About Portrait:

Portrait is an honest look at the relationship between art and artist. A plumber, suddenly inspired, paints the portrait of a young woman. He discovers, among the scarlets, ochres, and indigos, that there is life behind the frame. His creation cannot be confined by the borders of her canvas, and the plumber is plunged into the murky waters of the art world. Ultimately the lines between artist and art become blurred, but can our hero paint his way out? Portrait’s palette is bold; the story is based in the silent film genre, without dialogue, and told with original music and the Lecoq tradition of physical theater. The piece is presented in the round; the audience, surrounded by movement and sound, becomes the frame containing our story.

Presented by The Octopus League

Directed by Claire Patton

Devised in collaboration with the ensemble

Performed by Sam Elmore, Mark Hatfield, Virginie Lutz, Abbey Pleviak, Timothy Rearick, Lucia Rich and Phillip VanScotter

Music by Phillip VanScotter