Top Three Best Bets For Fertile Ground

By Rebecca Jacobson

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Back in August, participants in Third Rail's mentorship program were given 36 hours to make a piece of theater. What emerged is a play about how we create, transform and strip apart our identities in the digital age. The subject matter might sound familiar, but count on Third Rail for strong performances and irreverent style. Echo Theater, 1515 SE 37th Ave., 231-1232. 8 and 10 pm Fridays and 8 pm Saturdays, Jan. 23-31. $10.


Time, a Fair Hustler

Hand2Mouth—one of Portland's more intrepid theater companies—offers an in-progress glimpse of its newest project, inspired by Gus Van Sant's landmark film My Own Private Idaho. The show, which will have its full premiere in July, explores the chasm between the Portland depicted by Van Sant in his 1991 film—a decidedly gritty place—and the city's current image as an artisanal playground. Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison St. 7:30 pm Monday, Jan. 26. Free.


I'd Rather Goya Robbed Me of My Sleep Than Some Other Son of a Bitch

Boom Arts presents a solo show, written by Argentine-Spanish playwright Rodrigo García and performed by Ebbe Roe Smith, about a beleaguered middle-aged man who decides to break into the Prado and hang out with Goya's Black Paintings. There will also be two piglets onstage, because what's fringe theater without the porcine contingent? Disjecta, 8371 N Interstate Ave. 7:30 pm Wednesday-Thursday, Jan. 28-29. Continues 7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 5-7. $15.

GO: Fertile Ground runs through Feb. 1 at multiple venues. Full pass $50. Visit fertilegroundpdx.org for details.

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