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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 1981)
Pag« January 18.1381 r« y » 8 o Portland r u i i » , ' U Obaarvar -------- ------------------- — - — ■ ■ a Portland Black Repertory Theatre: The begin mng By Nyewusi Askari (E d ito r's N ot«: Rosemary Allen, director o f Portland Black Reper to ry Theatre, is dedicated to the development, growth, and stability o f Black Theatre in Oregon. In part one o f an interview with the Obser ver, she speaks openly about the T he a tre ’ s beginning, its ups and downs and purpose.) Observer: Just what is the P ort land Black Repertory Theatre? A lle n : The Black R epertory Theatre was started so there could be some form o f Black theatre hap penings in Portland. I t ’ s a group ot dedicated artists who provide a plat form fo r actors, w riters, dancers, visual a rtis ts , m usicians, fro m which they can work and develop th eir a rt. It also provides culture that reflect Black people in Oregon; something that doesn't happen too often here in Portland. Observer: What is the philosophy o f the Black theatre? A lle n : The p hilo so p h y o f the Black theatre here, is kind o f hard to explain because its been changing every year. We started out w ith the philosophy that we as artists, were not only going to develop ourselves, but that we were going to contribute as much as possible to what could be called the "B lack theatre.” We felt that we could contribute a unique technique and try to do things for the Black theatre that had never been done before, and there were many things that had not been done before. I f anything is to be called the p h ilo so p h y o f the P o rtla n d Black Repertory Theatre, it is for whatever we do; whether it be a comedy, drama or a musical, just as long as it present a true picture o f Black life, or the Black experience. O bserver: W hat developm ents have occured since the Theatre's in ception, in term s o f technique. Also, what have been some o f the plays produced, since the beginning, that allowed these techniques to be used? Allen: We started out as a group o f students in 1975. We decided to do our own production. You see, we had problem s g ettin g parts. We either had to play white characters, or a maid or a butler We got very few chances to do a n yth in g to develop ourselves. So, we decided to do our own production, and the first production we did was "F iv e On The Black Hand Side. ” We had a lot o f op position from the theatre depart ment at Portland State University. As you know, there are times when theatre people tend to become snobbish if you haven’t had twenty or more years o f experience. They act as if you don’ t exist, or that you d o n ’ t have the right to be doing theatre. Black theatre, to a lo t o f Europeans or people doing European theatre, is non-existent. Wr r ilr n d vo» i c o rd iti To them there is no such thing as Black theatre, and at that time they didn’ t feel that we were, legitimate. So, we didn’ t get very much support from the theatre departm ent. But we did "F ive On The Black Hand Side, "a n d it was a success! Five On The Black Hand Side, is a comedy by Charlie Russell. Some people might have seen it on late night TV, around 2:30 in the A .M . Anyway, the play was a success. The cast was composed o f people from the Black com m unity; people who had never acted before, and stu dents who had some acting ability. It was a combination o f people with a thirst to show their talents. This was the first real, legitimate production o f the Theatre, and we performed for three weekends. This was the first time that had ever hap pened in the history o f P ortland. There had been Black productions before, but they only ran for a day, or a week at the most. So this was the very firs t tim e th a t we legitimately performed as actors; as Black artists. Cast and understudies of "W ine In The W ilderness" w ith Director R o sem ary A lle n (C e n te r). C ast In c lu d e s . (B a c k ) O tto R u te rfo rd . Vanessa Deborah Hicks. Al Jamison; (Front) Flooney, Cheryl Wilson. Richard Jones. (M arvin Johnson is not pictured.) Laverne Springer at rehearsal as Lady In Red " F o r C o lo red G irls ..." Next, we performed "T h e River Niger. ” It was a real heavy drama. A g a in , we d id n ’ t get very much support. It seemed that everyone loved "F iv e On The Black H and Side, both Black and white, mainly because it was a comedy. The River Niger was a little too heavy; it had a lot o f blood in it, but it had a lot o f truth also...a whole lotta truth in it. People c o u ld n ’ t get to th a t rig h t then, so we d id n ’ t get a lot o f sup port. There were times when we only had 2 or 3 people in the audience. B u t...th e actors were com m itted, especially in the production o f "T he River Niger. ” It was like we had an o p p o rtu n ity to do something that ( Welcome ■ D SSIGNSD TO TH S G LO R Y O F GOD* 3725 N Gintenbetn Avewae, Porti tad. Orpcoa 97227 - 1 . ■ r-4,'8 Rev A Bernard Devers |, A A , B A Pxslot Sunday School 9: JO A .M M o rning W orship 10:30 A .M . Bible Training Union 6:00 P.M. Evening W orhsip 7:30 P .M . A ffilia te d w ith the National Hapusi Convention o f A m lric a and the Southern Baptist Convention H here all yy-ii/iZcv o f all races are welcomed to worship. ALLEN TEMPLE CME CHURCH Corner of 8th and Skidm ore Sunday School 9.30am Sunday Worship 11:00am Christian Youth Fellowship 6:00pm (second and fourth Sundays) Reverend Thomas L. Stravhand, Minister You are Welcome to Worship at THE ARK OF SAFETY CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST "A warm spirit o f Jellowship alw ays" Sunday School Morning Worship 9:15am 11:15am Showers o* Blessings Broadcast 3 30 4 » KLIQ 1290 ' 8 30pm V PW W Evangelistic Worship 8 00pm Noon D s/P 'ayer Tuesday Friday Tuesday Bible Band Jr Church Wednesday Choir Rehearsal Friday "The Pastor Speaks 94 NE Killings worth 281 0499 These agencies were m asters at d ou ble ta lk ; I'm ta lk in g about agencies th a t have the fu n d s but would rather make it as d iffic u lt as possible fo r Black artists to recieve any type o f public funding. Its very sad. 1 know for a fact, that i f just a few o f the Black artists o f our com m u n ity received any typ e o f real support fo r the art they a rf doing, there w ould be a drastic change in b o th the Black and w h ite com munity. Black art a ffects everybody, its not just something for Black people, i t ’ s something created out o f Black p e o p le ...it’ s som e thin g th a t has helped to shape and m old what has become A m erican c u ltu re . So, we made it our business to start doing some o f the things that would make us become legitim ate in the eyes o f the public. We incorporated under the name o f Portland Black Reper tory Theatre. A t the tim e there was just a handful o f us; Richad Jones, Debbie Hicks. Bobby Fouther, Pat Steward and Kolleh Dura Suma. A ll o f us were artists in our own right and had something unique to contribute to Portland Black Reper to ry Theatre. A fte r "W in e In The W ild e rn e s s " came " F o r C o lo re d G i r ls . . . " and w ith " C o lo r e d G irls ... ’ ’ came the re c o g n itio n we were seeking. W ith that recognition came money! And w ith the money, came a lot o f problems. A t th is p o in t, we declared a m oratorium on art agencies and on going through the motions o f Filling o ut a p p lic a tio n s , and answ ering questions th a t had no re la tio n to Black a rt. We decided to tr y and gain more support fro m o u r com m unity; to ju m p in w ith both feet; m ake th ing s w o rk ; and c rea ting situations where Black people could produce w ith o u t the fu n d s o f a public agency. If you care about your city and neighborhood, and your right to voice your opinion — Get government back in the hands of THE PEOPLE! Vote WILLIE BROWN City Commissioner h HOUSING FOR ELDERLY OR S te ve Lee p layed G id e o n and R osem ary A llen played S to rm y M onday in "Five." HANDICAPPED 99 Garden Apartments in Gresham Community •r Calendar The B enson H o te l D in n e r T h e a te r presents the M ark Allen Players in Neil Sim on's comedy, "L a s t O f The Red H o t Lovers, ” weekends through March, l-or inform ation and reservations call the Benson Hotel -- 228-9611. E X H IB IT : Through Sunday, February 15, recent collages and inflatable sculpture by H arold Jacobs, form er Museum A rt School visiting professor from 1964 through 1966, w ill be exhibited in the N orth gallery o f the P ort land Center for the Visual Arts, 117 NE F ifth. The PCVA galleries are open to the public free o f charge Tuesday through Sunday, 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. W o rk s h o p s : Beginning February 7 through February 28, Pacific N o rth west Labor College w ill present a series o f Saturday workshops especially pointed to new union members. Sessions w ill be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m ., at the Musicians H all, 325 N.E. 20th. "The A rt of Scientific Illu stratio n ," an exhibition o f works o f art that conform to the rig id standards o f scienfitic realism, w ill be on view at the Museum A rt School’ s Wentz Gallery from January 19 through February 14. For more inform ation call the Museum A rt School at 226-4391. The Portland W om en's Health C enter is o ffe rin g a self-help fe rtility awareness group on January 7 and February 10, from 7-9 at the Health Cen ter. The cost is $10 and pre-registration is required. For more inform a tion call 777-7044. 1 & 2 bedroom units Available April 1981 Convenient to all city services. HUD rental assistance program Rent & utilities maximum 25% of your determined income. EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY An Equal Housing Opportunity All interested persons are encouraged to apply. CAM 661-3001 for application ROADWA EXXON 519 NORTHEAST BROADWAY Complete car care center • Atlas Products • Towing Service « Monthly Parking Available February 1, 1981. Price - $12.50 per month. •5S5- — ■Nfw WP— —, ST. ANDREWS CATHOLIC CHURCH The Honorable Bishop U V. Peterson, D D. "The Holiners Preacher," Pastor Sunday It was very successful and had a large cast. A t the tim e , we s till did n ’ t have a theatre. We weren’ t even th in k in g to w a rd a th ea tre, because our biggest problem was just to do it...W e had no backup. We had to get funds from wherever we could fo r customs, the set, and all that kind o f struggle. None o f us were g e ttin g p a id , but we were getting free time to develop, so it was successful. We trave led the state. We went to P o rtla n d A rt Museum, Lewis & C lark College, and all around the city perform ing the play. We got a lot o f good feedback. We turned out A rt Quake in its first year, and our production was one o f the best received by the audience. So that started a tradition. R om an C a th o lic S ister Sandra Price w ill speak on the current political situation in El Salvador on Sunday, January 18 at 1:30 p.m ., at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 1623 N .W . 19th Avenue in Portland. N o rth e a s t C o a litio n o f N eig h b o rh o o d s: 7:30 p.m .. King Neighborhood Facility, 4815 N.E. Seventh Avenue, January 20, 1981. P o rtla n d S c h o o l B o a rd : Budget deliberations, January 20, 1981,4:30 p.m ., Adm inistration Building, 501 N. Dixon. M e tro p o lita n H u m a n R ela tion s C o m m is s io n : January 20, 1981,7:30 p.m ., Beaumont School, 5736 N.E. 33rd. P o rtla n d S c h o o l B o a rd : Budget deliberations, 4:30 p.m ., January 21, 1981, Adm inistration Building, 501 N. Dixon. D e m o n s tra tio n : U.S. out o f El Salvador, Saturday, January 24, 1981, I pm, W aterfront Park with speakers and music. /irto feour jiltsstonarp Baptist £ hurt I) “ T H S T IT H IN G CHVHCH we might never get another chance to do in our life time. We all respec ted the w riter o f the play, Joseph Walker. The parts were real heavy. It was about a Black father who was a poet and a painter. It reflected the trials he went through while trying to keep his fam ily together. We just pul so much into the play, and we look out into the audience and see 2 or 3 people. At no one time did we ever have more than IIX) people in the audience. But everyone who came to see it, appreciated it. I don’ t know ...it sort o f gave me a signal that Portland wasn’ t really ready fo r the realism that some Black plays had to offer. So, we started to go in a different direction. At that time, I left and went to the U niversity o f Iowa. I was gone for about a year, and came back in 1977. Upon my return, we did a m usicial called "S ta rd u s t" which I adapted. It was about Black Broadway musicals; the trials and tribulations that Black people went through and how much they con tributed to musicals which was the only real American form o f theatre. Black people built the musicals, but d id n ’ t get very m uch cre d it fo r doing so. Stardust dealt w ith that and had a lot o f dance and song and th a t’ s where we got our spark for d ealing w ith m usic and dance, rather than with straight drama by itself. A t this p oint we decided that the only thing we had to do was get our act together as an organization, and continue to pursue our dream. But we d id n ’ t know what a ll o f the re quirements were, in order to become a legitimate Theatre. So, we started a p p ro a c h in g the v a rio u s fu n d in g agencies; The M e tro p o lita n A rts C o m m issio n ; The O regon C o m m unity Foundation.' We found that these agencies were o nly interested in offe ring m ainly lip service. They w eren’ t interested in p u ttin g any m oney beh in d Black a rt, the Theatre, dance or Black music. We w ent in a lo t o f circle s ta lk in g to those people. One m in u te it was “ yes, there is a p ossibility that you can get some funds...that we’ ll sup port you on this p ro je c t.” The next minute we were hearing things like, “ It looks like there is going to be a cut in our b u d g e t...it looks like we are not going to be able to get the funds together after all. But you go ahead, f ill out the a pplication, and possibly we may be able to fin d the funds somewhere.” Perhaps the most distressing thing o f a ll was to hear w ords lik e , “ yeah., we have $500 here fo r you. F ill o ut the a p p lic a tio n , and we want to m onitor your program, and e v e ry th in g you d o, we w ant our name put on a ll o f y o u r p u b lic ly , and we w ant to know how m any Black people come to see yo u r show, how many white people come to see y o u r show , and how m uch money you m ade.” It became very clear that these people did not un derstand or know where Black a r tists were coming from . You see, we have a very unique s itu a tio n in P o rtla n d . There was very little g o in g on in o u r co m m un ity, that w o u ld ’ ve allowed our Black artists to receive recognition fo r their skills and professionalism. 7 30pm 7 00pm 7 30pm 806 NE ALBERTA STREET Reverend Bertram Griffin, Pastor Masses 281 4429 BRAD DAVIS 5 00pm Vigil Saturday 10 00am Choir Sunday 12 00pm Folk - Sunday ST. ANDREW COMMUNITY SCHOOL 4919 NE 9th Ave 8r Kathleen Stupfer. Principal Phone 284 1620 Grades 1 thru 8 Station Manager Portland, Oregon 97213 Phone: 284 5050
