Cardiac Organ
Cardiac Organ: A Goth Cabaret
(2023)
Haunted Hearts, Black Lace, Pulsing Blood
In the tradition of PETE’s 2015 sea-shanty cabaret Drowned Horse Tavern, Cardiac Organ: A Goth Cabaret is an immersive concert, a summoning, and a celebration of big feelings. Featuring PETE founders Rebecca Lingafelter, Cristi Miles and Amber Whitehall, and live music by company member Mark Valadez, Cardiac Organ features classic goth songs of the 1980s in a seance that resurrects our passions and asks them to dance.
“Positively alluring in its darkness … builds up a kind of thematic and emotional richness through an accretion of images, observations, jokes, sensations … There’s so much in Cardiac Organ to enjoy and nothing at all to fear.”
-Marty Hughley, Oregon ArtsWatch
“One of the most tender shows you will see this season… Cardiac Organ immediately obliterates your expectations… while Cardiac Organ is outrageously funny… it is also unexpectedly powerful in its depiction of grief…”
-Bennett Campbell Ferguson, Willamette Week
“Cardiac Organ entreats the audience to acknowledge the darkness within us all—to make peace with it, find power within it, and connect with others through it… [a] freewheeling succession of songs, dance, skits, and monologue that feel like a mystical vision.”
-TJ Acena, Portland Mercury
”There are plenty of laughs, a few surprises, and some very impressive theatre magic, mostly thanks to Peter Ksander, whose sets are always more complex than they seem at first glance.
Directed by Jacob Coleman, CARDIAC ORGAN is excellent fun – not the good, clean type, but the vastly superior creepy, twisted type. Slither up to the bar for a Red Rabbit and enjoy the show.”
-Kristi Garver, Broadway World
Production history:
June 24-July 8, 2023
At PICA, 15 NE Hancock St, Portland, OR 97212
Credits:
Cardiac Organ: A Goth Cabaret
Created by PETE
Directed by Jacob Coleman
Text by Christopher Gonzalez
Vocal Director: Elsa Dougherty
Band director: Mark Valadez
Performers:
Rebecca Lingafelter
Cristi Miles
Amber Whitehall
Musicians:
Kora Link
Ezri Galban Reyes
Mark Valadez
Set Design: Peter Ksander
Costume Design: Jenny Ampersand
Light Design: Miranda k Hardy
Object Design: Maggie Heath
Sound Design: Mark Valadez
Systems/Effects Design: Trevor Sargent
Stage Manager: Kristina Mast
Production Manager/Technical Director: Molly Gardner
Assistant Production Manager/Lead Electrician: Abby Jacquin
Photography: Owen Carey
Community Illumination: Ki Ridenour-Starnes
Documentation: Ruby Keyes
Assistant Stage Manager: Paige Cabral
Production Assistant: Percival Walter
Props Assistant: Addie Styles
Costumes assistant: Mathieu Olsen
Sound mixer: Martín Aguas
Bar Manager: Olivia Mathews
Lead Audience Guide: Claire Aldridge
Box Office Manager: Emily Smith
Additional Usher/Bar Staff: Madeleine Tran, Rachel Routh, Annabel Cantor, Akitora Ishii
Cardiac Organ post-show events: June 30, July 1, July 7, July 8 (preshow)
We are overjoyed to present post-show music performances and events by some incredible local talent. Buy a ticket to the show and these events are included. Here’s the lineup:
June 30: Daughters of Cacophony
Daughters of Cacophony is a recent collaboration that consists of Ramon Mills (Production Unit Xero/Heterodox Records boss), Jen Void (Sun Tunnel/Velum), and Tati Mystique (Music Mystique/Otolithia). All three artists are deeply rooted in the PDX experimental/electronic music community. Their debut album, The Black Hand, was released in November 2022. Daughters explore a sound that is built on ambient textures and drones, drifting in a sea of ethereal vocals.
July 1: Aura Zorba
Aura Zorba released their label debut, ‘The Sweets Of Mars’ on Shore Dive Records in 2020. Drenched in retro psychedelic cohesion, Zorba quickly follows up with 2021’s ‘Glitter Days Are Gone’, taking a shift into glam and space rock with a gothic subtlety. They’ll be returning to the stage this summer on July 1st for an exclusive one-off performance at PICA following PETE’s Cardiac Organ: A Goth Cabaret.
Instagram : @aurazorba @shorediverecords
July 7: Jet Shea, Killeen Dolan and Maggie Jane
Three independent musicians and performance artists triage to bring you a magical goth electronic darkwave performance. Jet and Killeen have collaborated formerly in their late project Dire Trine and showcase some of their original music for their upcoming project. Maggie joins them to lend their voice and artistry to weave a performance experience uniquely crafted for Cardiac Organ.
Saturday July 8th at 6:15pm: Intro to End of Life Planning and Memorialization by Local Death Doula Jamie Thrower
In this workshop, death doula Jamie Thrower will explore the importance of end-of-life planning and provide guidance on how to create a plan that reflects your values, wishes, and priorities. You will explore the various components of a comprehensive end-of-life plan, including advance directives, funeral planning, and estate planning. There will also be a discussion about the benefits of creating an end-of-life plan, both for yourself and for your loved ones. There will also be a second focus on grief support. Jamie will discuss the various manifestations of grief and provide practical strategies for coping with loss and supporting others through the grieving process. We will also explore the importance of self-care during times of grief and the various resources available for those who are grieving. Through this workshop, you will have a better understanding of the importance of end-of-life planning and how to create a comprehensive plan. You will also have a deeper understanding of the grieving process and practical strategies for coping with loss and supporting others through their grief. We hope you will join us for this informative and supportive workshop, as Jamie explores these important topics with compassion and care.
Jamie Thrower Bio: Jamie Thrower (she/they) is a Queer Death Doula, End of Life Educator and Grief Guide in Portland, OR. Jamie also is the creator of Queer Grief Club, activity-focused, peer-led, grief support experiences for the Queer community. They focus their work on LGBTQ+ advocacy in the end of life care and death-care and is a champion for Queer specific grief spaces. Jamie weaves grief and deathwork with her personal passions for gardening, mixed media art and writing, and has self-published multiple zines about grief and loss. You can find Jamie at www.Jamiethrower.com and on instagram www.instagram.com/queergriefclub.
Cardiac Organ is made possible with support from:
Ronni S. Lacroute Fund of Oregon Community Foundation
Regional Arts & Culture Council
Oregon Arts Commission
The Kinsman Foundation
Beer provided by Stickmen Brewing Company and Breakside Brewery
Special thanks to the Reed College Theatre Department, the Lewis & Clark Theatre Department, PICA, Portland Playhouse, Susan McDaniel, Lauren Satterfield and Stickman Brewing, Rachel Routh, JeanneAnn Comiskey, Brisa Gonzalez, Glen Scheidt, Brett Paschal, E.K. MacColl and Breakside Brewery.