Up Next: SpongeBob Auditions!

Porthole Players

Porthole Players Porthole Players Porthole Players

Porthole Players

Porthole Players Porthole Players Porthole Players
  • Home
  • Current Show/Season
  • Auditions
  • B.o.a.T.S.
  • Digital Scrapbook '12-'25
  • Digital Scrapbook - '11
  • Videos
  • Board & Lifetime Members
  • Improv Class at OCCC
  • Porthole Players News
  • Porthole Players Parades
  • Blogs and Newsletter
  • Picasso at the LA
  • Spirits of Sylvia Beach

B.o.a.T.S. (8 shows that are Based on a True Story)

Promo Reel

Playwright Talk Back with Dan Perry and Nora Vitz Harrison

Cast and Crew for B.o.a.T.S.

Michael Golden, Stage Manager and Sound Designer/Technician

ACT ONE

Fresh Hell by Brian Cern

DIRECTOR - Rebeccah Sorensen

THE PARENTS – Marc Montminy and Jason Holland

Photos

Wild Strawberries by Nora Vitz Harrison

DIRECTOR - Jennifer Van Bruggen Hamilton

OLIVIA – Teresa Johnson

NATALIE - Kristen Berholtz

MOM – Barbara Berge

Photos

Charlie and Stan by Matthew Moore

DIRECTOR - Moss William Webster

STAN LAUREL – Sean Orton

CHARLIE CHAPLIN – Alex Robbins

Photos

Peace, Love and Taco Sauce by Jennifer Chaney

DIRECTOR – Cyn Wilkes

DANNY – Jason Mueller

HEATHER – Meghan Cahill

MAN – Eric Schindler

WOMAN – Cheryl Durinick

Photos

ACT TWO

Slow Our Ship by Arianna Rose

DIRECTOR - Jennifer Chaney

CHOREOGRAPHER - Gidget  Manucci

SEAN – Autumn Surley

SIOBHAN – Layla Wells

MoMA by Terry Riley

DIRECTOR – Miranda (Mandy) Carter

ELAINE - Bridget Hill

SONJA - Barbara Berge

KELLY - Adell Hamilton

Gown by Robert Weibezahl

DIRECTOR – Devonee Trivett

LYNN - Cathye Wehr

ANNIE - Rigel Peters

COURTNEY – Artemis Foss

Lies We Tell to Sleep at Night by Dan Perry

DIRECTOR - Jason Holland

ARCHIE RYBECK – Marc Montminy

TERI RYBECK – Teresa Johnson

BRENT WAXLER – Sean Orton

CHLOE FLYNN – Meghan Cahill

PRODUCTION TEAM AND CREW

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Jennifer Chaney

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: Morgan Locklear

STAGE MANAGER: Michael Golden

SET CONSTRUCTION/PAINT CREW: Eric Schindler, Eric Hanneman

PROPERTIES MASTER: Eric Hanneman

RUNNING CREW: Xander Brandenburg, Adell Hamilton, Eric Hanneman, Devonee Trivett

LIGHT DESIGNER: Aleina Turner

PHOTOGRAPHY: Miranda Carter

HOUSE MANAGER: Brian Robrecht

TICKETING: PAC Box Office 


FRESH HELL : Parents sign their kid up for summer camp.

WILD STRAWBERRIES: Sisters visit their mom in a memory care home.

Charlie Chaplain and Stan Laurel discuss comedy on a boat to America.

PEACE, LOVE & TACO SAUCE: Take a van trip to a Grateful Dead concert, man!

Porthole Players Embark on Storytelling Journey

The Lincoln Leader

 The Porthole Players theater group will embark on a journey of 10-minute storytelling at the Newport Performing Arts Center with their presentation of the first B.o.a.T.S. Play Festival.

The show begins on Friday, May 16, at 7 p.m. and continues for two weekends until a Sunday matinee on May 25 at 2 p.m. in the David Ogden Stiers Studio Theatre. B.o.a.T.S. (which stands for Based on a True Story) will present eight new 10-minute plays, all based on true stories in some way, by eight fresh playwrights, with a cast and crew of over 25 talented performers.

The short plays for B.o.a.T.S. were selected by Porthole Players in a 10-minute playwriting competition last fall. Ten-minute scripts were submitted from across the nation and even a few countries, such as New Zealand and Mexico. The reading team used a blind submission process, which means the writer’s names and all identifying marks were omitted.

 

Six writers, all with backgrounds in writing drama, read and rated more than 100 plays to decide on the top 16 stories. Of those final 16, the eight directors for Porthole Players read the scripts and selected the play they most wanted to direct. The final plays range in theme from quirky and high-spirited, to sentimental and reflective.

Beginning Act I in the evening will be “Fresh Hell,” by Brian Cern, from Hugo, Minnesota. Directed by Rebeccah Sorensen, the comedic and realistic piece looks at the pressure of competitive signups for summer camp, starring Mark Montminy and Jason Holland as the parents.

Second up is the play “Wild Strawberries,” by Nora Vitz Harrison, from Bainbridge Island, Washington, and it is directed by Jennifer Van Bruggen Hamilton. This sentimental and humorous story examines the relationship of two very different sisters played by Kristen Berholtz and Teresa Johnson. Veteran actress Barbara Berge masters the stage as their ailing mother, as they struggle with the decision to put their mother in a nursing facility.

The next story in Act I is “Charlie and Stan,” by Matthew Moore, from Johnston, Rhode Island, based on the true account in which Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel find themselves on the same ship heading to America to begin a new life in 1910. The conversation of two funny men is directed by Moss William Webster, with Sean Orton playing Stan, and Alex Robbins portraying Charlie.

Closing Act I will be the play “Peace, Love and Taco Sauce,” by Jennifer Chaney, an Oregon coastal playwright who wrote this secondhand story of two hippies on a wild ride. Cyn Wilkes selected to direct the actors, Jason Mueller and Meghan Cahill, as the Deadheads who unexpectedly meet up with a couple of criminals, portrayed by Eric Schindler and Cheryl Durinick. Calamity ensues as taco sauce is spilled.

 

Opening Act II is the memory play “Slow Our Ship,” by Arianna Rose, from Delray Beach, Florida. In just 10-minutes, Sean and Siobhan, a young couple from Cork, Ireland, display three very distinct passages in their lives as they find and lose love in the early 1800s. Their sweet courtship is played by young thespians Layla Wells and Autumn Surley, and directed by Jennifer Chaney.

The next story takes place in the Museum of Modern Art. “MoMA” tracks two museum visitors and was written by Terry Riley. from Santa Fe, New Mexico. In this comedy directed by Miranda Carter, two friends are on a sightseeing trip to New York City. Actors Bridget Hill and Barbara Berge ponder the perplexities of modern art with Adell Hamilton as the museum attendant.

Seventh in the line-up is the 10-minute play “Gown,” by Robert Weibezahl of Westlake Village, California. Directed by Devonee Trivett, a mother and daughter embark on that treasured rite of passage: shopping for the perfect wedding gown. An unforeseen agenda unfolds in both heartbreaking and uplifting ways with actors Cathye Wehr, Rigel Peters and Artemis Foss.

Closing the evening is the play “Lies We Tell to Sleep at Night,” by Dan Perry of Los Angeles, about the fragility of relationships and how one’s self-image can change with a single breath. Directed by Jason Holland, this dramedy relays the startling secret of Archie Rybeck at his 20th high school reunion, played by Marc Montminy. Supporting actors Meghan Cahill, Sean Orton and Teresa Johnson threaten to turn Archie’s world upside down.


All eight plays will be presented “in the round,” with seating on all sides of the raised stage. Michael Golden, stage manager for the B.o.a.T.S. Fest, will steer the crew of Pat Trainor, April Lemaster, Aleina Turner on lights, and Eric Hanneman as properties manager. Morgan Locklear, president of Porthole Players, and the board of directors have been helping behind the scenes at this first attempt at presenting a ten-minute playwriting festival of original work.

Audience members are invited to attend a talk back with the directors and playwrights Dan Perry, Nora Vitz Harrison, and Jennifer Chaney, and will be held directly following Saturday’s performance on May 17. Since the plays are all based on some type of true story, this special opportunity may reveal some of the fun facts or fiction behind the work.

Tickets for the Porthole Players production may be purchased in advance from the Newport Performing Arts Center’s box office, one hour before show time, at 777 West Olive St. in Newport. Tickets are also available online at coastarts.org, or by phone at 541-265-ARTS (2787), during regular business hours. A special “Arts for All” presentation of all eight short plays will take place on Thursday May 22, at 7 p.m., where a donation of the audience member’s choosing will be accepted for admission. Tickets for the “Arts for All” night go on sale that Thursday morning.

Last Chance to get Tickets!

Visit the OCCA Website for your seats before these B.o.a.T.S. set sail forever!

TICKETS HERE

PHASE BREAKDOWN

READING - DONE

Our panel of judges read each submission, scoring each piece of work, without knowing who wrote each play. We received plays from ALL OVER THE WORLD and even a few local submissions. 

PLAY SELECTION - DONE

Based on the scores from our panel of judges,  we selected the top 12 scored shows to produce. We then handed those 12 plays over to our local directors who selected their top choices to direct. That narrowed it down to 8 shows for the final selection. 

AUDITIONS - DONE

On March 9th, our directors held open auditions. These short plays were an excellent opportunity for those who were first timers or are unable to commit to months of daily 3-hour rehearsals.  Many actors were cast in more than one! 

PERFORMANCES : DONE

May 16th- 24th, 2025 audiences came to witness two full weekends of original work from around the world, presented by a mix of familiar and brand new local talent. Over 50 participants worked together to bring this endeavor to the David Ogden Steirs Black Box Stage - IN THE ROUND!

B.o.a.T.S. Play Submission Information

  • Playwrights could only submit one play. 
  • Plays are all unproduced, new works, or works not recently produced (past five years). 
  • Each submission is ten pages or less, making each play 10 minutes or less. 
  • There are no musical submissions. 
  • Each submission supports diversity and inclusion. 
  • The settings are simple or suggested. 
  • The maximum cast size is 4.
  •  Each submission reflects overall quality and is a fully developed and well-written play.
  •  All plays are BLIND submissions: meaning the panel of judges do not know who wrote each play.
  • We accepted 100 submissions that fit the criteria of Based on a True Story. 


SUBMISSIONS CLOSED! THANK YOU, PARTICIPANTS.

FINALISTS FOR OUR TEN-MINUTE PLAYS

Copyright © 2025 Porthole Players - All Rights Reserved.

Powered by

  • DONATE TODAY

This website uses cookies.

We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.

Accept