended Age:
Mature teens and adults

Performance Length:
90 minutes with one 10 minute intermission

Location: The Artichoke, 2007 SE Powell Blvd, Portland , Oregon , 97202

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3:00pm - Hanuman’s Shadow: Echoes of Laos and America by Samson Syharath

This solo performance explores the intersection of myth, identity, and hidden histories, weaving together the story of Hanuman, his journey in the Ramayana/Pralak Pralam, with the Secret War in Laos and lesser-known events in U.S. history. The performance delves into the secrets and shadows of history that have shaped the identities of marginalized peoples globally, including the impact of U.S. intervention in other countries and territories. If ticket prices are a barrier, please email samsonsyharath@gmail.com and we will work with you to ensure access to the performance.

Rating/Recommended Age:
18+

Performance Length:
30 Minutes (No intermission)

Location: CoHo Theatre, 2257 NW Raleigh St, Portland , Oregon , 97210

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3:00pm - The Crystal Ball - A Children's Tale by Portland Eurythmy

For the young and young at heart, Portland Eurythmy presents the Crystal Ball, a Grimm’s tale about a fearless young boy who escapes his own enchantment and risks his life to set a princess free. We work with beloved storyteller, Daniel Stokes, to bring the story to life with movement, music, color, puppetry and a whole lot of magic.

After the story, we will bring you more music and poetry to lighten your life. Prior to the story, partake in a 10-minute parent/child class during which we will take you and your young one on a little movement journey.

Rating/Recommended Age:
All Ages

Performance Length:
40 minutes

Location: The Back Door Theater, 4319 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland , Oregon , 97215

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6:00pm - Raising Josie by Anita Clark

“Raising Josie” is the journey of a widow who finds herself adrift in the turbulent waters of single life after three decades of marriage. Josie must now confront her own grief and redefine her identity in a world that feels foreign and overwhelming. With the support of her Family and Friends, she navigates a comedy of errors that include the challenges of self-discovery, the complexities of Mother-Daughter relationships and living the single life. This heartfelt and light-hearted play invites audiences to reflect on the transformative power of connection and the courage to embrace a new beginning.

Rating/Recommended Age:
PG - 13

Performance Length:
60 minutes, no intermission

Location: Bridgetown Conservatory of Musical Theatre / Black Box, 711 SW 14th Ave., Portland , Oregon , 97205

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7:30pm - AGAIN and AGAIN by Kathryn Claire

This multi-media solo piece weaves together improvised looping on the violin, synthesizer and voice, pieces of poetry and song, dance, and spoken word to explore the cyclical nature of time, what we leave behind as humans, and the way our creativity can lead us back to ourselves.

Kathryn Claire’s work traverses music, movement, poetry/writing and performance. Her creative practice feels most authentic and embodied when she is able to work in multiple mediums and explore the interplay between them. In 2023, Kathryn Claire created a performance piece Proof Enough which combined looped violin and synthesizer, dance, poetry and singing. After sharing the initial work in early 2024, Kathryn began working on an album inspired by many of the themes explored in the piece. Through the process of recording and revisiting this earlier piece, she is combining improvised looping, pieces of poetry and song, dance and spoken word in Again and Again.

Rating/Recommended Age:
12+

Performance Length:
45 mins

Location: Performance Works NW, 4625 SE 67th Ave, Portland , Oregon , 97206

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8:00pm - The Mask I Wear by Jonathan Hernandez

'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.

Rating/Recommended Age:
18+

Performance Length:
45-50 mins, no intermission

Location: 21ten Theatre, 2110 SE 10th Ave, Portland , Oregon , 97214

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