GO BEYOND THE HEADLINES: Thats BoomArts producer Ruth Wikler-Lukers hope for Noise.
  • BoomArts
  • GO BEYOND THE HEADLINES: That's BoomArts producer Ruth Wikler-Luker's hope for Noise.

At Fertile Ground, Boom Arts' Noise in the Waters is an "opportunity for Portlanders who are both concerned about international issues and passionate about the arts to go beyond the headlines and delve deeper into a crucial current issue," says producer Ruth Wikler-Luker. The play, which examines the Mediterranean refugee crisis, is translated from Italian and accompanied by original music composed for the performance by Ryan Anthony Francis.

For shows that have an overtly social message—especially about a large and complex issue that's still developing and that people are still experiencing—there's often a risk of seeming preachy, or worse, sensationalizing people's suffering. Boom Arts confronts this risk head-on, though: The performance will be paired with a pre-show lecture on the refugee crisis from Portland State University doctoral candidate Jamie Surface, whose work focuses on refugees and migration, followed by a discussion with Mercy Corps staffers who have recently returned from Greece.

Wikler-Luker invites audience members to attend "if you have felt both moved and overwhelmed by the Mediterranean refugee crisis as it has been depicted in the news," and promises "context; a poetic, philosophical, and personal perspective; and news from the field."

Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta, Sun Jan 24, 3 pm lecture, 4 pm performance, $12-30, boomarts.org