This summer, we asked our students: “What did the PCS Summer Teen Academy teach you about yourself?” And one student wrote, “That I can do more than what I thought.”  

That I can do more than what I thought. YES! Not only do the PCS education programs, as one public school teacher wrote, “engage and nurture a new generation of theatre goers, theatre lovers, and theatre professionals,” we are also creating a space in which a young person can connect with their own voice and power.

We served more than 10,000 students a year pre-pandemic, and our numbers remained strong throughout the last year-and-a-half as we created new methods of connecting with students and classrooms that allowed for a flourishing of creativity. 

As we head into the holiday season, I hope you’ll join us in keeping PCS’s education programs free and accessible to all students by contributing to our upcoming year-end campaign in support of this joyful and necessary work!

SAVE THE DATE! 

Saturday, February 26 • PCS's 2022 Annual Gala!

This year we are reimagining what a night in support of PCS could look like if we think outside the box. Prepare to laugh and celebrate with an all-new, play-within-a-play structure that will feature incredible performances, a sketch comedy motif, and more, plus be among the first to see the exquisite Gem of the Ocean set on our main stage!

Stay tuned for more details, and save the date!

Getting better acquainted with the
Oregon Cultural Trust

If you have visited a museum in Oregon, attended an arts performance, tuned into public radio, or appreciated the preservation of our state’s history, it’s likely that you’ve benefited from the Oregon Cultural Trust. 

The Cultural Trust was created by the state legislature in 2002 to fund culture in the state into perpetuity. Currently, more than 1,400 nonprofits, including Portland Center Stage, are eligible to receive funds from the Cultural Trust.

Those funds are provided by Oregonians like you who receive a tax credit for their donation to the Cultural Trust. Here’s how it works:

1. Total your donations to qualifying cultural nonprofits to which you donated all year. A full list of qualifying nonprofits can be found here.

2. Give the same amount to the Cultural Trust by Dec. 31 by mail or online.

3. Claim the amount donated to the Cultural Trust as a tax credit when you file your taxes.*

Your Cultural Trust contribution comes back to you in the form of a decreased tax bill or, potentially, an increased refund. You just doubled the impact of your contribution at no additional cost to you!

As you continue to support Portland Center Stage with your generous contributions, we hope you’ll also match your donation with a gift to the Oregon Cultural Trust to strengthen funding for all of the cultural organizations that protect our great state’s famous quality of life.

Remember to make your donation by December 31. Learn more or donate at CulturalTrust.org or (503) 986-0088, or consult your tax preparer.

*Up to $500 for an individual, $1,000 for couples filing jointly or $2,500 for Class-C corporations.