A Gothic American Tragedy - *One of the 50 Top Plays of the 20th Century

In a decaying Illinois farmhouse, an outrageously disturbing dysfunctional family harbors a dark, generational secret buried deep within the backyard soil. When their estranged grandson returns to pay a surprise visit, he finds himself treated as a complete unknown by the very relatives who should know him best. As the rain pours, hidden shady facts begin to claw their way to the grass surface.  Wickedly Funny, Fiercely Intense - A Deeply Haunting Psychological Thriller. 

Sam Shepard wrote Buried Child in 1978 and one year later the work went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Obie Award. In 1996, the play received five Tony nominations including “Best Play” in its Broadway premiere. Buried Child is widely recognized as a modern masterpiece and was chosen by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the 50 best plays of the 20th century.

"At times hilarious and at times terrifying" — Chicago On Stage

Director Jerry Mouawad is on a roll with his canon of classic revivals, bringing a pulp-noir and sci-fi twist to his recent production of Sam Shepard’s wonderfully peculiar 1974 work Geography of a Horse Dreamer, he now follows with the playwright's most acclaimed work, Buried Child. In 2025, Mouawad revived Noel Coward’s gutsy Design for Living, an unexpected polyamory farce from 1932. And, in the same year, Mouawad's highly visual production of Drew Pisarra’s adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s Salome opened, as did the all-in-your-face, claustrophobic, yet lyrical staging of Tennessee Williams’s A Streetcar Named Desire.

Has Mouawad’s appetite for milestone productions been weaned? “No,” he says. “In these giant works, there is a bottomless depth and thus endless rewards. Perhaps that is why I took two years to find the perfect cast for Buried Child.” Mouawad has learned from the great filmmaker Robert Altman that “95% of a director's creative work is completely finished once cast” and, therefore, he did not move forward to greenlight this production until after auditioning over 200 actors from the Portland community.

Jeff Forbes designs lights, Moth designs costumes, Myrrh Larsen designs sound, Alex Meyer designs scenic.

Plays Jan 29 to Feb 21
Previews Jan 27/28 at 7:30: $30
Wed/Thurs Shows $35
Fri/Sat/Sun Shows $45

For group or student discounts, call 503.231.9581 and leave a message. For non-profits that serve underserved populations, call the above number for free tickets.

For Mature Audiences 16 and older. Dark subject matter.