PETE’s

Aw, Hell

“…ed elli avea del cul fatto trombetta”

[…and he made a trumpet of his ass]

Dante’s Inferno, Canto XXI

Grotesque amorality, operatic annoyances, and peeved pagans

Demons on their lunch break. Virgil as a shady tour guide. A tenants association meeting as torture, food and sex combined in unholy ways, and confusion about which door leads to the blood pool. Join PETE as we fail our classical literature test, defile the sacred, and joyfully abandon hope.

Using Dante’s Inferno as a catalyst, we abandon hope and enter the messy, disgusting, offensive truth of the human condition. Aw, Hell is a journey down the drain, in which we act regrettably, break vows, lie to ourselves and end up boiling in a river of blood. 

Aw, Hell features performances from PETE members Rebecca Lingafelter, Cristi Miles, Damaris Webb, Roo Welsh, and Amber Whitehall in collaboration with guest performer and renowned clown Emily Newton. Aw, Hell features original text by PETE company member Chris Gonzalez and is directed by founding member Jacob Coleman, in collaboration with clown dramaturg Sascha Blocker.

PETE’s iconoclastic designers & company members will be creating our immersive version of hell, integrating design with performance in a way that only designers who have been collaborating for more than a decade can. Peter Ksander is designing the set, Miranda k Hardy is designing lights, Jenny Ampersand will design costumes, Mark Valadez is designing sound, Trevor Sargent is creating video and special systems, and Maggie Heath will design props.

Aw, Hell

Production history & credits:

June 26-July 12, 2025

Venue: Reed College Performing Arts Building

Created by PETE

Text by Chris Gonzalez

Direction by Jacob Coleman

Performers:

Rebecca Lingafelter

Cristi Miles

Emily Newton

Damaris Webb

Roo Welsh

Amber Whitehall

Design:

Jenny Ampersand

Miranda k Hardy

Peter Ksander

Trevor Sargent

Mark Valadez

Maggie Heath

Production Manager: Molly Gardner

Stage Manager: Kristina Mast

Clown Dramaturg: Sascha Blocker

Assistant Director: Josh Nguyen

Assistant to the Playwright: Niels Truman

Production Assistants: Gianvito Cassanelli, Anna Kulbashny

Lead Electrician: Abby Jacquin

Props/Objects/Scenic Assistant: Brooklyn Rice

Assistant Sound Designer: Delaney Jones

Wardobe supervisor:  Milo Mattern

Costume Build Crew: Mikah Keetch, Katie Alker, Chris Ampersand, Janet & Mark Anderson

Aw, Hell was made possible with support from

Ronni Lacroute, the Portland Office of Arts & Culture, the Miller Foundation, the Oregon Arts Commission, and the Mental Insight Foundation.

Special thanks to the Reed College Theatre Department, the Lewis & Clark Theatre Department, the 2024-25 ICP cohort, Kelley Bayles, Ellie Higgins, Akitora Ishii, Eli Guerrero-Reach, Percival Walter & Lydia Davis.