Imago Theatre

ZOOZOO Imago’s Mask Theatre Masterpiece RETURNS FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON FEATURING: THE MUSIC BOX! Dec 18 to Jan 3 TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED AT IMAGOTHEATRETICKETS.COM OR BY CALLING: IMAGO THEATRE 503.231.9581 ADULT: $37.50 CHILD 16 YEARS AND UNDER: $19.50 YOUTH 17 YEARS TO 26 YEARS | SENIOR 65 AND OLDER: $29.50 BUY TICKETS A trio of philosophical frogs, one dancing larva, and a waddle of penguins playing musical chairs return for the latest revival of Imago's crowd-pleasing signature work. Just in time for the holidays! Family audiences, Ages 4 and up. "You can't do better than ZooZoo.... This is mask and mime theater at its best." — The Oregonian Imago is bringing back to Portland its globe-trotting production ZooZoo this holiday season. Bugeyes, hippos with insomnia, arrogant anteaters, introverted frogs, paradoxical polar bears, acrobatic worms, self-touting accordions and tricky penguins fill the stage with wonder, awe and humor. ZooZoo has toured internationally since 2009, following on the heels of Imago’s signature work FROGZ. Be sure to catch it this coming holiday season before those critters are packed off to company storage (Imago’s warehouse museum of fascinating creatures)! Recommended for Ages 4+ "Delightful … just watch!" New York Times "Very special treat … fun ... completely enthralled!" I Love NY CITY MAMA.com "Tempted to go again ... it's that unique ... a blast!" A Child Grows in Brooklyn "Magic and spectacle … amazed and enchanted … thrilling … hysterical … a supremely theatrical spectacle … completely immersing … the most purely gratifying moments of theatre I have seen!" NY Theatre.com

BURIED CHILD Jan 27 - Feb 21 By SAM SHEPARD Thur, Fri, Sat at 7:30 Sun at 2:00 Tickets: $19 - $39Mature Audiences 16 and older Thanks to generous support from Ronni Lacroute BUY TICKETS A Gothic American Tragedy - *One of the 50 Top Plays of the 20th Century In a decaying Illinois farmhouse, an outrageously disturbing dysfunctional family harbors a dark, generational secret buried deep within the backyard soil. When their estranged grandson returns to pay a surprise visit, he finds himself treated as a complete unknown by the very relatives who should know him best. As the rain pours, hidden shady facts begin to claw their way to the grass surface. Wickedly Funny, Fiercely Intense - A Deeply Haunting Psychological Thriller. Sam Shepard wrote Buried Child in 1978 and one year later the work went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Obie Award. In 1996, the play received five Tony nominations including “Best Play” in its Broadway premiere. Buried Child is widely recognized as a modern masterpiece and was chosen by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the 50 best plays of the 20th century. "At times hilarious and at times terrifying" — Chicago On Stage Director Jerry Mouawad is on a roll with his canon of classic revivals, bringing a pulp-noir and sci-fi twist to his recent production of Sam Shepard’s wonderfully peculiar 1974 work Geography of a Horse Dreamer, he now follows with the playwright's most acclaimed work, Buried Child. In 2025, Mouawad revived Noel Coward’s gutsy Design for Living, an unexpected polyamory farce from 1932. And, in the same year, Mouawad's highly visual production of Drew Pisarra’s adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s Salome opened, as did the all-in-your-face, claustrophobic, yet lyrical staging of Tennessee Williams’s A Streetcar Named Desire. Has Mouawad’s appetite for milestone productions been weaned? “No,” he says. “In these giant works, there is a bottomless depth and thus endless rewards. Perhaps that is why I took two years to find the perfect cast for Buried Child.” Mouawad has learned from the great filmmaker Robert Altman that “95% of a director's creative work is completely finished once cast” and, therefore, he did not move forward to greenlight this production until after auditioning over 200 actors from the Portland community. Jeff Forbes designs lights, Moth designs costumes, Myrrh Larsen designs sound, Alex Meyer designs scenic. Plays Jan 29 to Feb 21 Previews Jan 27/28 at 7:30: $30 Wed/Thurs Shows $35 Fri/Sat/Sun Shows $45 For group or student discounts, call 503.231.9581 and leave a message. For non-profits that serve underserved populations, call the above number for free tickets. For Mature Audiences 16 and older. Dark subject matter.

SEPTEMBER FLIGHT Listen to Joe Cullen reading a segment from Don Nigro's The Dark Your browser does not support the audio element. SEPT 9 - SEPT 27 By DON NIGRO Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30, Sundays at 2:00. Tickets: $38 Mature Audiences 16 and older BUY TICKETS The Dark performed by Joe Cullen (Salomé, Design for Living) and Cincinnati performed by Diane Slamp (Geography of a Horse Dreamer, Design for Living). Direction by Jerry Mouawad. Ever been on stage all alone? "There is a supreme ecstasy in holding an audience entirely by yourself." — Ruth Draper "When you are alone on stage, the connection with the audience multiplies." — Anna Deavere Smith "The ultimate joy of solo performance is absolute artistic control." — Eric Bogosian THE DARK A man in his thirties grapples with a fundamental question: does he truly exist? This dilemma, first encountered at age four, drives the narrative of this ten-page script. Director Jerry Mouawad calls it "the perfect warm-up for Nigro’s work and his intriguing solos, many of which take place in a theatre." CINCINNATI Widely considered Nigro’s most celebrated work, Cincinnati earned the Scotsman Fringe First Award and the Jack Tinker Memorial Spirit of the Fringe Award at the Edinburgh Fringe. "It’s hard not to feel that this piece was written specifically for Imago," says Slamp, who portrays a lost professor navigating a world of tragedy, sex, and philosophical diatribes. Her diversions reveal a desperate search for redemption amidst personal disaster. Under Mouawad's direction, the production delves even deeper, while also becoming fantastic and playful. "Cincinnati is multi-layered, blending mythology and realism with an ontological examination of life and being," explains Mouawad. "It’s a gem for an audience seeking a new kind of theatre. Don’t let the heavy themes mislead you; this is a small spectacle with humor and high style. I see it as a consciousness tangling with forces of nature, an uncertain reality, and a triad of personas—real or unreal—in a lecture that pushes the boundaries of endurance. With influences from Richard Foreman coupled with a few tricks up my sleeve, I intend to drive Cincinnati to levels of mania—a woman battling all the forces of the real and non-real world." Production Credits: Light Design: Ronnie Rantis Costume Design: Laura Helgeson Sound Design: Myrrh Larsen Note: For Mature Audiences. In October, Imago returns with October Flight, featuring more solos by Don Nigro. Past productions of Cincinnati: CurtainUp Theatre Tours International British Theatre Guide About Don Nigro