Stark Raving Theatre

Stark Raving Theatre was a theatre company in Portland, Oregon that operated from 1988 to 2006. Unlike most other theatres in the country, it was dedicated to premiering new works.

The company was founded by playwrights Rod Harrel, Robin Suttles, and E.J. Westlake, who had met working for The New Rose Theatre. Concerned about the lack of venues for new works, the three writers decided to create a space where artists could experiment with existing material and to workshop new plays. Initially, Harrel was the Artistic Director, Suttles was the Technical Director, and Westlake was the Managing Director. The Board of Directors included artists such as Cathy J. Lewis, Joel Applegate, and David Williams. The name "Stark Raving" derived from the theatre's original plan to occupy a space on Stark Street; however, the first few seasons took place in the basement of the Bullring Restaurant (seating less than 50 people) on Northwest 27th Street. With an average ceiling height of only 6 feet 6 inches, the space certainly presented challenges for both designers and actors.

The theatre officially opened on March 11, 1989 with a benefit screening of Harrel's video work Jack, a retelling of the Jack the Ripper story. "Like some Jacobean drama ('Jack') seems to exist mostly for the thrill of the dirty deeds."

The first staged production in SRT's history was Westlake's semi-musical The Foofy, Open-Toed Shoe: a Not Necessarily Politically Correct, Lesbian, Feminist, Mystery Farce, featuring Allison Coe, Mackenzie Wren, Patty French, and Holly Bennett. The play opened on March 30 and Bob Hicks of The Oregonian remarked, "Westlake has fun blending the silly conventions of gumshoe drama with the dirt-between-the-toes political correctness of the radical gay community. Things may end abruptly, but it's a lightly amusing little trip."

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