This content was published: October 19, 2006. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Fall PCC play based on famed Scottish trial
Photos and story by James Hill
Visit the PCC News Web site: www.pcc.edu/news
PORTLAND, Ore. – Lillian Hellman’s masterpiece, “The Children’s Hour,” is coming to Portland Community College.
The Theater Arts Program’s fall 2006 production of “The Children’s Hour,” considered one of the first classics of American theater, will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 9 and 11, and Nov. 16-18 and 2 p.m. on Nov. 19 in the at the Performing Arts Center on the Sylvania Campus, 12000 S.W. 49th Ave. The Nov. 17 show will be interpreted for the hearing impaired. Prices are $10 for adults, $8 for students and seniors, and $5 per person for groups of five or more. 
“The Children’s Hour,” is based on a Scottish trial concerning two old-maid schoolteachers and a child who brought charges of lesbianism against them. The Broadway production ran for 700 performances. The play was later produced as a Hollywood film starring Shirley McClain and Audrey Hepburn.
“’The Children’s Hour’ examines the power of a lie,” said Play Director Sam Hull. “How peer pressure can cause children to support such a lie and how secrets, threats of exposure, and deceptive motives are all powerful enough to derail the positive effects of two dedicated teachers.”
Hull has modeled his concept on the works of Tamara de Lempicka, a well-known painter of the Art Deco era, and a contemporary of Hellman.
“These were two of the greatest women artists in our country’s history, yet each struggled for acceptance, for equality, and for their rights as women to lead a flamboyant and creative existence,” added Hull. “Neither had a sense of acceptance in their own lifetimes, but we hope to honor the genius they both held in their creative endeavors.”
The student cast includes Brittney Hancock (Newberg), playing the role of Karen, Raeleen Hunter (Modesto, Calif.) as Martha, Barbara Skaggs (Mckinleyville, Calif.) playing the role of Mrs. Mortar, and Laura Bogert (Tigard).
For more information, call the PCC Box Office at 503-977-4949, or visit the Web site: www.pcc.edu/theatre.
Portland Community College is the largest post-secondary institution in Oregon, serving approximately 88,200 full- and part-time students. PCC has three comprehensive campuses, five workforce training and education centers, and 200 community locations in the Portland metropolitan area. The PCC district encompasses a 1,500-square-mile area in northwest Oregon and offers two-year degrees, one-year certificate programs, short-term training, alternative education, pre-college courses and life-long learning.
About James Hill
James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »