Artists Repertory Theatre

Announcing ART’s 2026/27 Season: COMEDIES FOR A WORLD ON FIRE. 🔥 This fall, prepare for shenanigans with MARSHA BLOVOTNIK AND THE MARVELOUS MAGICAL CHICKEN SOUP by Dan Kitrosser. 🥘 Next winter, burn it all down with the world premiere of SLAY by longtime collaborator Yussef El Guindi. 🚬 In the spring, you’re invited to a memorial service like no other with EULOGY, OR HOW TO PLAN YOUR OWN FUNERAL (AND HAVE FUN DOING IT!) by Seattle’s Brendan Healy. 🎂 Join us for a season of fiery new plays by three playwrights with roots in the Pacific Northwest. “It’s a season that’s very much in the spirit of what Artists Rep is here to do,” says Artistic Director, Luan Schooler, “take real creative risks in an intimate space with artists and audiences who are willing to go on that adventure together. The world is on fire; come laugh with us!” Season tickets on sale June 1st. 🔥

Announcing ART’s 2026/27 Season: COMEDIES FOR A WORLD ON FIRE.🔥 Round out your spring with EULOGY, OR HOW TO PLAN YOUR OWN FUNERAL (AND HAVE FUN DOING IT!) by Seattle’s Brendan Healy. 🎂 April 13 - May 9, 2027. Season tickets on sale June 1st. About the play: Brendan Healy is like a trick birthday candle: his flame just won’t blow out. Diagnosed with a terminal illness as a baby, he was supposed to die by 5, then 8, then 16, and on and on. Somehow, he can’t get to the dying part!. Now, he invites you to a memorial service like no other, as he shares a lifetime of experience navigating the healthcare system, managing love and student loans, and planning his own funeral. A warm, heartfelt comedy about mortality, survival, and joie de vivre. About the playwright: Brendan Healy is a Seattle-based playwright and theatre-maker. His full-length plays have been produced in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Seattle, and his short plays have been produced across the country. He is a four-time finalist and one-time recipient of the Heideman Award from Actors Theatre of Louisville. His short play Picnic (pik’nik’): v.i. was published by Playscripts, Inc., and his full-length play The Secret Recordings of Lenin to His Lost Love… was published by Rain City Projects in the Manifesto v. 2 anthology. Some of his other full-length plays include Relatively We…; The Final Tribunal into the Mysterious Death of Mister Senor Salvador Dali; Hotdish, City of Presidents, Mangrove Park, and two children’s plays. He received his MFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2006. The Seattle Times declared his play Suffering, Inc. one of the seven top plays of the decade and Eulogy… as among Seattle’s best theatre in 2025. He is a company member of Pony World Theatre.

Announcing ART’s 2026/27 Season: COMEDIES FOR A WORLD ON FIRE. 🔥 This winter, burn it all down with SLAY by longtime collaborator Yussef El Guindi, directed by Melory Mirashrafi. 🚬 February 2 - 28, 2027. Season tickets on sale June 1st. About the play: Hossam and Rachel’s dog, Albert, has been acting strange—growling, lashing out, running away—but why?! Hossam is an arts journalist (recently fired), and Rachel is an optometrist (her eyes are on Gaza), they have a loving home! In search of answers, the couple consult a pet therapist. According to her, Albert’s altered behavior has more to do with the political climate. He’s a conservative. As tensions sizzle at home, the three are pulled into a maelstrom with deadly consequences. SLAY, a world premiere play by Yussef El Guindi, is a quick-witted dark comedy about the absurd nature of our times. And the complicated nature of pet ownership. About the playwright: Born in Egypt, raised in London and now based in Seattle, Yussef El Guindi’s work frequently examines the collision of ethnicities, cultures and politics that face immigrants. His most recent productions: “Wife of Headless Man Investigates Her Own Disappearance” at Annex Theatre in Seattle; “Hotter Than Egypt” at Marin Theatre Company, ACT in Seattle, and at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts; “People of the Book” at ACT, and at Urban Stages (NYC); and “The Talented Ones” at Artists Repertory Theatre. Bloomsbury/ Methuen Drama has published “The Selected Works of Yussef El Guindi”; and Broadway Play Publishing Inc. and Dramatists Play Service have published a number of his other plays. He is the recipient of several honors, including the “Laurents/Hatcher Foundation Citation of Excellence Award”, the “Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award”, Colorado’s “Henry Award”, American Blues Theater’s “Blue Ink Playwriting Award”, Seattle’s “The Stranger’s Genius Award”, “L.A. Weekly’s Excellence in Playwriting Award”, Seattle’s “Gregory Award” and the “Middle East America Distinguished Playwright Award”. In 2023, he was selected by the Royal Society of Literature as an International Writer.

Announcing ART’s 2026/27 Season: COMEDIES FOR A WORLD ON FIRE. 🔥 This fall, prepare for shenanigans with MARSHA BLOVOTNIK AND THE MARVELOUS MAGICAL CHICKEN SOUP by Dan Kitrosser, directed by Luan Schooler. 🥘 October 27 - November 22, 2026. Season tickets on sale June 1st. About the show: Marsha Blovotnik is angry. So angry! The whole world is fakakte, but for this Socialist Jewish Lesbian, it’s her sister Janice who really burns her tuchus. She invited herself over for Shabbos dinner and then arrived three minutes early! Who does that?! But then a mysterious ancestor gives Marsha a pot of magical chicken soup with the power to cure the whole world’s woes—if only Marsha can cool down enough to share a bowl of soup with her sister. Marsha Blovotnik and the Marvelous Magical Chicken Soup is a buoyant, crackling comedy about how to live in a dumpster fire. About the playwright: Dan Kitrosser (he/they/gay!) is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter, solo performer, and cabaret artist who spent formative years in Portland, Oregon—their theatrical second home. A proud alumni of LineStorm Playwrights, Dan taught and collaborated with Artists Repertory Theater, Bag & Baggage, and Profile Theater, and remains deeply connected to Portland’s vibrant theater community. Their plays include Tar Baby (Edinburgh Fringe First Award; Amnesty International Special Citation), and he co-wrote We the Animals (Sundance 2018; NEXT Innovator Award; five Independent Spirit Award nominations). As drag persona Karen Tenderness—winner of Best Cabaret at the 2025 Philadelphia Fringe Festival—Dan has performed all over the country, with residencies at the Stonewall Inn and Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens. Dan is thrilled to work with Luan Schooler and Artists Rep to bring Marsha Blovotnik to the rose city!

And just like that, Apple Hunters! has come to a close. Thank you to everyone who joined us for the QUEST! 🍎 APPLE HUNTERS! by E.M. Lewis Directed by Zeina Salame Featuring: Phillip Ray Guevara, Henry Noble, Andrés Acalá, Fiely Matias Dramaturg: Luan Schooler Scenic Design: Alex Meyer Lighting Design: abby jacquin Sound Design: Rody Ortega Costume Design: Ahmad Daniel Santos Props Design: Olivia Vavroch Stage Manager: Danny Rosales Production Assistant: Alex Homer Technical Director: Eric Adams Scenic Charge Artist: Faith Johnson Scenic Carpenter: Samuel Manilla Lead Electrician: Joshua Yoon Assistant Lead Electrician: Zach Barbour Lighting: Kai Young, Sophina Flores Sound Engineer: Martín Aguas Costume Associate/Wardrobe: Moth Noriega Co-Production Manager: Melory Mirashrafi Co-Production Manager: Charlie Capps 📸: Philip J Hatton

“E.M. Lewis’ Apple Hunters!, which opened at Artists Repertory Theatre over the weekend, is about four men in search of a rare apple. Of course, they’re actually searching for what it represents: youthful friendship and vulnerability. But they can’t talk about that, so they look for the apple.“ Thanks for seeing the show, @portlandmercury !

“APPLE HUNTERS! is listed as the “feel-good” show in Artist Repertory Theatre’s season, presumably because “will lighten your heart and restore your faith in humanity” would have been too long. But that’s really what E.M. Lewis’s gorgeous new play does.” Thank you, @officialbroadwayworld ! 🍎 Another night of Apple Hunters! tonight at 7:30pm. Don’t miss this gorgeous show, running through April 26th. 📸 Philip J Hatton

“With quiet brilliance, E.M. Lewis’s heartwarming play about brotherhood, adeptly directed by Zeina Salame at Artists Repertory Theatre, drops breadcrumbs of meaning while also letting us make our own way through the rich woods of her characters’ memories and current-day troubles.” Thanks, @artswatch ! The second weekend of Apple Hunters! kicks off tonight, at Artists Rep. 🍎 📸 Philip J Hatton

Apple Hunters! by E.M. Lewis is on stage now at Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland, OR—March 31 - April 26, 2026. 🍎 "A balm for the soul,” Apple Hunters! is a nostalgic journey through memory, brotherhood, love, heartache, and resilience. Join four old friends as they reunite to go on on a quest for a legendary golden apple—only to find something much more valuable. Tickets on sale at artistsrep.org. APPLE HUNTERS! by E.M. Lewis Directed by Zeina Salame Featuring: Phillip Ray Guevara, Henry Noble, Andrés Acalá, Fiely Matias Dramaturg: Luan Schooler Scenic Design: Alex Meyer Lighting Design: abby jacquin Sound Design: Rody Ortega Costume Design: Ahmad Daniel Santos Props Design: Olivia Vavroch Stage Manager: Danny Rosales Production Assistant: Alex Homer Technical Director: Eric Adams Scenic Charge Artist: Faith Johnson Scenic Carpenter: Samuel Manilla Lead Electrician: Joshua Yoon Assistant Lead Electrician: Zach Barbour Lighting: Kai Young, Sophina Flores Sound Engineer: Martín Aguas Costume Associate/Wardrobe: Moth Noriega Co-Production Manager: Melory Mirashrafi Co-Production Manager: Charlie Capps

“I don’t know what other plays have grafting in them…” 🍎 Thanks, @willametteweek ! Read more about the world premiere of Apple Hunters! in the article by Laura Wheatman Hill. Apple Hunters! has its final preview tonight, and opens tomorrow—don’t miss this sweet, surprising, hearty tale, running at Artists Rep through April 26th!

Just in time for first preview… an Apple Hunters! billboard was seen in the wild! Have you seen one in your neighborhood? 🍎 Thanks @philliprayguevara for the pic!

Preview week for Apple Hunters! kicks off next Tuesday! 🍎 Previews are full-length, reduced-price performances while the creative team fine-tunes the show before its official opening. If you enjoy seeing how a production comes together, this is a great chance to experience the show as it evolves. Early audience feedback and reactions are a key component in shaping the final details. On Thursday, stick around after the show for a special tech talk, where you’ll get a behind-the -scenes look at the production, and the opportunity to ask the incredible designers of Apple Hunters! questions about their work. 📸 Philip J Hatton