Shaking the Tree melds the boundaries of theatre and visual art by presenting audiences with unconventional theatrical experiences in our non-traditional warehouse space. Founded in 2003, Shaking the Tree uses innovative ways to inhabit space, and positions itself at the intersection of innovation, activism and groundbreaking theatricality to allow audiences to experience a deeper, more active connection to the work.
How did the name Shaking the Tree originate?
Shaking the Tree's name comes from a mishmash of mythology and fairytale: The Bodhi Tree, The flowering Apple Tree, the Silver Pear Tree, but mostly the Golden Apple Tree from the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale, Mother Holly. In this tale the young heroin comes up to a tree laden with apples. The Tree says "Shake me. Shake me. We apples are all ripe." So she shakes the tree until the apples fall as though it were raining golden apples. When there are none left in the tree, she gathers them into a pile, and then continues on her way.
"I love this idea of the young heroine doing her soul work in the underworld of Mother Holly. The important and necessary work of imagining and creating." ~Samantha Van Der Merwe
"I love this idea of the young heroine doing her soul work in the underworld of Mother Holly. The important and necessary work of imagining and creating." ~Samantha Van Der Merwe
Shaking the Tree Leadership
Samantha Van Der Merwe (she/her) - Founding Artistic Director
"She creates lush, often dark and fantastical, environments that bring home the hard issues we need to face but are often unwilling to do on a daily basis. It’s a vision that needs to be supported because in her hands, some plays can be transformative."
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Samantha Van Der Merwe has now lived in the United States for 26 years, and is the founding Artistic Director of Shaking the Tree Theatre in Portland, OR.
Founded in 2003, Shaking the Tree Theatre has become known for melding the boundaries of theatre and visual art by presenting thrilling and unconventional theatrical experiences.
Directing projects: Chick Fight (Devised/words by Sara Jean Accuardi), Family (Celine Song), REFUGE (Art Installation/Devised), BAKKHAI (Euripides/Anne Carson), Escaped Alone (Caryl Churchill), _____ the wolf (devised), SALT (devised), Macbeth (William Shakespeare), The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Bertolt Brecht), Come to the Table, Mike Pence (Devised), Miss Julie (August Strindberg, adapted by Craig Lucas), We're All Mad Here (Devised), Venus and Adonis (William Shakespeare), Head. Hands. Feet. (Devised & Edna O’Brien), Orpheus and Eurydice (Devised), A Doll's House (Henrik Ibsen, adapted by Frank McGuinness), Passion Play (Sarah Ruhl), Suddenly Last Summer (Tennessee Williams), Masque of the Red Death (Featuring Playwrights West), One Flea Spare (Naomi Wallace), Wilde Tales (Oscar wilde, adapted by Karin Magaldi), Far Away (Caryl Churchill), The Tripping Point (Featuring Playwrights West), Statements After an Arrest Under the Immorality Act (Athol Fugard).
Talk & Lectures
Creative Mornings: https://creativemornings.com/talks/samantha-van-der-merwe
Awards and Affiliations
Associate Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, Member of Theatre Communications Group, Drammy Award for Outstanding Devised Work: Head. Hands. Feet, Devised, Drammy Award for Outstanding Set Design; We're All Mad Here, Devised, Drammy Award for Special Achievement as a Producer: Passion Play, Sarah Ruhl, Robert Rauschenberg Foundation SEED Grantee, Drammy Award for Special Achievement as a Producer- The Tripping Point, Drammy Award for Outstanding Direction- Statements After an Arrest..., Athol Fugard
"She creates lush, often dark and fantastical, environments that bring home the hard issues we need to face but are often unwilling to do on a daily basis. It’s a vision that needs to be supported because in her hands, some plays can be transformative."
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Samantha Van Der Merwe has now lived in the United States for 26 years, and is the founding Artistic Director of Shaking the Tree Theatre in Portland, OR.
Founded in 2003, Shaking the Tree Theatre has become known for melding the boundaries of theatre and visual art by presenting thrilling and unconventional theatrical experiences.
Directing projects: Chick Fight (Devised/words by Sara Jean Accuardi), Family (Celine Song), REFUGE (Art Installation/Devised), BAKKHAI (Euripides/Anne Carson), Escaped Alone (Caryl Churchill), _____ the wolf (devised), SALT (devised), Macbeth (William Shakespeare), The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Bertolt Brecht), Come to the Table, Mike Pence (Devised), Miss Julie (August Strindberg, adapted by Craig Lucas), We're All Mad Here (Devised), Venus and Adonis (William Shakespeare), Head. Hands. Feet. (Devised & Edna O’Brien), Orpheus and Eurydice (Devised), A Doll's House (Henrik Ibsen, adapted by Frank McGuinness), Passion Play (Sarah Ruhl), Suddenly Last Summer (Tennessee Williams), Masque of the Red Death (Featuring Playwrights West), One Flea Spare (Naomi Wallace), Wilde Tales (Oscar wilde, adapted by Karin Magaldi), Far Away (Caryl Churchill), The Tripping Point (Featuring Playwrights West), Statements After an Arrest Under the Immorality Act (Athol Fugard).
Talk & Lectures
Creative Mornings: https://creativemornings.com/talks/samantha-van-der-merwe
Awards and Affiliations
Associate Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, Member of Theatre Communications Group, Drammy Award for Outstanding Devised Work: Head. Hands. Feet, Devised, Drammy Award for Outstanding Set Design; We're All Mad Here, Devised, Drammy Award for Special Achievement as a Producer: Passion Play, Sarah Ruhl, Robert Rauschenberg Foundation SEED Grantee, Drammy Award for Special Achievement as a Producer- The Tripping Point, Drammy Award for Outstanding Direction- Statements After an Arrest..., Athol Fugard
Rebby Yuer Foster (they/them) - Associate Artistic Director
Rebby Yuer Foster is a Chinese American artist & director.
Recent pieces with Shaking the Tree include, MODELMINORITY (director), Family (Alice), 家人: A Self Portrait (director/editor), Refuge: Our Lady of Lunar Reflection (director/editor), The Edge (director/editor), 抜け首 (director/editor). Recent acting credits include Once (Seacoast Repertory Theatre), We’ve Come to Believe (Humana Festival ‘19), Dracula (Actor’s Theatre of Louisville), & Xiaoyen (Actor’s Theatre of Louisville). Rebby is a former Acting Apprentice at the Actor’s Theatre of Louisville ‘18-19. They grew up in Seattle, Washington and received their B.A. in Theatre & English at the University of Portland.
Rebby Yuer Foster is a Chinese American artist & director.
Recent pieces with Shaking the Tree include, MODELMINORITY (director), Family (Alice), 家人: A Self Portrait (director/editor), Refuge: Our Lady of Lunar Reflection (director/editor), The Edge (director/editor), 抜け首 (director/editor). Recent acting credits include Once (Seacoast Repertory Theatre), We’ve Come to Believe (Humana Festival ‘19), Dracula (Actor’s Theatre of Louisville), & Xiaoyen (Actor’s Theatre of Louisville). Rebby is a former Acting Apprentice at the Actor’s Theatre of Louisville ‘18-19. They grew up in Seattle, Washington and received their B.A. in Theatre & English at the University of Portland.
Shaking the Tree Literary Collaborator
Pancho Savery - Artistic Associate & Resident Dramaturg
Pancho Savery is Professor of English, Humanities, American Studies, and Comparative Race and Ethnicity Studies at Reed College, where he teaches courses on modern and contemporary drama, African-American literature, American literature and culture, and American Indian fiction. He has published essays on Ralph Ellison, Saunders Redding, James Baldwin, Adrienne Rich, Robert Creeley, Ezra Pound, Samuel Beckett, Paula Vogel, Tennessee Williams, Sarah Ruhl, Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins, Mike Lew, Lucas Hnath, Euripides, and others. He serves on the Board of Directors of Artists Repertory Theatre (chair), Boom Arts (chair), Clackamas Repertory Theatre, Corrib Theatre (chair), Original Practice Shakespeare (co-chair), P.E.T.E. (chair), PHAME (immediate past chair), Portland Playhouse, The Red Door Project, Shaking the Tree Theatre, Third Rail Repertory Theatre, and Our Children Oregon. He has worked as dramaturg at Artists Repertory Theatre, Clackamas Repertory Theatre, Corrib Theatre, Portland Center Stage, Profile Theatre, Shaking the Tree Theatre, and Third Rail Repertory Theatre. Additionally, he is Literary Dramaturg at Artists Repertory Theatre, Literary Manager at Corrib, and Third Rail, and Artistic Associate at Shaking the Tree. He is a member of the Mercury and DNA:Oxygen theatre companies, is a member of The Modern Language Association, LMDA, TCG, and the Jazz Journalists Association. He is also past Vice President and President of PDX Jazz.
Pancho Savery is Professor of English, Humanities, American Studies, and Comparative Race and Ethnicity Studies at Reed College, where he teaches courses on modern and contemporary drama, African-American literature, American literature and culture, and American Indian fiction. He has published essays on Ralph Ellison, Saunders Redding, James Baldwin, Adrienne Rich, Robert Creeley, Ezra Pound, Samuel Beckett, Paula Vogel, Tennessee Williams, Sarah Ruhl, Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins, Mike Lew, Lucas Hnath, Euripides, and others. He serves on the Board of Directors of Artists Repertory Theatre (chair), Boom Arts (chair), Clackamas Repertory Theatre, Corrib Theatre (chair), Original Practice Shakespeare (co-chair), P.E.T.E. (chair), PHAME (immediate past chair), Portland Playhouse, The Red Door Project, Shaking the Tree Theatre, Third Rail Repertory Theatre, and Our Children Oregon. He has worked as dramaturg at Artists Repertory Theatre, Clackamas Repertory Theatre, Corrib Theatre, Portland Center Stage, Profile Theatre, Shaking the Tree Theatre, and Third Rail Repertory Theatre. Additionally, he is Literary Dramaturg at Artists Repertory Theatre, Literary Manager at Corrib, and Third Rail, and Artistic Associate at Shaking the Tree. He is a member of the Mercury and DNA:Oxygen theatre companies, is a member of The Modern Language Association, LMDA, TCG, and the Jazz Journalists Association. He is also past Vice President and President of PDX Jazz.
Shaking the Tree Associates
Kelly Novahom (she/her) - Education & Community Programs Director
Kelly Novahom (she/her/hers) is a queer Filipino/Mexican American creative, educator, community organizer, and volunteer/member of APANO’s Art & Media Project, a group that centers the work of creatives and cultural workers in advancement of social justice issues. As a Program Manager at Center for Community Engagement at Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling, her work strives to bring social justice focused continuing education opportunities to writers, educators, and counselors.
Her current focus is providing affinity spaces for Asian Pacific American queer and trans children, youth, and adults and their supportive families through art and community spaces to thrive and build community. Her most recent work includes co-producing Coming Out & Overcoming, with Theatre Diaspora and Artist Repertory Theatre, a storytelling project that seeks to provide that connection and opportunity to center our narratives and ask ourselves what it means to fully live in our multiple identities as queer and trans Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). She has also guest curated and co-produced events such as the APANO Annual East Portland Arts & Literary Festival and the Portland launch event for the Pilipinx Radical Imagination Reader with Whitenoise Project.
Kelly Novahom (she/her/hers) is a queer Filipino/Mexican American creative, educator, community organizer, and volunteer/member of APANO’s Art & Media Project, a group that centers the work of creatives and cultural workers in advancement of social justice issues. As a Program Manager at Center for Community Engagement at Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling, her work strives to bring social justice focused continuing education opportunities to writers, educators, and counselors.
Her current focus is providing affinity spaces for Asian Pacific American queer and trans children, youth, and adults and their supportive families through art and community spaces to thrive and build community. Her most recent work includes co-producing Coming Out & Overcoming, with Theatre Diaspora and Artist Repertory Theatre, a storytelling project that seeks to provide that connection and opportunity to center our narratives and ask ourselves what it means to fully live in our multiple identities as queer and trans Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). She has also guest curated and co-produced events such as the APANO Annual East Portland Arts & Literary Festival and the Portland launch event for the Pilipinx Radical Imagination Reader with Whitenoise Project.
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Kai Hynes (he/him) - Box Office Manager & Instructor
Kai Hynes is a theatre artist, teacher, and administrator. Credits with Shaking the Tree include MODELMINORITY, Family, Short Flix, and The Caucasian Chalk Circle. He has also worked with Hand2Mouth Theatre, Orphic Theatre, Milagro Theatre, Imago Theatre, Fuse Theatre Ensemble, and the Livermore Shakespeare Festival. Originally from San Jose, California, he holds a B.A. in Theatre and English from the University of Portland. He is also a recent graduate of Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble’s Institute for Contemporary Performance. |
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Griffin Kiyoshi Dewitt (he/him) - Resident Lighting Designer
Griffin is a freelance designer and technician, working primarily in lighting and video production. Of Japanese descent, his mother picked the kanjis for his name to mean "one who dances," "full of energy," and "an unexpected surprise," and he likes to bring that energy to his work. Griffin's first full production with Shaking the Tree was A Doll's House (2016), and he has loved working in the space ever since. When not designing for theatre, Griffin runs Griffin DeWitt Designs, an event technology company providing AV services for productions. He earned his bachelors of the arts in theatre from Pacific University. Learn more at www.griffindewitt.design |
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Spencer Fork (he/him) - Master Electrician
Spencer Fork is an aspiring lighting designer. His work at Shaking the Tree includes Fucking A (Lighting Designer), MODELMINORITY (Lighting Designer), Chick Fight (Master Electrician), Family (Carpenter/Lighting Assistant), Refuge (Assisstant Scenic Carpenter). Additionally, he was the lighting designer for Precious Cargo: Days of Old (The Holding Project). Spencer received his Bachelor of Science in Theatre Arts from the University of Oregon in 2021. |
Shaking The Tree Board of Directors
Samantha Van Der Merwe (President)
Scott Wiggers (Treasurer)
Jessie Jonas (Secretary)
Dorothy Davis
Kerry Erdenberger
Rebecca Harrison
Belinda Green
Pancho Savery
Scott Wiggers (Treasurer)
Jessie Jonas (Secretary)
Dorothy Davis
Kerry Erdenberger
Rebecca Harrison
Belinda Green
Pancho Savery
General Press Quotes & Articles of Interest
(Specific show reviews and interviews can be found on our archive pages)
The Cultural Landscape: Part 3
K.B. Dixon continues his series with five fresh photographic portraits of people who help define the shape of Portland's culture.
The Cultural Landscape: Part 3
K.B. Dixon continues his series with five fresh photographic portraits of people who help define the shape of Portland's culture.
The Low-tech Solution: Dracula and Grusha- Stephen Legawiec
5 Portland Performances you shouldn't miss this Spring -R.Mitchell Miller, Willamette Week
Shaking the Scene: Their New Season Proves that Shaking The Tree is Portland’s Most Daring Theater Company -Robert Ham, Portland Mercury
Spotlight on: Samantha Van Der Merwe and'Caucasian Chalk Circle'
-Bobby Bermea, Oregon Artswatch
-Bobby Bermea, Oregon Artswatch
"Among Portland's best theatre companies, putting on a wonderful mix of classic and contemporary with an emphasis on the visual." ~DeAnn Welker, the Oregonian
Theater Director Samantha Van Der Merwe
A theatrical worldbuilder with equal tastes for the sinister and the fanciful.
-Rebecca Jacobsen, Willamette Week
A theatrical worldbuilder with equal tastes for the sinister and the fanciful.
-Rebecca Jacobsen, Willamette Week
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Connect with Us
Box Office: 503.235.0635
Shaking the Tree Theatre is located at 823 SE Grant St.
Portland, OR 97214
Look for the Big Blue Warehouse!
Shaking the Tree is in a warehouse space on the NW corner of SE 9th Ave and SE Grant St. The entrance is located just off the courtyard.
Major Funding provided by
Ronni Lacroute, Jessie Jonas, Ellyn Bye, Ed Hamilton, 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.
