History

48 years and counting...

PAE’s mission has remained unchanged since our first season almost 50 years ago:

“To bring financially accessible classical theater to Portland communities in a nontraditional environment.”
In the summer of 1970, Portland Actors Ensemble (PAE) began Shakespeare-in-the-Parks program with a two-week production of As You Like It, performed at Laurelhurst Park. Every summer since, we have produced at least one Shakespearean play, free of charge, in various outdoor settings around the city. Each year a production tours at least six different parks over a six-weekend run, reaching many communities. We select parks to cover the Portland Metro area so audience members can attend a show near their homes.
Our Shakespeare-in-the-Parks program touches thousands of people each summer with as many as 600 attending a single performance. For many of our audience members, particularly families with children, this may be their first or only theater experience. As a community service nonprofit organization, we are completely dependent upon donations and grants to continue this tradition. We hope those of you who attend our events will join and support us as we grow and enjoy the works of William Shakespeare.
Production History: Though known primarily for its productions of Shakespeare’s plays, PAE has produced and participated in many other programs, festivals, and cultural events. Turnover of our all-volunteer staff has left some holes in our history, so much of the information prior to 1978 is pieced together from what we could find or remember. If you can add to or correct anything below, please contact us at info@portlandactors.com.

§ 2017 The Winter’s Tale
† 2017 Troilus and Cressida
§ 2016 Love’s Labour’s Lost
† 2016 Coriolanus
§ 2015 The Taming of the Shrew
† 2015 Macbeth
§ 2014 A Midsummer Night’s Dream
† 2014 Antony and Cleopatra
(Links below exit to Flickr)
§ 2013 The Tale of Cymbeline
† 2013 The Merchant of Venice
§ 2012 Twelfth Night
† 2012 Hamlet
2011 The Life and Death of King Richard III
§ 2011 Much Ado about Nothing
† 2011 The Tempest
2010 Four for Fall: Staged Reading fund-raiser for the 2011 season

  • The Winter’s Tale
  • The Tragedie of Antony and Cleopatra
  • The Tale of Cymbeline
  • All is True: The History of the Life of King Henry VIII

§ 2010 The Comedy of Errors
† 2010 Pericles, Prince of Tyre
2010 A, B, C and . . . D (Chuck Mee Challenge 3)
§ 2009 The History of King Henry IV
† 2009 King Lear
§ 2008 The Two Gentlemen of Verona
† 2008 Julius Cæsar
§ 2007 The Taming of the Shrew
† 2007 The Tragedy of Romeo + Juliet
2006 All-Company Reunion
§ 2006 The Merry Wives of Windsor
† 2006 The Tragedy of Macbeth
§ 2005 As You Like It
† 2005 Othello
§ 2004 Love’s Labour’s Lost
§ 2003 A Midsummer Night’s Dream
§ 2002 Twelfth Night
§ 2001 Much Ado about Nothing
§ 2000 The Comedy of Errors
§ 1999 Romeo and Juliet
§ 1998 The Tempest
§ 1997 All’s Well that End’s Well
§ 1996 The Winter’s Tale
§ 1995 The Merchant of Venice
§ 1994 As You Like It
§ 1993 A Midsummer Night’s Dream
1993 Curate Shakespeare As You Like It
§ 1992 The Taming of the Shrew
§ 1991 Cymbeline
§ 1990 The Tempest
§ 1989 Much Ado about Nothing
§ 1988 Pericles, Prince of Tyre
1987 History of Myddle
§ 1987 Measure for Measure
§ 1986 The Merry Wives of Windsor
§ 1985 The Taming of the Shrew
§ 1984 The Two Gentlemen of Verona
1984 This Ever Living Man (Video)
1984 Shakespeare’s Theatre (Video)
1983 Labour’s Lost Loves (Benifit)
§ 1983 Love’s Labour’s Lost
§ 1982 A Midsummer Night’s Dream
1981 Suddenly Without Thinking (Portland Poetry Festival)
§ 1981 As You Like It
§ 1980 The Comedy of Errors
1980 At the Hawks Well (Portland Poetry Festival)
1980 An Evening W.B. Yates (Portland Poetry Festival)
1979 Octave at Cirque (Fundraiser)
§ 1979 Cymbeline
1979 Thomas on Thomas (Portland Poetry Festival)
1979 Medea (Portland Poetry Festival)
1979 Measure for Measure
1978 Confusions
§ 1978 Two Gentlemen of Verona
1978 The Physicists
1977 The Cocktail Party
1977 Room Service
§ 1977 All’s Well That End’s Well
1977 The Bear & The Proposal
§ 1976 Pericles, Prince of Tyre
1976 Caucasian Chalk Circle
1976 The Petrified Forest
1976 The Seven Keys to Baldpate
1975 Miracle
§ 1975 Twelfth Night
1975 Brecht on Brecht (PSU German Arts Festival)
1975 The Inspector General
1975 The Trickeries of Scapin
§ 1974 Much Ado about Nothing
1974 The Butterfly’s Evil Spell (Portland Poetry Festival)
§ 1973 Love’s Labour’s Lost
1972 Volpone
1972 Uncle Vanya
1972 Antigone
§ 1972 The Winter’s Tale
1971 Rhinoceros
1971 The Knack (at Portland Civic Theater)
§ 1971 A Midsummer Night’s Dream
1970 An Enemy of the People
1970 Gammer Gurton’s Needle
1970 Everyman
§ 1970 As You Like It

§ Part of our Shakespeare-in-the-Parks series
† Part of our Twilight Tragedie series.

1973

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1981

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