The Fertile Ground Festival of New Works is a citywide, multi-week performing arts festival taking place in venues throughout Portland, Oregon and the surrounding areas.

This year's lineup includes site specific theatre, dance, solo shows, aerial performance, puppetry, and dozens upon dozens of brand-new scripts by some of Portland's most celebrated and prolific playwrights.

Schedule of Events:

7:30pm - Hillsboro Artists' Regional Theatre: The Spumoni Skit and The Warming Hut by Sally Stember

Spumoni Skits: The Spumoni Skit is a sharp, hilarious take on post-divorce dating, pandemic-era romance, and the tragic reality of losing out to ice cream. With wit and self-deprecating charm, Sally navigates texting mishaps, aging, and a suitor who prefers Tillamook Caramel Cold Brew over meeting in person. Packed with pop culture nods and risqué fun, this monologue is for anyone who's ever questioned their love life—or their choice of dessert.

The Warming Hut: A mysterious refuge on a snowy mountainside where fate weaves together an unlikely group of souls. Thaddeus, a stoic mountaineer, rescues Mary from a storm, but their sanctuary is soon disrupted by the arrival of Susanne, an ethereal young woman with a haunting secret. As more visitors, both human and canine, converge, buried truths and connections come to light, leading to a profound exploration of love, redemption, and what it means to truly find one's way home. A heartwarming and chilling tale of resilience, humanity, and the ties that bind us all.

Rating/Recommended Age:
PG-13 / 16+

Performance Length:
Short Play in a 2 hour evening of plays with short intermissions

Location: HART Theater, 185 SE Washington St, Hillsboro , Oregon , 97123

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7:30pm - Hillsboro Artists' Regional Theatre (HART): No Ham, No Fowl by Mark Saunders

NO HAM, NO FOWL is a ten-minute play from a holiday-themed series exploring love and identity. Set during Thanksgiving, it offers a light-hearted, romantic twist on the coming-out story. The play is flexible, designed to be performed by any gender mix of couple—man-woman, man-man, or woman-woman—allowing directors to tailor the cast as they see fit. With humor and heart, it brings a fresh perspective to a universal moment of revelation and acceptance.

Rating/Recommended Age:
PG - 13 / 16+

Performance Length:
Short play in a 2 hour evening of shorts with Intermissions in between

Location: HART Theater, 185 SE Washington St, Hillsboro , Oregon , 97123

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7:30pm - Hillsboro Artists' Regional Theatre (HART): Life Agent by Linda Maxon

Life Agent explores a true-life encounter with a mother in dire circumstances and her autistic son, juxtaposed against a wheelchair-bound man’s surprising joy. Based on the playwright's real experiences as a licensed insurance agent, this poignant scene unravels human resilience, tragedy, and unexpected happiness. A first-time playwright, Linda Maxon reflects on decades of theater appreciation and finds new purpose through storytelling, drawing inspiration from life and the enduring magic of live theater.

Rating/Recommended Age:
PG-13 / 16 +

Performance Length:
Short Play in a 2 hour evening of plays with short intermissions

Location: HART Theater, 185 SE Washington St, Hillsboro , Oregon , 97123

Buy Tickets