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    • SHORT FLIX
    • BAKKHAI
    • ESCAPED ALONE
    • MADE TO DANCE IN BURNING BUILDINGS
    • _____ THE WOLF
    • SALT
    • MACBETH
    • THE CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE
    • COME TO THE TABLE
    • MISS JULIE
    • WE'RE ALL MAD HERE
    • HEAD . HANDS . FEET
    • ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE
    • A DOLL'S HOUSE
    • PASSION PLAY
    • SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER
    • MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH
    • ONE FLEA SPARE
    • WILDE TALES
    • FAR AWAY
    • THE TRIPPING POINT
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Suddenly Last Summer

Suddenly Last Summer by Tennessee Williams
Directed by Samantha Van Der Merwe

April 3rd - May 2nd 2015

Picture
Suddenly Last Summer, takes place in a tropical New Orleans garden. This steamy hothouse was the property of a dead poet, Sebastian, whose life was a work of art. That at least is the view of his mother, who is so anxious to preserve his idealized memory that she is prepared to go to any lengths to have his cousin, Catherine, stop babbling. But Catherine has her own story to tell about accompanying Sebastian on a Spanish island vacation that ended in violent tragedy. In this 90 minute play, Williams, at his most poetic, cracks open a can of worms that explores unspeakable taboos (as seen through the lens of America ’s repressive political atmosphere of the 1940s and 1950s), the consuming nature of desire (both human and cosmic), and the destruction and reconstruction of identity.
Starring:
Jacklyn Maddux as Violet Venable*+
Matthew Kerrigan as Dr. Cukrowicz+
Beth Thompson
as Catherine Holly+
Luisa Sermol as Mrs. Holly*
Steve Vanderzee as George
Dana Millican as Sister Felicity
Rebecca Ridenour as Miss Foxhill


*Member of Actors Equity Association
+Member of Shaking The Tree Performance Group

Suddenly Last Summer
Press and Audience Reviews

"Just straight-up beautiful piece of theatre, honest, moving, engaging, do not miss it." -Audience Member

"This show was amazing- from the production design to the acting to Samantha's focused and imaginative direction. What a vivid tale in such a lovely space! Go see this!" -Audience member

"The genius of Williams is brought to life by this amazing cast. It's a must see!
" -Audience Member

"Even though I was familiar with the play, I found myself on the edge of my seat. It was so moving, and vibrant, and atmospheric. A truly immersive experience. Thank you for your work!" -Audience Member

"Director Samantha Van Der Merwe has put together an outstanding company of local actors. Especially impressive are Beth Thompson as the vulnerable but often fiery Catherine and Jacklyn Maddux as the coldly dominating yet surprisingly desperate Mrs. Venable. Noteworthy among other performances is Luisa Sermol's spot-on portrayal of Catherine's saccharine-sweet, grasping mother."
Richard Wattenberg- The Oregonian
Read more here

"Van Der Merwe has done an exceptional job of assembling theatrical elements, using lighting, sound, and image to explore the inner stories and lives into which we get a glimpse."
Christa McIntyre- Oregon Artswatch
Read more here

"As soon as you walk into the Shaking the Tree theatre, you are in the affluent Garden District of New Orleans, the setting for Tennessee Williams' SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER. Having just spent some time in New Orleans, I was struck by how perfectly the set (by set designer and director Samantha Van Der Merwe) captured the feel - of both decadence and decay - that defines the city."
- Krista Garver, Broadway World
Read more here

"Van Der Merwe's direction is delightfully out there, pulling out the play's repetitive, strange language, and employing inventive techniques—including amazing work in sound, lighting, and projection—to convey the fact that Catherine, though committed to an asylum, is the play's most reliable narrator. In the final scene, she recounts what happened to Sebastian with a fugue-like delivery and staging that left me with goosebumps."
- Megan Burbank, Portland Mercury
Read more here

Listen to an interview with Dmae Roberts of Stage and Studio, who came to visit Artistic Director, Samantha Van Der Merwe, the week we opened.

Suddenly Last Summer is funded by:
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Ronni Lacroute, Willakenzie Estate
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Robert Rauschenberg Foundation

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Shaking the Tree Theatre is located at 823 SE Grant St.
Portland, OR 97214

Oue main office is located at 2136 SE 8th Ave
Portland, OR 97214

For our theatre: Look for the Big Blue Warehouse on the corner od SE 9th and Grant and enter through the gate.
​For our main office: look for the beautiful mural on the corner of SE 8th and Grant. Entrance is on SE 8th.


Major Funding provided by

Ronni Lacroute, Jessie Jonas, Anonymous, Ellyn Bye, the Regional Arts & Culture Council, including support from the City of Portland, Multnomah County, the Arts Education & Access Fund, Prosper Portland, the Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation, the the Shubert Foundation, the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, the Collins Foundation, the Oregon Cultural Trust, the Oregon Arts Commission, the Rose and David Dortort Foundation, supporting organization of the California Community Foundation, and the Multnomah County Cultural Coalition.
  • WELCOME
  • SHOWS & EVENTS
    • FORBIDDEN FRUIT
    • IN A DIFFERENT REALITY SHE'S CLAWING AT THE WALLS
    • TICKETS
  • CLASSES
    • YOUTH CLASSES
    • STT INSTRUCTORS
  • SUPPORT
  • CONTACT
    • FIND US HERE
    • WORK WITH US
  • ABOUT
    • WHO WE ARE
    • ACCOUNTABILITY
    • LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
    • CLIMATE ACTION
    • COVID POLICY
  • ARCHIVE
    • FUCKING A
    • MODELMINORITY
    • CHICK FIGHT
    • COMMUNITY IN CONVERSATION
    • FAMILY
    • 家 人 (JIA REN)
    • REFUGE
    • SHORT FLIX
    • BAKKHAI
    • ESCAPED ALONE
    • MADE TO DANCE IN BURNING BUILDINGS
    • _____ THE WOLF
    • SALT
    • MACBETH
    • THE CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE
    • COME TO THE TABLE
    • MISS JULIE
    • WE'RE ALL MAD HERE
    • HEAD . HANDS . FEET
    • ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE
    • A DOLL'S HOUSE
    • PASSION PLAY
    • SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER
    • MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH
    • ONE FLEA SPARE
    • WILDE TALES
    • FAR AWAY
    • THE TRIPPING POINT