Photo above by Jenny Warren
SUN SONGS & MOON TUNES - Powell Butte
a musical trail meetup - July 2024
Created & Performed by Emily Eisele, Sean Grosshans, Joellen Sweeney & Becca Wirta
Trail Guide: Alexandra Schaffer
Production Photos by Castle B Productions and Rachel Lindsey Routh
School’s out for the summer and mom says I don’t have to be home until dark.
Want to go explore?
Meet me at our spot –
you know, the one we went to all those times that one year?
when the wildflowers were going crazy?
Maybe we could jam a little?
I’ll bring my guitar. Just in case.
Isn’t it a full moon, too? We HAVE to stay till sunset.
I hope it’s a clear night.
I guess the sky will be there either way.
This playful, nostalgic homage to summertime combined a free hiking meetup with a walking concert. Hikers were guided through our favorite secret spots at Powell Butte Nature Park as Bedrock shared stories and original songs inspired by the sun and the moon. Friendship bracelets were gifted, disposable cameras were passed around, and community was built as we took in the beautiful summer skies together on the trail.
Hibernate - Leach Botanical Garden
a Winter ritual brewed to rewarm the soul - February 2024
Written & Performed by Emily Eisele, Joellen Sweeney & Becca Wirta
Music Supervision by Emily Eisele
Props & Set Dressing by Becca Wirta
Costume/Mask Design by Joellen Sweeney
Lighting Design by Annabel Cantor
Sound Design/Stage Management by Mia Webster
Production Photos by Jaren Kerr Media
“We can’t keep a summer’s pace in a winter’s world.”
Errant gnomes, sleepy dormice, the powerful Cailleach and the wise Knitting Woman populate the cozy, magical world of Hibernate, a multi-part performance created to honor and highlight the rhythms and teachings of deep winter. Beginning with a fireside gathering, audiences were guided by Winter Spirits through the darkened forest trails at Leach Botanical Garden to the cozy interior of the Manor House. Inside, stories, song and slowly-thawing tea offered camaraderie and reflections on this oft-overlooked time of year.
The Nature Bar - The Verdancy Project
An Installation/performance at Terra Incognita - august 2023
Photos by Sean Grosshans
Created by Emily Eisele, Sean Grosshans, Joellen Sweeney & Becca Wirta
Performed by Emily Eisele, Sean Grosshans, Joellen Sweeney
Installation Design by Becca Wirta, Joellen Sweeney
Costume Design by Joellen Sweeney
Textiles by Shannon Amidon
Windchime by Obsidian Chimes
Production Photos by Stephanie Honeycutt and Alexandra Schaffer
A sniff of Air. A touch of Water. A taste of Earth. A sound of Fire.
In a clearing ringed by tall Cedars, the Nature Bar beckons. Elemental flavors, with pairings of story and song, await the traveler who dares to step off the path, pause and sip from their surroundings.
The Nature Bar, Bedrock's immersive installation and performance, focused on the four elements--Earth, Water, Fire and Air--characterizing these components of The Verdancy Project landscape through song, movement, storytelling and sensory offerings. The Nature Bar drew attention to the decadent sensory feast around us at all times, and demonstrated our innate ability to connect with our environment as beings who evolved in tandem with all we experience in the natural world.
The Nature Bar was part of Terra Incognita, a Land-Art Exhibition hosted by The Verdancy Project.
PERSEPHONE - leach botanical garden
an in-motion, musical adventure - august 2019
Photo by Sean Grosshans
Book & Music by Emily Eisele, Sean Grosshans & Joellen Sweeney
Directed by Emily Eisele
Performed by Leif Schmit, Hannah Hogan, Elizabeth Fagan, Ashley Mellinger, Kilee Rheinsburg, Jay Tatco-Nowak & Sean Grosshans
Lighting Design by Jennifer Lin, Costume Design by Erin MacGillivray
Production Photos by Jenny Warren
Bedrock’s original adaptation of the Greek myth tells the tale of the Goddess Persephone, her abduction by Hades, King of the Underworld; the devastation of her mother, Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest; six fateful pomegranate seeds; and the painful compromise that is the genesis for Earth’s seasons.
After developing the story, text, and music over the course of a year, Bedrock presented the full production along the paths and trails of Leach Botanical Garden for a sold-out two-week run. Guided by the three Fates, audience members crossed the Bridge to explore the worlds Above and Below accompanied by live music and the Garden’s resident owls. An additional Low-Impact Performance was held on the East Terrace to allow patrons to enjoy the immersive outdoor experience without the mileage.
Bedrock was honored to be sponsored as the first theatre company in residence at Leach Botanical Garden during 2019 and to partner with Friends of the Columbia Gorge, 350PDX, and BARK, all local organizations fighting to protect the environment.
Click here to view the PERSEPHONE digital program!
Check out this awesome blog post about the PERSEPHONE production!
PERSEPHONE - Garden Party
a staged reading with pomegranate punch - june 2019
(Photo by Jenny Warren)
On a sunny June afternoon, Bedrock shared a staged reading of the PERSEPHONE script-in-progress on the beautiful Leach Botanical Garden Terrace. Audience members listened to the newest draft of our original adaptation as performed by our new cast, and played a key role in the collaborative process by providing feedback about the story development.
Bedrock Band - 2019 Season announcement
AN EVENING OF MUSIC & LIVE STORYTELLING WITH bedrock’s co-founders - feb 2019
This was an evening of firsts for Bedrock: our first event at the gorgeous Leach Botanical Garden, our home for the 2019 season; our first time debuting several new songs; and our first season announcement as we revealed our project in development: PERSEPHONE.
Check out two Bedrock originals performed at Bedrock Band with the cozy acoustics of the Manor Fireplace Room. Music written & performed by Bedrock co-founders Emily Eisele, Sean Grosshans & Joellen Sweeney. More music and video clips here!
THE NIGHTINGALE - Garden Party
the backyard version, with snacks - june 2018
Photo by Jenny Warren
Created & Performed by Emily Eisele, Sean Grosshans & Joellen Sweeney
Bedrock’s original adaptation of The Nightingale was revised for performance in an intimate residential garden setting. This casual format took its cue from campfire storytelling, inviting the audience to relax, snack, listen, and even add their own embellishments to the tale. Bedrock company members portrayed multiple characters, traded off narrating, and shared live music.
The Nightingale - Powell Butte
the hike that started it all - sept 2016
The Nightingale rehearses "Where It's Green"
Book & Music by Emily Eisele, Sean Grosshans & Joellen Sweeney
Directed by Sean Grosshans
Performed by Olivia Weiss, Conor Eifler, Kilee Rheinsburg, Emily Eisele, Sean Grosshans, and Joellen Sweeney
Opening of The Nightingale at Powell Butte Nature Center
Based on the folktale by Hans Christian Andersen, The Nightingale was the Bedrock team’s first original adaptation. A legendary songbird waits just out of reach. A covetous king sets a reward. A crafty kitchen maid seizes an opportunity. Their paths converge in a tale that questions the true nature of beauty, and why we are compelled to possess it for ourselves. Guided in small groups by storytellers, audiences explored this vibrant story along a 3-mile loop at Powell Butte Nature Park in Portland, Oregon.