Myra's Story
by Brian Foster
Directed by Gemma Whelan
Sponsored by Ellyn Bye
May 5 – 28, 2023
Thu – Sat @ 7:30pm, Sun @ 2pm
at 21ten Theatre, 2110 SE 10th Ave, Portland OR 97214
Recommended for ages 15 and up.
A scream from the streets. A plea to be seen as human.
Embodying Irish humor and tenacity, Myra chronicles her struggle with alcoholism and the generational and political traumas that fuel it. She introduces a cast of colorful characters from her working-class Dublin community, whose own challenges fill in the larger picture of a battered but resilient Irish society.
"''I've told yeh, daughter, alcoholism is part of us Hennessys. It stalks us. Pulls us down. The Beast me own Da called it. An' his Da before. An' y'can take it from me... when The Beast comes for a Hennessy, there's no escape."
Special Performance Dates
- Thursday, May 4th: Pay-What-You-Will Preview
- Sunday, May 7th: Talkback with HereTogether Oregon
- Sunday, May 14th: Talkback with HereTogether Oregon
- Friday, May 19th: ASL Interpreted Performance
- Sunday, May 21: Gemma Whelan Reading & Book Signing after the Show
COVID: For our 2022-23 season, patrons will no longer be required to show proof of vaccination in order to be admitted to a performance, however we reserve the right to change this policy at any time during the year. In addition, we may require all audience members to be masked at performances at any given time, based on prevailing conditions around the country. Our cast, crew, and staff have been fully vaccinated.
Featuring Luisa Sermol* as Myra
* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States, appearing under a Special Appearance Contract.
About the Playwright
Irish playwright Brian Foster “fell into” writing at age 39, despite coming from a tough background where visits to the theatre were unheard of and writing was a skill reserved for bookies and dockets. He left school at 16 with no qualifications except street smarts. Woven of truth and fiction, the hugely likeable, hugely vulnerable character Myra is an amalgam of several street drinkers Foster was familiar with in his home town of Derry, Northern Ireland.
Myra, says Foster, “is not an educated woman — but she has a street nurtured intelligence about her.” And Myra’s Story is merely a small window into the life of someone whom almost anyone could become.
SOME OF FOSTER’S OTHER WORKS INCLUDE:
The Trophy Collector (2010), The Most Haunted House in Derry (2005), The Butterfly of Killybegs (2000), A Miracle in Ballymore (2000), Colm Cille (film 2000) and, Lillibulerro (1996).
DIRECTOR
STAGE MANAGER
ASST STAGE MANAGER / DRAMATURG
SCENIC DESIGN
COSTUME DESIGN
COSTUME DESIGN
LIGHTING DESIGN
SOUND DESIGN
DIALECT COACH
Help us Support Portland's Houseless Communities
when you attend Myra's Story!
We’re partnering with Here Together Oregon during the run of ‘Myra’s Story’ to support Portland’s houseless communities!
Bring items from the list below to any performance of Myra’s Story and, with help from Here Together, we’ll donate them to Raphael House, a Portland-area organization that helps survivors of domestic violence.
- Fred Meyer gift cards
- Products for Black and African American Hair
- Feminine hygiene products (especially maxi/overnight)
- Shampoo and Conditioner (full-size bottles)
- Hygiene supplies for men and teenage boys
- Standard Pillows
- Body wash (full-size bottles)
- Deodorant (all genders)
- New, plus-size clothing
- Lotion (full-size bottles)
- Toothpaste
- Dish soap and detergent (for sinks and machines)
See Raphael House’s Amazon Wish List for more ways to support their work!
Season Sponsor: Ronni Lacroute
Production Sponsor: Ellyn Bye
Supporting Luisa Sermol’s Role as Myra: Charlotte Rubin
Supporting Karl Hanover’s work as Dialect Coach: The All-Ireland Cultural Society
Luisa Sermol
Luisa is thrilled to be back at Corrib after having worked with Gemma previously in "Hen Night Epiphany." Currently living in the Bay Area, her Bay Area credit include:Fefu and Friends (ACT), In Every Generation, It's a Wonderful Life, Archduke and They Promised Her the Moon (Theatreworks Silicon Valley), The Siegel (City Lights), Noises Off and It's Only a Play (Hillbarn Theatre). Portland credits include The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, The Humans, Cuba Libre (world premiere), Three Sisters (Tracy Letts Premiere), Xmas Unplugged, Lost Boy (premiere), The Goat, Night of the Iguana, Touch, Sideman, and Master Class (Artists Repertory Theatre), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Portland Center Stage), Caucasian Chalk Circle, Suddenly Last Summer (Shaking the Tree), Company, No Way to Treat a Lady (Broadway Rose), Sans Merci (Badass Theater), Mary Stuart (NW Classical/Cygnet), Hen Night Epiphany (Corrib Theater), Boleros for the Disenchanted (Miracle Theatre), Heather Raffo's 9 Parts of Desire, Moon for the Misbegotten (CoHo), Ashes to Ashes (Profile), Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night (Tygres Heart), and Withering Looks, Bloody Poetry, Lady Windermere's Fan, Vitriol and Violets (Cygnet). Luisa has also performed in New York/regionally with The Roundabout, Classic Stage Company, Colonial Theatre, and Williamstown Theatre Festival, as well as numerous Off-Off Broadway productions. She is a 5-time recipient of the Portland Drama Critics "Drammy" for Outstanding Actress in a Lead role. Television/Film work includes Grimm, Leverage, Personals, Zero Effect and Insect Poetry. She holds an MAT from Lewis & Clark College, and a conservatory degree in acting from The Juilliard School and is proud to be a teaching artist. For more: Luisasermol.com
Sara Hennessy
Sara Hennessy (she/hers) is a two-time Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award winner and an L.A. Weekly Theatre Award nominee. This is her third show at Corrib after having been in How to Keep an Alien and Little Gem previously. She’s been in several shows at Artists Rep (ART) including 1984, Everybody, Magellanica, Caught, Feathers and Teeth, The Skin of Our Teeth, Cuba Libre, Blithe Spirit, Intimate Apparel and Foxfinder. During the pandemic, she worked on several ART Mercury projects including the Magellanica audio drama, and two workshop productions: The Night We Won by Yussef El Guindi and Rudy, a 5-part comic series about a small Oregon town. Before moving to Portland, she lived in Los Angeles, where she was a co-founder and Co-Artistic Director of the acclaimed Furious Theatre Company. In addition to doing many shows at Furious Theatre, Sara worked at the Pasadena Playhouse, A Noise Within, and Theatre@ Boston Court. In Chicago, she performed improv at the iO Theatre. She also made appearances on NBC’s Grimm and the Netflix series Trinkets. She is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and the Screen Actors Guild. sarahennessy.com
Wynee Hu
Wynee Hu (she, her, hers) is excited to be returning to Corrib Theatre! Past credits: Hurl and Eclipsed. She was recently an understudy for The Great Leap, co-produced by Portland Center Stage and Artists Repertory Theatre. She has also worked with Northwest Children’s Theater, Bag&Baggage Productions, Boom Arts, Advance Gender Equity in the Arts (AGE), LineStorm Playwrights, PDX Playwrights, Speculative Drama, Oregon Adventure Theatre, and Exoplanetary Media. Wynee is an associate producer for Lunchbox, an independent film (lunchboxthefilm.com). She was an Emerging Artist in the 2021 Spring Cohort of Advance Gender Equity in the Arts’ IGNITE program.
Cynthia Shur Petts
Cynthia Shur Petts (she/her) is an actor, writer, comedian, and teaching artist. She is happy to return to Corrib Theatre, where she previously played Rusty in Hurl. Other Portland credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Anonymous Theatre) and a reading of Lisa Kron’s solo piece 101 Humiliating Stories (Profile Theatre). She worked for many years in Chicago storefront theatres, and has performed as a comedian and storyteller at clubs and bars all over Chicago, and at festivals around the country. Cynthia has taught workshops in writing and performing at local companies including Portland Center Stage, From the Ground UP, and PlayWrite, Inc. She is a staff member and company member with Third Rail Repertory Theatre.
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GEMMA WHELAN
Gemma Whelan (she/her) is an award-winning director, screenwriter, and educator. She was the Founding Artistic Director of Wilde Irish Productions in the San Francisco Bay Area and Corrib Theatre in Portland, Oregon. In Portland, she has also directed at Artists Repertory Theatre, Profile Theatre, Milagro, CoHo Theatre, Boom Arts, and Portland Center Stage’s JAW Festival. Gemma has extensive experience working on both classical and contemporary works and has directed and assisted in the development of numerous world premieres. She has taught theatre and film at colleges, universities, and conservatories from San Francisco to Singapore. Her novels are Fiona: Stolen Child and Painting Through the Dark. She is also published in the Wordstock Ten Anthology, High Country News, and The New Hibernia Review. Gemma earned her BA in English and French at Trinity College, Dublin, and has graduate degrees in Theatre (University of California, Berkeley) and Film (San Francisco State University). Holly was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, but began her professional career as a resident actor at The Rogue Theatre in Tucson, Arizona where she acted in over 30 productions and served as an Artistic Associate.
Her time at The Rogue left her with lasting interests in ensemble work, literary adaptation, comedy and clown, and live musical scoring and foley.
Holly's directing career started at Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre where she directed Brian Friel's Lovers, Finegan Kruckemeyer's This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing, and her own original adaptation of Antoine de Sainte-Exupéry's The Little Prince.
In addition to her MFA, Holly holds an MA in English Literature from the University of Arizona, and a BA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College.
Colin Herring
Bio: Colin's work as a stage manager was most recently seen this season on Corrib Theatre's Trade, and they're excited to be back in the fold right away. In addition to Trade, Colin's previous stage managing credits include The Smuggler (Corrib Theatre), Smokefall (Defunkt Theatre), The Delays (Theatre Vertigo), and Care of Trees (Enso Theatre Ensemble), as well as numerous productions as an assistant stage manager and stagehand. He's incredibly thankful to his friends and family, who continue to collectively support him on his artistic journey amidst the crazy world we live in. He hopes you enjoy the show!! emmadonoghue.com
Rene Denfeld
Rene Denfeld is the bestselling author of several novels, including The Enchanted and The Child Finder. The winner of numerous prestigious literary awards, including a French Prix, a Carnegie listing, an ALA Excellence in Fiction Award, as well an International Dublin Award listing, Rene merges literary prowess and acclaimed research skills. The former Chief Investigator at a public defense office, Rene spent years as a death row investigator. She has been a featured guest on the BBC and Irish Radio, discussing her work exonerating innocents. As a dramaturg she brings a keen awareness, sharp investigative ability, and a knowledge of story. Her own work has been adapted to the stage in Edinburgh and London. In 2017 The New York Times named Rene a Hero of the Year for her justice work, and she was celebrated in Washington, DC, with a Break the Silence Award. She lives in Portland, Oregon, where she is the happy mother of kids from foster care. Her next novel is forthcoming from HarperCollins.
Kyra Sanford
Kyra Sanford is thrilled to be doing live theatre again! She is a freelance scenic designer, props master, carpenter, and painter in the Portland area, working for theatres such as Milagro, PassinArt, Vertigo, Defunkt, Profile, Portland State University, Clark College, Lincoln High School, Third Rail Rep, and various others. She received her BFA in scenic design from The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University.
sanfordscenic.com
Gregory Pulver
Gregory Pulver, Associate Professor of Costume and Makeup Design Drama Department, University of Portland
Professor Gregory Pulver teaches courses in Intro to Visual Arts, Intro to the Art of Theater, Costume Design 1 & 2, Stage Makeup, Puppetry & Millinery. He is also a director and choreographer for plays and musicals for the UP theater season annually. Before becoming Associate Professor and Program Director for the UP Theatre Program, Gregory was an Associate Professor of Costume Design at Western Washington University for 12 years and Chair of the WWU Theatre Department for four of those years. Gregory holds an MFA in costume design and choreography from Humboldt State University, CA. He is the 1993 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) National Costume Design Winner for his work on Three Penny Opera at Humboldt State. His twenty-eigth year mentorship of theatre design students has garnered 4 KCACTF national design winners, 14 national design competitors and dozens of regional winners. Gregory started his teaching career at Humboldt State University in 1990 where he was fortunate to complete his MFA, take over the makeup design program and classes, and teach contemporary dance as an adjunct instructor.
Gregory is currently a Resident Artist at Artist Repertory Theater in Portland where his favorite of many designs include Skin of Our Teeth, Broomstick, Cuba Libre, Foxfinder. He has been a member of the international board of advisors for The Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Valdez, AK for 15 years and participates as a featured artist mentoring new American playwrights by participating on response panels, providing workshops in design and writing, and by individual mentorship during each festival. In Portland Gregory has designed both sets and costumes for Bag and Baggage Theatre in Hillsboro, and costumes for Broadway Rose Theatre in Portland. Gregory has designed for several short films and TV spots in Washington including a dance for the camera film titled Egg Skin. Gregory is also an accomplished singer and actor, and plans to restart that career once he retires from academia. Or he may just garden. His most tried and true hobbies are dog owner and avid dinner party host.
Viola Horton
Viola Is pleased to be working with the Design/Production Team at Corrib Theatre.
Her most recent show was “American Fast” with Artist Repertory Theatre.
Other shows this season were Costume Technician with Passinart Theatre in “A Song For Coretta”, Portland Playhouse in “Bella! An American Tall Tale”, and Artist Repertory Theatre in “The Children”, with Lead Costume Designer Wanda Walden.
Other collaborations include work on an independent film called “Gone Two”, with Costume Designer Ashley Russell, and many other Theater productions around the Portland Metro area.
She is the owner of Everybody’s Beautiful, Sewing, Tailoring and Alterations, and PanAfrican Hip, an Afrocentric menswear line that was featured in the Spring 2020 catalog edition of Africa Imports - Authentic African Fashions & More.
She holds a Master’s Degree in Music Education from Lewis & Clark College, and a certificate in Apparel Design from the Portland Fashion Institute.
She and her husband Steve enjoy spending time with their daughter Stephanie and granddaughter Naomi, going to live theater and Broadway productions, traveling, antiquing, spending quiet time at the beach, and working on various home improvement projects.
She and her husband Steve are proud sponsors of the Homowo & Twins Festival and Passinart Theatre.
Jimmy Balistreri
Jimmy is thrilled to be working on his first show with Corrib! He is an Orange County based lighting designer, currently an MFA Lighting Design candidate at UC-Irvine. His recent work as a designer or assistant includes the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Golden State Ballet, South Coast Repertory, Northern Sky Theatre and more. He hopes you enjoy the show! Full portfolio at jablights.com.
Andrew Bray
Andrew Bray is a Portland-based sound designer, music director, actor, and theatre instructor. Recent sound designs include Four Last Things (Corrib Theatre), Nesting, and it’s sequel, Nesting: Vacancy (JPD Productions), To Kill a Mockingbird (Lakewood Theatre), The Alien Chicken Remembers Galatea and Saying Goodbye to the Sun (Mofsec Productions), A Maze, and Assistance (Theatre Vertigo). Music directing credits include A Civil War Christmas (Artists Rep), 13: The Musical (Staged!), and Les Miserables (Staged!), and countless other theatrical productions. He also enjoys performing as a theatrical keyboardist, and is a passionate backyard beekeeper.
Blanca Forzán
Blanca Forzán is a lighting designer, set designer, and writer. Blanca has a degree in Architectures from Del Valle de Mexico University, was a Banff Center intern (Canada), and worked with the National Institute of Fine Arts for over two decades (Mexico City). She is also a set designer, producer, manager, playwright, tour manager, and international technical director. Notable shows include Faust (Brooklyn Academy of Music, N.Y) and Hamlet (Cadiz Spain). Other credits: Broken Promises, Contigo Pan y Cebolla, El Muerto Vagabundo and Astucias (Milagro), Bicycle Country (Aurora Theatre, Lawrenceville, G.A.), An Octoroon, A Doll’s House Part 2, and La Ruta (Artist Repertory Theatre), The Taming (Coho Theatre), In the Next Room (Portland State University), Men on Boats (Willamette University, Salem), Jump (Confrontation Theatre), Mother Courage and Ruined (Profile Theatre), The Measure of Innocence (Bag & Baggage, 2020), two participations in digital soliloquies as a writer with Bag & Baggage, one participation as an interpreter with the Mercury (digital) company (Artist Repertory Theatre), A Bright New Boise (Willamette University, 2021), A Christmas Carol (Portland Playhouse, 2021), In the Name of Forgotten Women ( Coho Theatre, 2022), Neat with Passinart at IFCC, 2022, and Bella: An American Tall Tale (Portland Playhouse, 2022). Happy to be with you for the first time.
