October 10, 2018
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INSIDE
The
Week in Review
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Sponsored by:
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Arts &
Photo by D ana l ynn b arbar /t he P ortlanD o bserver
Actor Seth Rue (left) and director Bobby Bermea tackle issues of race and class in the groundbreak-
ing, one-person play ‘Fires in the Mirror’ from Portland’s Profile Theater and showing Oct. 10 through
Oct. 21 at Artists Repertory Theatre, downtown.
ENTERTAINMENT
On Race and Class
Portland Profile Theater
tackles a divided nation
M ETRO
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F OOD
C ontinueD on P age 4
Amazon Hiring 2,000 Workers
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O PINION
C LASSIFIEDS
by D ana l ynn b arbar
t he P ortlanD o bserver
At a time in our nation when there is much divi-
sion, giving a theatrical voice to the diversity in our
humanity is a great way to start Portland’s Profile
Theatre current new season which focuses solely on
female and person-of-color playwrights, led by a lo-
cal black actor and director of color.
“Fires in the Mirror” is a groundbreaking theater
production that gives voice to the people directly im-
pacted or involved in the unrest that ensued in Brook-
lyn, N.Y. after a racial and religious tragedy. Based
on true events, the play follows the tension that oc-
curred in 1991 when an African-American child was
hit and killed by a car in a rabbi’s motorcade and a
Jewish man was slain in retaliation.
The one-person play stars Portland actor Seth
Rue, who transforms himself into multiple real-life
witnesses to the Crown Heights riots. The show is
directed by another local favorite, Bobby Bermea.
“Fires in the Mirror” was written by Anna Deavere
Smith, an African American actress, writer and edu-
cator who has dedicated her career to exploring the
intersection of art and social justice.
In 1992, Deavere Smith performed the lead role
in a trailblazing form of storytelling theater that es-
tablished her as a force in the playwright world. She
interviewed many people connected to the Crown
Heights events, among them the Afro-Caribbean
community, the Lubavitcher Jewish community,
and civil rights activists including Rev. Al Sharpton
and Angela Davis.
Smith turned her interviews into a script and per-
formed them as a one-woman show, offering a full
and complex view of the unrest.
Profile Theatre presents the play for 10 days only,
from Friday, Oct. 12 through Sunday, Oct. 21 on
the Morrison Stage at the Artists Repertory Theatre,
downtown.
Rue, a local actor known for his role in the TV
pages 14
Amazon announced Tuesday
it will start hiring for more than
2,000 seasonal and full-time roles
for its customer fulfillment cen-
ters and delivery facilities around
Portland.
The online retailer said it ex-
pects to make hundreds of on-the-
spot job offers and hopes these
positions can be the start of a long
career at Amazon. The company
said job candidates can walk in,
apply and receive a job offer on
the spot at a hiring event or ap-
ply online at amazon.com/port-
landjobs. One of the hiring events
takes place Thursday, Oct. 11
from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Am-
azon Fulfillment Center Staffing
Office, 1250 N.W. Swigert Way in
Troutdale.
A recently announced Amazon
$15 minimum wage will apply
to all hourly associates on top of
Amazon benefits, which apply to
full-time, part-time, and seasonal
associates, officials said. Appli-
cants must be at least 18 years old
and have a high school diploma or
equivalent.