Filmusik Present “Gulliver’s Travels”

Filmusik Presents: Gulliver's TravelsThe collaboration between WRW and Filmusik continues in July with the presentation of the 1939 Fleischer brothers animated feature “Gulliver’s Travels.”  WRW Director Sam A. Mowry will direct the voice acting cast to provide the voices of adventurer Gulliver and the hundreds of tiny citizens of the fairy-tale land of Lilliput.

David Ian will lead a team of foley artists to create live sound effects, while Marc Rose is sound designer.  Filmusik founder Galen Huckins has composed an entirely new score for the film, which will also be performed live.  There will even be opportunities for the audience to be a part of the show — follow the bouncing ball and sing along!

The show promises that you’ll never look at cartoons the same way again!

Filmusik: Gulliver’s Travels plays at the Hollywood Theatre July 16th, 21st and 23rd at 7:00pm, with a 2:00pm matinee show on July 18th.  Tickets are $12, $10 for students and seniors, and are available at the Filmusik website or at the door (though be cautioned — past Filmusik shows have sold out!)

Poetry Off the Page

VOX LogoVOX: A Spoken-Word Chorus Presents Poetry Off The Page

Some of Portland’s finest actors and singers present an ingenious evening of poetry in performance. VOX, a unique spoken-word chorus, performs poetry as music. Phrased by actor and director Eric Hull, and selected with the guidance of poet and PSU professor Michele Glazer, the poems are arranged much like a musical score. The results express the natural music of the poetry through vocal performance. Download an audio sample at www.voxpdx.com .

Selections include “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas, the luscious love poem “She Walks In Beauty” by Lord Byron and “Hate Poem” by Julie Sheehan. Ursula Le Guin’s “Angel”‘ is also on the bill. There is also a medley of poems by William Stafford and Kim Stafford.

This is the third VOX performance. The chorus is building on successful productions last spring and winter. VOX audiences experience poetry in performance from a fresh, unforgettable perspective.

7:30 p.m., Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, April 16 – 18 and 23 – 25
The Waterbrook Studio
2109 N. Albina #108
Portland, OR 97227
Tickets: $10 – 15 at the door
Info: www.voxpdx.com

Poets: Dylan Thomas, Gertrude Stein, Michele Glazer, William Stafford, Kim Stafford, Maya Angelou, Li-Young Lee, Lord Byron, Cornelius Eady, Omar Khayyam, and more.

Chorus: Gary Brickner-Schulz, Grant Byington, Adrienne Flagg, Theresa Koon, Sam A. Mowry, and Jamie Rea.

Poetry Arrangements: Eric Hull

Poeturge: Michele Glazer

Directions: Take N. Interstate Avenue to N. Tillamook. (Look for the “Poetry” sandwich boards.) Turn west onto the overpass. Follow Tillamook as it curves downhill. Turn right at the next street, Lewis. Turn right at the next street, Loring. You may park in the lot on the right. Enter on the corner of Loring and Albina.

VOX is funded in part by the Regional Arts & Culture Council and Work for Art.

East of the Sun, West of the Moon

East of the Sun, West of the MoonPerformance Date: Friday, April 9, 2010Time: 8:00pm – 11:00pm
Location: Splendorporium Art Gallery, 3421 SE 21st Avenue, Portland, OR

Join us for the Julians premier performance on Friday, April 9th at 8:00 p.m. at the amazing Splendorporium Gallery, 3421 …SE 21st Ave!
“East of the Sun West of the Moon” is a night of music making and story telling, combining classic fairy tales with a mash-up of vocal music. We’ll combine such tales as “The Fisher King,” “The King of Cats,” and “The Golden Key” with music by Tormis, Sondheim, Kocsar, Bjork, and Distler.

The Julians are proud to welcome Sam A. Mowry and Alyson Ayn Osborn of the Willamette Radio Workshop for this one night only performance!

Entry is a suggested $10/$8, and is available at the door. Cash only please.
Don’t miss this amazing night of performance, the first for the Julians, the fresh PDX female vocal ensemble.

WRW Members Performing “King Lear”!

Several members of the WRW “family” are appearing in Mt. Hood Community College’s new production of King Lear!  Here are the particulars:

Mt Hood Community College
College Theater
26000 SE Stark
Gresham, OR

Friday and Saturday 7:30 PM February 26, 27 and March 5, 6
Sunday 2:00 PM February 28 and March 7.

Buy tickets: https://www.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?t=tix&e=9863337f37c2772b03e1abf14d1fe167&rmid=fdf732ea38461a68485df246328803bf

Cast Members: Sam A. Mowry (King Lear); Megan Murphy (Goneril); Heather Harlan (Regan); Lauren Luiz; Tom Beckett (Kent); David T. Loftus (Albany); Atticus Mowry (Cornwall); Michael Streeter (Gloucester); Jeffrey Gilpin (Edgar); Coleton Sticka (Edmund); Peter Armetta (Fool); William Bodiford, Alex Bowman, Amanda Pred, Sara Rossi, Leif Tjaden, Barrie Wild (Ensemble)

Please note that for a small charge, Chartwells Catering will be providing a small plates buffet with wine, beer and non-alcoholic beverages 45 minutes prior to curtain and at intermission for each of the performances. Come early and mingle in the comfort of our beautiful College Theatre Lobby while enjoying tasty treats and cold or warm beverage before curtain.

King Lear, old and tired, divides his kingdom among his daughters, giving great importance to their protestations of love for him. When Cordelia, youngest and most honest, refuses to idly flatter the old man in return for favor, he banishes her and turns for support to his remaining daughters. But Goneril and Regan have no love for him and instead plot to take all his power from him. In a parallel, Lear’s loyal courtier Gloucester favors his illegitimate son Edmund after being told lies about his faithful son Edgar. Madness and tragedy befall both ill-starred fathers.

Plan 9 Press, Missile to the Moon This Week!

The Filmusik presentation of “Plan 9 From Outer Space” was a smashing success, with a full house for the Friday night show!

The show also got some great press coverage, from the Oregonian and KATU! Check it out:

Live performances add polish to Ed Wood’s ‘Plan 9’ (Oregonian)
Arts scene: ‘Plan 9 from Outer Space’ (KATU.com)

The Filmusik presentation of another 1950s sci-fi B-movie, “Missile to the Moon,” with voices by the Willamette Radio Workshop, is tonight and Friday, June 3 and 5, at the Hollywood Theatre in Portland. Don’t miss it!

Plan 9 Revisited!


FILMUSIK: Plan 9 From Outer Space
May 27th and 29th, 7pm
Hollywood Theatre
Tickets $10 – $8 Students/Seniors
www.filmusik.com

On the 27th and 29th, teams of musicians, composers, voice actors and sound designers are congregating in the pit at the Hollywood Theatre to premiere a new soundtrack to Ed Wood’s botched masterpiece of sci-fi cinema: Plan 9 From Outer Space. The original strings + electronica score is performed live to the film by the Classical Revolution PDX string quartet and Sugar Short Wave. The film is dubbed in the pit by a cast of voice actors from the Willamette Radio Workshop including Todd Tolces, Alyson Ayn Osborn, Mark Homayoun, Chris Porter, David Ian, Scott Jameison, Mary Thomas, Lindsae Klein, James Lawrence, David Loftus and Sam A. Mowry with sound effects and foley by Heather Perkins.

Vampires, UFOs and purple pajama-wearing Aliens loom on the screen as the musicians bow, pluck and pound away furiously at the collaborative composition of Portland based composers Galen Huckins and Sugar Shortwave. Our restored and colorized print of the film provided courtesy of Legend Films. Filmusik promotes live performance over prerecorded media by presenting new venues for musicians and composers.

Praise for Filmusik:

“The effect is surreal and magical, like being inside Disney’s Fantasia. The live voice actors blend their dialog with the orchestra and the visuals to create a once in a lifetime performance”
-Portland Sentinel

“An Absolute Blast”
-Portland Mercury

“Delightful”
-Willamette Week

Also part of our 2 film mini series of sci-fi goodness is Missile to the Moon. We are performing this drive-in classic with an original piano quintet soundtrack composed by Scott J. Ordway, putting serious new music chamber music in the ring with space exploitation cinema. More info about the show at our website.

FILMUSIK: Missile To The Moon
June 3rd and 5th, 7pm
Hollywood Theatre
Tickets $10 – $8 Students/Seniors
www.filmusik.com

Filmusik aims to create opportunities for live music and musicians by supporting performers and composers in new venues. Live film accompaniment was once as commonplace as films themselves, and orchestras like our own could be seen in every major city. In the silent film era, Americans had an exposure to live music unrivaled in history. The industry accounted for nearly half of all musician employment and created more original music than ever before (or after). Although the film and music industries have changed dramatically since then, all of us recognize the vibrancy of live music over prerecorded sound, it’s something time and technology will never replace. Our Plan 9 project is one way to reexamine an art-form and look at how we experience live music today. Coincidentally, it’s also the only reasonable way to watch a Flying Saucer zapping a Vampire with its “decomposure” ray.