Cul-de-Sac

BUY TICKETS

Written by John Cariani | Directed by Ian Leiner

MAY 1 - 3 & 8 - 10, 2026

All performances at 7:30pm

Venue: Ki Coffee (4655 SW Griffith Dr #160, Beaverton, OR 97005)

  • At Spark Plug Theatre Collective, we intentionally present material that ignites conversations and inspires new perspectives. Additionally, the intimate nature of our performance space can make some of these experiences more intense. Our content advisories are to help audience members prepare for potentially difficult material and decide if they want to purchase a ticket to the show.

    • This story has a moment where parents commit an offstage act of violence toward their young children in an act of desperation.

    • This story has a moment of accidental(?) violence toward a spouse.

    If you would like any further specifics or information about anything on this list, please contact us at info@sparkplugtheatrecollective.org

On a lovely spring evening, all is not quite what it seems for three couples living on the same suburban cul-de-sac. Couple #1 never had children and realize that they might not be all they hoped they’d be. Couple #2 have kids—but they aren’t quite what they hoped they’d be, either. Couple #3 seem to be all that Couples #1 and 2 ever wanted to be: they have two wonderful kids, shiny new cars, and their grass is very green. But life is far from perfect for Couple #3. This is a shocking comedy that explores the extreme measures people take to achieve their dreams—or find happiness—or find their way to what they once were.

“John Cariani’s CUL-DE-SAC is charming, witty and macabre. [Cariani has a]…gift for the banality and comedy of despair.” – The New York Times

“By imposing an expressionist design on ordinary events and heightening the language of everyday discourse, [Cariani] strips away all subterfuge from the lives of three suburban couples [and] does a remarkable job of exposing the inner lives of characters who make a point of living their perfect lives entirely on the surface.”  – Variety

JACKIE JONES: Lesley Mansfield

JOE JONES: Bryce Bristow

DEAN JOHNSON: Jason Paris

BRIAN JOHNSON: Adrian Harris-Crowne

CHRISTY SMITH: Justine Summers

MATT SMITH: Jereck Flamenco

DIRECTOR: Ian Leiner

STAGE MANAGER: Annie Wach

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Alex Woodard

PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Pam Taylor

COSTUME TEAM: Pam Taylor, Sandi King

At Spark Plug Theatre Collective, we intentionally present material that ignites conversations and inspires new perspectives. Additionally, the intimate nature of our performance space can make some of these experiences more intense. Our content advisories are to help audience members prepare for potentially difficult material and decide if they want to purchase a ticket to the show.

About The Creative Team

Click the + sign to learn more about the artist.

  • Lesley Mansfield was born at a very early age and has grown since then. In the meantime, she has played 100+ roles on stages across the country (including Midge/Carlotta/Gondolier in Sparkplug’s production of A Sleeping Country), been to 49 of 50 states, read a lot of mysteries, and eaten too many quesadillas. She would like to thank Ian and the rest of the cast and crew for their hard work and support, and Lucille Ball for having existed.

  • Bryce Bristow was last seen on the SPTC stage as Man in Lungs. His other favorite roles include Garry in Noises Off and Nick in Over the River and Through the Woods. He's had a blast working with Ian, Lesley, and the rest of this cast and crew to put together this show. Bryce loves this play because it’s made him think differently about happiness and the sometimes crazy things we do to find it. As always, he's endlessly grateful to Meg for supporting him in every show he does.

  • Jason is very excited to be a part of Cul-De-Sac at Spark Plug Theatre Collective. He recently worked with Spark Plug in Dead Man's Cell Phone. Jason has enjoyed writing music for many shows over the last 7 years, including Almost, Maine, Lifespan of a Fact, Lungs, and recently for Now & Then. Jason wishes to thank Pax for all her much needed support. Also, thanks to Ian and Amanda for inviting him into this theatre space once again. Jason also wanted to thank Les too, but he still can't remember why despite years of therapy. 

  • Adrian is excited to be returning to Spark Plug after performing Gordon in Dead Man’s Cell Phone last Fall. Since then Adrian reprised his role of Nicholas Tanenbaum in Christmas in Christmasville at Twilight Theater and served as Music Director and singer/accordionist in Mt. Hood Repertory’s show The Life of Galileo at OMSI. Adrian is grateful to everyone here for their support of live theater, and to his family—Caroline, Abigail, Ansel—for their support of him!

  • Justine Summers is excited to make her Sparkplug debut! Justine boasts absolutely no relevant training—classically trained as a mezzo soprano, she currently works as an anesthesiologist in the Portland area. Recent roles include Linda, Fiction; Hotspur, Henry IV, Part One; Vera Claythorne, And Then There Were None; Olympe de Gouges, The Revolutionists; Sarah Brown, Guys and Dolls;  and Nancy, Oliver!. Huge thanks to Ian, Amanda, and everyone with Sparkplug for giving me a chance to join up for this production. All the love to Fritz and Addy.

  • Jereck has been involved in theater since he was a kid, participating in drama programs, school productions, and choir. In college, he studied acting and performance and was fortunate to work with artists such as Ricky Pak (Tectonic Theater Project), Ashley Teague (Notch Theatre Company), and Eric Pierpoint (Acting for the Camera). In 2019, Jereck co-founded the NEST ensemble with his peers and produced several experimental works in found spaces. After graduating, he moved to New York and worked on a festival of original work at the Krane Theater with other artists in the city. In 2020, he came to Portland and has been fortunate enough to collaborate with some amazing artists.

  • Ian is thrilled to present Cul de Sac! This is Ian's second show with Spark Plug Theatre, having previously assisted directed Lungs last season. Ian is extremely thankful to all of the cast and crew for all of their passion, hard work, dedication and the unbearable weight of their massive talent. Previously, Ian had directed The Woman in Black at Nutz-N-Boltz theater and Stage Managed The Resistible Rise of Aturo Ui at Twilight Theater. Ian has also been on stage multiple times. Sometimes it's even because he's in a show!

  • Annie is thrilled to be a part of another Spark Plug production and to continue to utilize her organizational skills to help make art!