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Public Playhouse, founded in October 2005, in Vancouver, Washington, produced its first performance in May 2006, with Molière's The Imaginary Invalid. Audiences hailed it as "The best theatre in Vancouver" and "Outstanding by any standards."
In the summer of 2005, Public Playhouse set out to produce its next play, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged). After struggling to procure performance space in Vancouver, the company decided CoHo Theater in Northwest Portland was the best option due to theatre-goers familiarity with the venue. Audiences and the press raved about the production. The Oregonian found the show to be "Funnier than the London production!" Performances were frequently sold-out and many patrons attended the show more than once. The production put Public Playhouse on the map as a theatre to be taken seriously in the Portland community.
The company mounted two more productions in Vancouver through a partnership with Clark College. However, with more than half the audience coming from Portland, in May 2007, the board of directors voted unanimously to move the company to Portland full time. Public Playhouse became a resident company at CoHo Theater and holds close ties with CoHo Productions. Though the two organizations are separate entities, they cooperate to share space and even sell combined ticket packages to give a financial break to patrons of both companies.
Public Playhouse is proud of its growth, with both positive audience and critical reception. Public Playhouse prides itself in its passion for the arts, carefully coupled with strong business acumen. This combination is a recipe for success and allows the company to thrive as a viable member of the Portland arts scene.
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