Coming soon from JTC: The Ministry of Special Cases

In less than two weeks our friends from the resident company Jewish Collaborative Theatre present their latest work, the Page2Stage adaptation of Nathan Englander's award-winning first novel, The Ministry of Special Cases.

Dealing with the troublesome times of Argentina's Dirty War, JTC's newest production features some outstanding local talent. Check out their brief promo video below, learn more and get your tickets for this intriguing show at JTC's website!

The Ministry of Special Cases will play at Milagro March 14 through April 11. See you at Milagro!

Everybody's chirping about "A Pigeon and a Boy"

The original production of "A Pigeon and a Boy" barely opened at Milagro Theatre this past March 22, and it already has critics and audiences singing its praises. The following is excerpted from Bob Hicks' review for Oregon ArtsWatch:

"'That novel just came to life for me!' I overheard a fellow theatergoer exclaim happily as I worked through the crowd at Milagro Theatre on Saturday night after the opening performance of the Jewish Theatre Collaborative’s A Pigeon and a Boy.

Well, yes, it did – and in some interesting ways. She might have meant the story itself swept her off her feet. And she might have meant she loved seeing good actors step inside the story and bring its characters into heart-thumping, flesh-and-blood reality.

Both were reasonable responses to JTC’s performance, a world-premiere stage adaptation of the Israeli writer Meir Shalev’s time-hopping novel about a rumpled, aging tour guide in contemporary Israel and the unlikely love story of a pair of young pigeon-handlers during the 1948 war of independence. A Pigeon and a Boy ripples with themes of home and belonging, issues that are intensely potent in Israel and the Middle East...

Pigeon, adapted by director Sacha Reich and Doren Elias, joins the recent run of good-to-excellent shows that have made late winter and early spring such a memorable and rewarding season on Portland’s stages. With an intriguing story, a solid and highly flexible cast led by Darius Pierce as the disgruntled romantic Yair, and excellent technical credits including a cleverly pop-up diorama of a painted set by the visual artist Henk Pander, this show’s got the goods: it engages you both in that slow and intellectually heightened way of a good written story being gradually unspooled, and with the immediate emotional impact of good drama."

(Read full review here)

Help welcome JTC to Milagro and experience this touching story of longing and belonging, playing March 22 through April 12
Thurs - Sat 7:30 PM, Sundays 2:00 PM
Tickets are on sale now.

Photo of the Day: "Pigeon" up on the marquee!

Opening this Saturday March 22 and running through April 12, Jewish Theatre Collaborative's production of "A Pigeon and a Boy" is now proudly announced on the Milagro Theatre marquee!

Milagro becomes a home for JTC and "A Pigeon and a Boy"

"A homing pigeon must love her home, otherwise she will not wish to return to it." – Meir Shalev

A new work exploring the meaning of home and a love in the midst or war is opening this March 22 at Milagro!

"A Pigeon and A Boy" is a quest for home that unites the contemporary story of an Israeli tour guide who has lost his way and a 1948 war-torn romance propelled by homing pigeons. It is a moving story of love, loss and renewal, based on the book of the same name by Meir Shalev. This original production by Jewish Theatre Collaborative was adapted by Sacha Reich and Doren Elias, and directed by Reich with performances by Lorraine Bahr, Chantal DeGroat, Sam Dinkowitz, Doren Elias, Nick Ferrucci, Sam Mowry, Crystal Muñoz, Darius Pierce (Actors' Equity Association) and Jamie M. Rea. 

"A Pigeon and a Boy" is the first fully-staged production by JTC in their new nest as part of a residence agreement to share office space and facilities that began in the spring of 2013. Reich, JTC's founder, is pleased to present all of JTC’s productions at Milagro Theatre, a black box-style house which seats approximately 120. “You can make very good art in that space,” she says. "Knowing we have a home for the foreseeable future gives us an enormous amount of security, so more of our attentions can be focused on what we’re doing, rather than where we’re doing it."

Jewish Theatre Collaborative is a 5-year-old arts organization dedicated to "creating adaptations, collaborating with community partners, gathering community and catalyzing conversations", already having presented 30 distinct programs reaching just over 10,000 audience members ages 3-100 across Portland and around the state. 

Come welcome JTC to Milagro and experience this touching story of longing and belonging, playing March 22 through April 12
Thurs - Sat 7:30 PM, Sundays 2:00 PM
Tickets are on sale now.