Come to Lakewood Theatre Company to see brand new theatre works premiered through the Fertile Ground Festival April 14 – 18, 2025. This year Lakewood will premiere new works as staged readings. Fertile Ground, a Portland-wide festival that involves local theatres, artists, and playwrights, “aspires to increase the appreciation for Portland’s lush creative culture, the artists and projects spawned right here in our native soil.” Fertile Ground is put on by the Portland Area Theatre Alliance, a nonprofit volunteer organization in collaboration with local non-profit theatres.

Single Tickets for our readings are $10 – $15 at the Lakewood Box Office (503-635-3901) or CLICK HERE to order directly online.

Fertile Ground Pass holders must apply the Fertile Ground discount code that was given at the time of purchasing the Fertile Ground pass during the payment process when ordering tickets online. Pass holders must present a Fertile Ground pass at the box office when picking up your tickets. If you are a Pass holders you must select the Fertile Ground Pass Online Discount price category when purchasing your ticket online.
See the full city-wide festival schedule at fertilegroundpdx.org. or at the Fertile Ground Festival website.

Special Thanks to our festival sponsors:
David B. Avison
City Of Lake Oswego
Lakewood Center Associates

Young Playwrights Festival 2025

Monday April 15, 2025
7:00 PM / $10 Admission   CLICK HERE for tickets
Presented on the SIDE DOOR STAGE At Lakewood Center For the Arts in the lower level of the building

This year’s Young Playwright’s festival is being coordinated and directed by Matthew B. Zrebski

Young Playwrights Festival (YPF) is a collection of short plays by outstanding High School playwrights selected from the Portland metro area to work with professional directors, actors, and playwrights to gain insight, experience, and feedback to develop their plays. The culmination of this process is to experience the audience response at this presentation of their work.

The Madwomen of Richmond

By: C. S. Whitcomb
Wednesday April 16, 2025
7:00 PM / $10 Admission  CLICK HERE for tickets

The Madwomen of Richmond is a true story of two women spies in the Civil War, one Black and one White. When her father dies, Elizabeth van Lew frees her family slaves. One of them, Mary, has been raised and educated by Elizabeth. Mary goes North to teach in a Black school in Philadelphia. When the Civil War breaks out, Elizabeth realizes her old school friend, Varina Davis, is now the first lady of the Confederacy. She offers to lend her a skilled ladies’ maid, which Varina gladly agrees to. So Elizabeth writes to Mary: “If you come back, we may be able to do something important.” And so they became what General Grant called, “My most useful spies.”

Director: C.S. Whitcomb
Cast: Amanda Soden, Kayla Kelly, Margie Boule, Tom Walton, Mark Schwahn

Bama Breeze

A two act play by Mike Westby
Friday April 18, 2025
7:00 PM / $10 Admission  CLICK HERE for tickets

The 40th Reunion of the University of Alabama Class of 1984 brings four couples back together.First, the football hero and his cheerleader wife. The second couple, who also met at Alabama, before he went on to be a plastic surgeon. The third couple, a soap opera star who is now married to Ted, his onetime stylist. And the fourth couple are going too, even though he dropped out his senior year and virtually disappeared. Each of them are bringing secrets to the party, things they were hoping to deal with before getting together again. Funny things can and do happen in this comedy drama, when old friends hope to catch up, but not all the way. The winds of change are blowing them all into Tuscaloosa. It’s a Bama Breeze.

Director: Steve Coker