DIVERSIONS
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Getting their act together
Tine Year
Of Tine Cock!
Half price
Penis Piercing«
with this £M<1 .
For two nights only, Miracle Theatre Group
presents a sneak peek into its upcoming season
when it offers workshop performances of
Guillermo Reyes’ new comedy Men on the
Verge 2 (The Self-Esteem Files). After each per
formance, audiences are invited to stick around
to chat with playwright Reyes (visiting from
Arizona’s Borderlands Theatre), workshop
director Stan Foote (artistic director of Oregon
Children’s Theatre) and Dan Ruiz (who will
direct a full production in February).
Like Miracle’s 1999 hit Men on the Verge of a
His-Panic Breakdt>wn, Reyes’ new comedy intro
duces an array of gay Latino men confronting
issues of identity, immigration status and low
self-esteem through blind dates, same-sex wed
dings, gay-bashings and post-9/11 blues.
these individuals, and some of the por
traits are people that I have had conver
sations with. Some of it takes place in
Portland, [some in] Phoenix. 1 live here,
Guillermo lives there. Are they us?
Come and ask!”
Men 2 plays 8 p.m. July 15 and 16 at
525 S.E. Stark St. Tickets are $5 at the
door. For details call 503-236-7253 or
visit www.milagro.org.
—Timothy Krause
The secret is out
Named after the Italian word for truf
fle, Tartufi is a three-piece explosion of
beautiful harmonics, intelligent and
The San Francisco Bay Guardian voted Tartufi one of
complex songwriting, loops and double
the top 10 bands to break into the national scene.
drum kit polyrhythmic insanity. Display
ing a stylish blend of influences
drawn from punk’s 30-year journey
documentary, Out in the Heartland, and playing
shows throughout the West Coast.
across the Western world, Tartufi has
carved out its sound somewhere
Showtime is 9:30 p.m. July 21 at Mississippi
between The Ex, Olympia’s Two Ton
Pizza Pub, 3552 N. Mississippi Ave. Cover is $6.
Boa and the erstwhile D.C. band
—Jodi Darby
Shudder to Think, while giving the mix
a coat of radio-friendly polish.
Formed in San Francisco in 2001,
Tartufi amassed a strong local following
Portland Center Stage becomes a veritable
as a result of its critically acclaimed self
greenhouse for theater through July 17 as writ
released 2004 EP, Westward Onward.
ers, actors, directors and dramaturges converge
The disc caught the ear of The San
to cultivate plays-in-progress.
Francisco Bay Guardian, which voted
Now in its seventh year, the Just Add
Tartufi one of the top 10 bands to break
Water/West Festival invites local and national
into the national scene in 2005.
talents to spend a week developing and pre
Tartufi is on tour in support of its
senting staged readings of plays that still need a
recently completed full-length debut,
nip here and a tuck there. Past success stories
So We Are Alive. Recorded and pro
include Peter Gaitens’ adaptation of Flesh and
duced by Tim Green of the Fucking
BI cmx I by queer novelist Michael Cunningham.
Champs and Nation of Ulysses, the disc
Later productions of the family saga won rave
is an intense, unguarded display of
reviews at Portland Center Stage and at the
complex yet catchy songwriting. Tooth
New York Theatre Workshop in Manhattan.
and Nail Online calls the record “elec
In addition to the ticketed staged readings,
tric, explosive and refreshingly stripped
this year’s festival offers a series of free events.
down.” West Coast Performer hails the
Wade McCollum—Mr. Sweet Transvestite
new release, calling it a “10-song offer
himself—discusses his upcoming musical One
One of the many faces of Andres Alcalá in Men on the
ing of tight and driving yet lovely and
in an event called Playwrights’ Slam. There
Verge 2 (The Self-Esteem Files).
melodic pop.”
will also be a theater fair to spotlight Portland’s
Touring with Tartufi are The Secrets
theater community.
“Self-esteem is an issue for any culture,”
of Family Happiness, an instrumental trio
Two of the four plays taking a bow are by
observes Reyes. “The queer element adds politi
known for its intricate, layered, hypnotic
gay men. Adam Bock’s The Thugs concerns
cal obstacles to the character’s quest, and then
soundscapes. Mixing guitar loops recorded live
seven temp workers who think someone may
the Latino immigrant issue is caught up in yet
onstage with overlapping guitar, bass and drum
be killing them off one by one, while Jordan
another series of sociopolitical questions within
rhythms, it weaves melodies in and out of
Harrison’s Act a Lady portrays a group of
the U.S. How can one become a well-adjusted
heavy, rich textures, creating mellow and ambi
Prohibition-era men who dress up like women
member of society if society suspects you of
ent atmospheres.
for a play.
being illegal and/or foreign, and then, on top of
In addition
that, queer?”
to writing origi
While Miracle’s mission is to examine diver nal scores for
sity of Latino culture, the company is undoubt
the silent films
edly a friend of the sexual minorities communi
of Maya Deren
ty, too.
and Germaine
“We very much understand the stniggles
Dulac, The
encountered by all marginalized groups trying
Secrets often
every day to become a part of scxziety’s norm,”
collaborate with
explains Ruiz. “While we strive to respect and
Point Blank,
celebrate our differences, we also pursue each
a collective of
project in hope that our culture and rich histo
women photog
ry find common ground among our current
raphers, blend
diverse social ecology.”
ing slides of
Drammy-winning actor Andres Alcala (last
landscapes,
seen in Profile’s The Lisbon Traviata and Do
cityscapes,
Jump’s ¡Entusiasmo!) returns to portray this
county fairs and
comic and colorful museum of characters on
people with the
the brink of crisis, redemption and revelation.
kxiped rhythms,
“The thing that we are playing with now is
melodies and
the order of the pieces to see what kind of an
noise. The band
arc we can create that works best for the play,”
is busy writing
says Alcalá. “I may have a script in front of me,
songs for its
but it will be used in places where we are still
second album,
changing text and so forth.... This play, arid
working on an
the way that is structured within a museum, is
original score for
like any piece of art: Everyone will see some
Gretchen
Lesbian choreographer Catherine Egan's company, Eggshelled, will present
thing different.... I personally know some of
Hildebran’s new two pieces during Charged: The Conduit Commission Project July 28 to 30.
Temps and trannies
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