KALA - HIPFiSHmonthly

theater & performanceThis Month at Pier Pressure ProductionsSara Ruhl’s Dead Man’s Cell PhoneNancy Montgomery and Steve WoodCONTEMPORARY PLAYWRIGHT Sarah Ruhl’s beguiling andoff-beat comedy, Dead Man’s Cell Phone opens with an incessantlyringing cell phone in a quiet cafe. Jean, an unassumingwoman, sitting and enjoying her coffee just can’t let the ringingcontinue, so she answers the phone of the dead man, sittingin front of her, and he’s got a lot of loose ends.She confiscates the phone of the dead stranger, satiricallybecoming his social secretary of sorts, and so begins her odyssey.Through Ruhl’s style of “non-linear realism, the characterJean is forced to confront her own assumptions about morality,redemption, and the need to connect in a technologicallyobsessed world.Writer/Actor/ComicBill HamFRIDAY AND Saturday, July 29and 30 at 8pm. Bill Ham bringshis humorous writings to 26010th Street one more time.In October and January, Hamplayed to full houses of whomappreciated his smart repartee,sharp humor, satirical wit, andrapid-fire delivery. The writer/actor/comic promises more newmaterial as well as some of themore popular pieces from his yetto-be-completed“Infomercials forMyself” in his third solo appearanceat PPP. Ham has been anThis surprising and hallucinatory comedy/fantasy welcomes familiar veteran PPP actorsNancy Montgomery, Susi Brown, Steve Wood,and new-to-the-Pier boards Markus Brown,Carrie Barnes, Sofie Kline, Lauren Dalton, andDawson Shadd. Directed by Jenni Newton, acleverly staged production is enhanced by theas-if-by-magic, remarkable lighting design ofLarry Bryant.PERFORMANCES: Opens Friday July 15 andruns July 16, 17, 22, 23, and 24. All showsbegin at 8 pm. Tickets are $15 and will beavailable 2 hours before curtain. The seatingis limited for this adult comedy which will bethe last play PPP will be showing at 260 10thStreet in Astoria.Writers Tim Hurd and Donna Wright.WEDNESDAY, JULY 19 welcomes backTim Hurd and Donna K. Wright, who will bereading their own short stories and poetry.Strong imagery, engaging characters, cleverword play, and sensitive themes mark theirwork. Together they will present a dynamicevening not to be missed and never to beseen again on this stage. There will be noadmission fee for this event, though a $5donation is suggested and appreciated.Curtain time is 7:30 pm.A trio of Jazz and moreShelley Loring, Dave Drewryand Todd PedersonTHURSDAY, JULY 20 AT 7:30 PM. Thedulcet tones, reedy and true, of Shelley Loring’sflute and Dave Drury’s fleet-of fingerdreamy guitar playing create a beautifulmarriage on PPP’s stage. Joined by bassistTodd Pederson, for a night of jazz renderingsin the cedar-planked room at 260 10thStreet. The $10 tickets will be available atthe door, the evening of this performance.Curtain 7:30pm.important figure at Pier PressureProductions from its beginningin 2008. In Edward Albee’s,The Zoo Story, he gave a jawdroppingperformance in the roleof Jerry, a disturbing presence,lost in his disappointing world ofdespair and disgust. Ham drawson his own life experiences, thewriters who have influenced him,and his wide and varied interestsand knowledge to create anevening that guarantees sidesplittinglaughter and well worththe ticket price of $10.A SAD BUT GRACIOUS NOTE:PIER PRESSURE PRODUCTIONSis closing its doors at 260 10thStreet on July 31. The intimateperformance space was a hubof activity nearly every weekendsince its Grand Opening duringthe August 2010 2nd SaturdayArt Walk. During the twelvemonths in its downtown home,this production company will haveoffered audiences opportunitiesto view the openings of adozen visual artists, experiencean interactive installation, attendconcerts/CD releases, recitals,literary readings/book signings,and see over twenty plays in variousforms from staged readingsto fully mounted productions.Fourteen directors, fifty actors,ten published poets and writers,and thirty musicians, high schoolto professional, have broughttheir visions and imaginations tothis little space this past year.Hundreds of audience membersand friends filtered in and out thedoor to celebrate the arts in Astoria,support VOCA, and frequentthe little theatre/gallery and itsefforts to bring thought-provokingmaterial to the community.Susi Brown, retired high schoolteacher, started this productioncompany in 2008 with a performanceof Edward Albee’s The ZooStory. At that time, the companypresented its plays in what isnow 3Cups, a coffee houselocated on Marine Drive in thehome of the Columbia River CoffeeRoaster. True to its motto,“the coffee that floats the arts,”CRCR has been a stalwart friendto PPP and if you went to anyof the events held at PPP, youmight have tasted the roaster’ssignature blend, Thundermuck.CRCR, Red Dwarf Graphx, BentRabbit Multimedia Studio, 2001Productions, 3Cups, AstorStreet Opry Company, CoasterTheatre, Knappa and AstoriaHigh Schools, Clatsop CommunityCollege, Clatsop CountyCultural Commission, and a hostof generous individuals donatedtime, expertise, and money tohelp PPP this year. Even with thehelp of many, the running of thisbusiness falls on the shoulders ofone very tired and ready-to-retirewoman. “It’s been a busy year,exhausting and exhilarating,”Brown sighs, and now it is timefor a long-needed rest.”COASTER THEATER SUMMER REPchalk full of comedy and musicFRANK JAGODNIK and Pia Shepard play a British star and her husbandon their way to the Academy Awards -- one of four playlets in NeilSimon’s comedy, set in Los Angeles in the ‘70s, CALIFORNIA SUITE.July 8 – September 3 Tickets: $20 & $15PUTNAM COUNTY, 2006... 6 student spellers with issues... a juniorhigh school assistant principle with issues... a former champion spellerwith issues... a “comfort counselor” doing community service... 4 audiencevolunteers... great music, dance, and a lot of humor!IT’S THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE by Finn& Sheinkin. An unusual aspect of the show is that four real audiencemembers are invited on stage to compete in the spelling bee. Be one.(pictured l to r: Amanda Payne, Julia Shepherd, Richard Bowman, DarrenHull Cameron Gates, Todd Payne).July 7- Sept 17 TICKETS: $23 & $18Third in the Summer Rep Season: THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP BYCHARLES LUDLAM. Manacrest Manor House, on the moors, some time inthe 19th Century . . . 2 actors . . . numerous characters . . . an Egyptian crypt .. . a mummy case . . . quick changes . . . parody, vaudeville, farce, melodrama. . . lightning fast sleight-of-hand . . . vampires and werewolves! Written byNYC toast of drag theater, Charles Ludlum.Opens July 20 - October 15 TICKETS: $20 & $15 PERFORMANCESHEDULE: Shows run Wed – Sat @ 8pm, Sun 7pm. See coastertheatre.comfor schedule. 108 N. Hemlock in Cannon Beach, 503.436.1242 (photos byGeorge Vetter)july11 hipfishmonthly.com18