Profile Theatre is bringing Spain to Portland in a production that combines theater with opera and live music. Set in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War, the play follows two filmmakers drawn into a film project backed by the KGB.
The story centers on the filmmakers and a project intended to influence American opinion, financed by Soviet intelligence. Profile Theatre describes the play as a story about art’s influence and the consequences of using it to persuade.
A Production Shared Across Art Forms
The production brings several Portland arts organizations together. Profile Theatre says Portland Opera partnered on the live opera, while musicians from 45th Parallel Universe perform both recorded and live music.
Metropolitan Youth Symphony musicians join the production for the October 28 and November 4 performances, according to Profile Theatre’s production details. The theater lists young professional musicians from the symphony for those two dates.
People in the Production
The production includes Profile Theatre artistic director Josh Hecht, 45th Parallel Universe’s Lisa Lipton, and actor Cycerli Ash, who plays Helen. Its collaborators span theater, opera and music.
Spain is scheduled to run at the Ellyn Bye Studio in The Armory, at 128 NW 11th Ave. in Portland, from October 22 through November 8, 2026. Profile Theatre’s season materials list the first preview for October 22 at 7:30 p.m., opening night on October 24 at 7:30 p.m., and a closing matinee on November 8 at 2 p.m.
The Armory’s Performance Spaces
Portland Center Stage says The Armory opened to the public on October 1, 2006. It identifies the Ellyn Bye Studio, where Spain is scheduled, as a 190-seat venue, distinct from the building’s 590-seat U.S. Bank Main Stage, according to Portland Center Stage.
Art as Influence
The play’s premise links its political setting to questions about art’s influence: the filmmakers’ work is meant to shape American opinion, while the production itself combines theater, opera and music. That mix puts the production’s different art forms alongside the story’s central question of how creative work can affect its audience.
