Artslandia at the Performance: Portland Playhouse Nov/Dec 2014 | Page 74

PAST PERFORMANCES

PORTLAND REVELS

We had the pleasure of talking
with a 20-year veteran of Portland
Revels, Quinland Porter. At age
82, she has performed in most of
the Revels shows, including the first
one in 1994.
Can you give a brief history of your
time with the Portland Revels?
It all started with getting invited to a
cocktail party and I was delighted to see
guests of the party engaged in an English
folk dance on the lawn. It was here that
I was shown a tape of the The Christmas
Revels in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I
loved it!
I was part of the first cast of the Portland Revels, then Rose City Revels that
performed at University of Portland. We
were honored to have the founder of the
The Christmas Revels in Cambridge, Jack
Langstaff, fly out to perform with us in
Portland.
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What continues to inspire you most about
the Revels?
The idea of The Christmas Revels was inspired by the lack of folk Christmas traditions
being performed throughout the country.
What I believe makes The Portland Revels
unique is the establishment of a general
theme in our performances. From the start,
we began to tie the performances together by
expressing a general theme told through folk
traditions. We always searched for a tighter
plot line — not just a night of songs, but a
performance that told a story. This theme,
whether it be Elizabethian, Scottish or Italian
Renaissance, is the thread that I think makes
our Revels stand apart.
Do the Revels have a pre-performance
ritual?
We have a very strong tradition of gathering
in a circle before the show begins. Announcements are given, and someone is appointed to
talk about the circle of life and continuance in
the belief of the greater power, that all things
are connected in a circle. The absolute bonding that goes on here is amazing!

ARTSLANDIA AT THE PERFORMANCE NOVEMBER | DECEMBER

Cast from the Portland Revels
10th Anniversary show in 2004,
an Elizabethan Celebration of
the Winter Solstice. Photo by
Rebecca J. Becker.

We also have a lot of contests; any contest,
like who can get in and out of their costumes
the quickest!
What is your best memory of a Revels
performance?
In 2002, I played a mother in King and the
Fool. I had such fun trying to convince my son
not to fall in love.
What should audience members expect
with this year’s performance?
The Revels will now perform at St. Mary’s
Academy, which will have less seating than
in the past. Hurry for tickets; they’ll go fast
this year.
Quinland’s Fun Fact:
Glisan Street is pronounced like “gl-EYE-san”
with a long “i” (not Glee-san). Porter knows
firsthand, because she went to tea at Mrs.
Glisan’s house many times as a girl with her
grandmother. .
For tickets to the 2014 Christmas Revels, visit
www.portlandrevels.org or call 503.274.4654.