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Willamette STAGE Company was founded in early 2007 by a group of theatre artists and enthusiasts led by Artistic Director Robert Delk Hirsh, a veteran professional actor and director. The group recognized the potential for a professional live theatre company to augment and complement the many thriving mid-Willamette Valley performing arts groups. Responding to this vision, the group formed Willamette STAGE Company, a non-profit, private corporation, dedicated to creating provocative, professional live theatre experiences for local artists and audiences.

Willamette STAGE Company productions are carefully chosen for their artistic quality, and for their ability to challenge the conceptions and perspectives of our audience. WSC gathers together the best theatre artists in the area to design, stage, and bring these productions to life. To enhance our patrons’ experience, we plan to offer a variety of seminars, lectures, films, discussions, and other events to complement our productions. In addition, wSc will sponsor special events, including staged readings, concerts, and productions by guest artists and companies.

Artistic Director Hirsh and other company members are available to visit groups and community organizations to provide more information about Willamette STAGE Company, current and future productions, and how you can help us continue to bring provocative, professional live theatre to the mid-Willamette Valley. To discuss or arrange an appearance, email robert@willamettestage.org.

Our Venue

STAGE productions are performed in the intimate Black Box theatre at Corvallis High School, 1400 NW Buchanan Avenue. Click here for a map.

Our Artistic Director

Robert Delk Hirsh is Willamette STAGE Company’s founding Artistic Director. For the STAGE, Robert as appeared in My Fair Lady (Henry Higgins), Rabbit Hole (Howie), and Blackbird (Ray), The Retreat from Moscow (Edward), Heroes (Gustave), and The Goat (Martin). He also appeared in OSU Bard in the Quad productions as Leonato in 2007’s Much Ado About Nothing, and as The Voyeur in Romeo and Juliet, in 2006. Local roles also include Henry Drummond in Inherit the Wind, Matt Friedman in Talley’s Folly, Jake in Jake’s Women, the title role in Macbeth, and Niels Bohr in Copenhagen. He followed the latter by playing Werner Heisenberg in Copenhagen at Lord Leebrick Theatre in Eugene. Other favorite roles in a long career include Malvolio in Twelfth Night, Jack in The Importance of Being Earnest, Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, James Tyrone, Sr. in Long Day’s Journey into Night, Sir Wilfred Robarts in Witness for the Prosecution, and Sandor Turai in The Play’s the Thing. Local directorial credits include Fiddler on the Roof, A Doll’s House, My Fair Lady, and Noises Off. Robert began his professional life as a political scientist, received his theatre training at the University of Oregon, taught theatre at LBCC, and has appeared in dozens of industrial films and commercials in the northwest.

Our Associate Artistic Director

Brian Newberg is Willamette STAGE Company’s Associate Artistic Director and director of Stage U Studio. Brian brings to the job more than thirty-five years experience as an actor, director, script consultant, and professor of theatre. Brian received his MFA in Directing from the University of California, Irvine. In California, Brian founded and operated a private acting studio, served as a professional acting coach, and directed many plays in professional and academic venues. Productions include Spike Heels (independent touring production), The Bacchae (University of San Francisco), Some Enchanted Evening (Diablo Valley College), Uncle Vanya (Cinnabar Theater), Speed the Plow, One Flea Spare, and Long Day’s Journey into Night (Actors Theater of Sonoma County), LA/Inside Out (University of Southern California), The Midnight Caller and The Dancers (Alderson Studio Theater), Widows (LA Playhouse), Our Country’s Good (UC, Irvine). Brian was Assistant Director for The Pasadena Playhouse and for the Tony-nominated Peter Pan with Cathy Rigby. Locally, he served for two years as theatre faculty at Linn-Benton Community College. Brian directed last season’s acclaimed wSc production of Blackbird, and will direct a number of shows in our 2009-2010 season.

Our Board of Directors and Executive Committee

Leslie Berman, Board President; Chiropractic Physician

Paul Watts, Board Secretary; Managing Director, Willamette STAGE Company; Senior Reliability Engineer for Technology Development, Hewlett-Packard

Robert Delk Hirsh, Board Treasurer; Artistic Director, Willamette STAGE Company

Brian Newberg, Board Member; Associate Artistic Director, Willamette STAGE Company

S. Jay Thompson, Board Member; Marketing Director, Willamette STAGE Company; Director of Project Management, Oregon Center for Applied Science

Harriet Owen Nixon, Board Member; Community Relations Director, Willamette STAGE Company; Operations Manager, Legend Homes

Our Advisory Board

Willamette STAGE Company is proud to introduce our Advisory Board, comprised of local, regional, and national leaders in the arts, in business, and in education:

George Beekman, Corvallis, OR. Musician, promoter, multi-media artist, and author of computer-related textbooks

Fred Child, St. Paul, Minnesota. Host, American Public Media’s (formerly NPR’s) Performance Today

Lynne Clendenin, Portland, OR; Vice President of Radio Programming, Oregon Public Broadcasting

Hillary Egna, Corvallis, OR; Director, AquaFish Aquaculture Collaborative Research Support Program, Oregon State University

Neal Gladstone, Corvallis, OR; Songwriter and musician

Meredith Howell, Philomath, OR. Freelance grant writer, fundraiser, and consultant, specializing in nonprofits

Ian Russell Johnson, Corvallis, OR. President of Edge Design, Corvallis- and Portland-based marketing and advertising agency

Pat Kight, Albany, OR. Web developer for Oregon Sea Grant at Oregon State University, and long-time Albany Civic Theatre and Corvallis director

Rachelle McCabe, Corvallis, OR. Concert pianist; Professor of Music and Director of Piano Studies, Oregon State University

Lucy Oxenhandler, Corvallis, OR. Instructor, Corvallis School District 509J

Scott Palmer, Portland, OR. Artistic Director, The Rose Theatre Project

Gregg Peters, Salem, OR. Education Marketing Manager, World Wide Imaging and Printing Group, Hewlett-Packard Corp.

Marion Rossi, Salem, OR. Associate Professor of Theatre, Oregon State University

Tamara Scoville, Corvallis, OR. Attorney-at-Law, Reed Smith

William Shumway, Corvallis, OR. Owner and Operator, Pegasus Gallery and Frame Shop

Paul Turner, Corvallis, OR. Owner and Operator, Darkside Cinemas; Board Member, Majestic Theatre Management

Thomas Walmsley, Corvallis, OR. Instructor of Philosophy and Religion, Linn-Benton Community College; Board Member, Corvallis Repertory Singers

Gretchen Woods, Corvallis, OR. Minister, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis

Steven Zielke, Corvallis, OR. Director of Choral Studies and Associate Professor of Music, Oregon State University; Director of Corvallis Repertory Singers

Willamette STAGE Company (wSc) is a non-profit corporation registered with the state of Oregon, a registered 501c(3) charity (all contributions are tax-deductible), and a member of the Nonprofit Association of Oregon.