Shaking The Tree Theatre

Introducing our knockout cast of Glass. Kill. Bluebeard. Imp.

Anna Fitzwater has worked with emerging playwrights in New York City, written and acted in sketch comedy that (twice) toured Sweden, and is thrilled to be making her Portland stage debut at Shaking the Tree Theatre. Regional Theatre: The Odyssey (Helen of Troy, Seattle Rep/McCarter Theatre, Mary Zimmerman, dir.), Heidi (Fraulein Rottenmeier, Laguna Playhouse), The Arabian Nights (Mother, Blue Wren Theatre). Select NYC Theatre Roles: Burn This (Anna), Electra (Clytemnestra), Fugitive Angels (Amelia Earhart), Fool for Love (May), The Cenci (Lucretia), Baby with the Bathwater (Nanny), The Queens (Duchess of York). Select Film and TV: The Naked Brothers Band (Nickelodeon), As Good As You (feature film available on Apple TV). Numerous commercials and print work in LA and NYC. BA in Drama-UC Irvine, sketch comedy at The Groundlings, voiceover actor. Many thanks to my fam-damily for their exceptional awesomeness and to my mom who has been faithfully attending my shows since high school.

Jonathan Cullen was a professional actor in the UK for more than three decades, performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe, among many others, in repertoire ranging from classics to new plays, and everything in between. He is now a resident of Portland OR, where he made his American debut at Shaking the Tree in Fu***ng A by Suzan Lori Parks in 2022, since then he has performed with Profile Theatre, Third Rail, Anonymous Theatre and elsewhere. He dedicates this show to the people named on his tattoo.

Kayla Hanson is an actor, choreographer, writer, and director. Originally from Chico, CA, Portland has been her home for the past decade. Select acting credits include: Dancing on the Sabbath, We Wrote This With You in Mind, Fu***ng A, Chick Fight: A Reckoning in Nine Movements, Refuge, ____the wolf (Shaking the Tree Theatre), Arlington: A Love Story (Third Rail Repertory Theatre), Varied Thrush (Sparkbird music video), No Means No (Ezza Rose music video) and Lovers (Amie Santavicca music video). Select choreography/movement director credits include Racecar, Racecar, Racecar (Artists

Read our latest newsletter, including a wonderful feature in Portland Mercury's Fall Arts Guide
https://conta.cc/4xSX1gJ

'Shaking the Tree and Caryl Churchill are a match made in theater heaven.' Email from Shaking The Tree Theatre Glass. Kill. Bluebeard. Imp. featured in Portland Mercury's Fall Arts Guide 'The former [Shaking the Tree Theatre] is the production company that has, since 2003, p

Big thanks to Portland Mercury for this deep dive into our upcoming fall production of Glass. Kill. Bluebeard. Imp. We are utterly in love with these illustrations by Changyu Zou ⚡️

From our very own Sam: “I realized that we could play a lot in between the pieces,” she says. “Because we’re a small theater company, we don’t have millions of dollars. We have to be a little more smart about how we reveal these worlds to our audiences. What I would love to do is almost have it be like an onion where we peel back the layers, and you see an element of the next piece in the piece before. And each layer is revealed to you as the pieces unfold.”

Head over to Portland Mercury for the full scoop, and don’t wait to purchase your ticket! We run from October 10th through November 7th.

We are so excited to present this onion to you.

Our final workshop offering for this fall is:

✒️ PLAYWRITING WORKSHOP 🖋️
Mondays: November 2nd, 9th, and 16th from 6-9pm
Instructor: Andrea Stolowitz

Playwright Andrea Stolowitz leads writers through a fast-moving, hands-on exploration of how plays begin and how we follow them into unexpected territory. Through writing exercises, reading, discussion, and sharing work aloud, participants will generate material; and discover ways to move from an initial impulse toward a scene or short play. Experiment with strategies for getting unstuck, creating vivid theatrical worlds, and letting characters make active choices that propel a story forward. Writers at all levels are welcome. Come ready to experiment, take risks, and play.

Cost for all three sessions is $135. Signups now available for all adult workshops!

Our second offering for the fall is…

🥭 THE AUTHENTIC CHARACTER 🥭
Mondays: October 12th, 19th, and 26th from 6-9pm.
Instructor: Val Landrum

Creating an authentic character involves tapping into all human superpowers. Learn to use your five senses, physicality, and vocal apparatus to build a character that feels grounded, real, and engaging. This class will also include dialect work, Viewpoints techniques, and several elements of the Uta Hagen system. A comprehensive class for both film and theatrical storytelling.

Cost for all three classes is $135. Sign up now!

Shaking the Tree is offering a selection of fall workshops for adults! First up is…

🌻PRESENCE & PLAY: An Acting Workshop🌻
Mondays: September 28th & October 5th from 6-9pm
Instructor: Chris Harder

Discover how presence and play can strengthen connections and reduce stress. Through acting exercises and ensemble activities, learn to show up more fully while on stage as well as in everyday life. This supportive workshop introduces foundational techniques to build presence, spark creativity, and foster meaningful engagement. Whether you want to improve performance, deepen relationships, or rediscover the joy of play, you’ll have space to explore in a low-pressure environment. All levels are welcome; no acting experience is required.

Cost for this workshop is $90 (for both sessions) and signups are on our website!

Check out our fall offerings for Shaking the Tree’s Teen Ensemble!

🔴 IMPROV FOR ENSEMBLE 🔴
Sunday, October 25th 10am-12:30pm
Instructor: Dani Baldwin

Fun for actors, non-actors, and everyone in between! Explore improvisation through exercises and games that strengthen performance, build confidence, free creativity, and uplift ensemble. A welcoming, no-pressure approach to improv for all levels.

🔴 DIALECTS IN ACTION 🔴
Sunday, November 8th 10am-1pm
Instructor: Val Landrum

Develop authentic American regional dialects through vocal placement and the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), then apply these techniques to heighten character work and strengthen performance. A fun workshop for stage, film, and voiceover actors of all experience levels.

Val Landrum began her teaching career in Chicago with Steppenwolf Theatre and Second City. Having moved to Portland 25 years ago, she has taught a variety of different acting techniques for Portland Actors Conservatory, Oregon Children’s Theatre, NWCT, Portland Center Stage and Artists Repertory Theatre. She has been a dialect coach for several regional and local theatres including PCS, ART, NWCT and OCT. A professional actor since she was 4 yrs old, she received most of her early training at the Piven Workshop, Steppenwolf Theatre and SITI Company. Val has worked regionally and internationally and was a Resident Artist with ART for over a decade where she was in over 20 productions. She has also worked locally for PCS, Portland Playhouse, Third Rail, Profile, and Shaking the Tree as the Fig in Forbidden Fruit.

Signups are available now on our website!

Closing out our summer residencies was Sirens by Joellen Sweeney, a deeply moving ode to the splendor of our coral reef system and a call to action to their rapid deterioration as climate change advances. From the use of sweeping vocals and music, to the testimony of marine biologists, to the meticulously hand crafted coral reefs crocheted by Emily Trimble, we were transported to the ocean and all of its beauty.

Photos by rick_liu

We serve you: a girl made of glass. Gods and murders. A serial killer’s friends. And a secret in a bottle.
​
Four short plays by Caryl Churchill
Directed by Samantha Van Der Merwe
​October 10th - November 7th 2026

Tickets available for purchase now.