Dead Man’s Cell Phone

BUY TICKETS

Written by Sarah Ruhl | Directed By Amanda Clark

October 17-19 & 24-26, 2025

ADDED PERFORMANCES: November 1 & 2

All Performances At 7:30pm

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

An incessantly ringing cell phone in a quiet café. A stranger at the next table who has had enough. And a dead man – with a lot of loose ends. So begins Dead Man’s Cell Phone, a wildly imaginative new comedy by MacArthur “Genius” Grant recipient and Pulitzer Prize finalist Sarah Ruhl. A work about how we memorialize the dead – and how that remembering changes us – it is the odyssey of a woman forced to confront her own assumptions about morality, redemption, and the need to connect in a technologically obsessed world.

Featuring

Hannah Phillips as JEAN

Adrian Harris Crowne as GORDON

Jason Paris as DWIGHT

Karen Johnson as HERMIA

Laura Nelsen as MRS. GOTTLIEB

Shelley Aisner as THE OTHER WOMAN/STRANGER

Amanda Clark | DIRECTOR

Amelia Michaels | ASST. DIRECTOR

Anna Wong | STAGE MANAGER

Matt Grand | ASST. STAGE MANAGER & PROPS

 

Alex Woodard | TECH DIRECTOR

Pam Taylor | PRODUCTION DESIGNER

Bryce Bristow | LIGHTING DESIGNER

LeeAnn Ducker | SOUND DESIGNER

Sandi King | COSTUME TEAM

Pat Lach | COSTUME TEAM

Sue Woodbury | COSTUME TEAM

A Special Thank You to Ki Coffee for the performance space!

About The Creative Team

Click the + sign to learn more about the artist.

  • Hannah Jo Phillips has been acting on stage and screen since childhood. She is drawn to the transformative power of storytelling, and particularly loves using comedy as a vehicle for exploring complex emotions and connecting us to our shared humanity. She is honored to be taking on one of Sarah Ruhl’s works, whose blend of lyricism, humor, and insight into the human condition reflects her own artistic ethos. Most recently, she completed an intensive at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City, and is thrilled to be diving right into a collaborative theatre project like Spark Plug.

  • Shelley Aisner (The Other Woman/The Stranger) is excited to be playing with Spark Plug Theatre Collective for the first time. Shelley moved to Portland in the spring of 2017 after living and performing theatre throughout the U.S. She has appeared in numerous productions at the Ukiah Player’s Theatre (CA), Perseverance Theatre (AK), and Angelo Civic Theatre (TX).  Past favorites include God of Carnage (Veronica) Song of Extinction (Lily), A Streetcar Named Desire (Blanche), Venus in Fur (Vonda), Leading Ladies (Audrey), Proof (Claire), Steel Magnolias (Anelle & Truvy) and Sandy in the upcoming Amazon series CRIMINAL.  When she’s not acting, Shelley works as the Office Manager at the Lakewood Theatre Company in Lake Oswego, and enjoys playing D&D, gardening, reading, dancing, martial arts, and kickboxing.

  • Adrian is happy to return to Ki Coffee after participating in Spark Plug’s Fertile Ground shows. Previously Adrian played Wykowski in Biloxi Blues at HART and a variety of roles in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. This Winter Adrian returns to the role of Nick Tannenbaum in Christmas in Christmasville at Twilight Theater. Adrian is grateful for the support of his family—Caroline, Abigail, & Ansel—as he continues his theatrical journey!

  • Jason is excited to be performing for the first time with Spark Plug Theatre Collective after providing music for Lungs, Slow Food, The Lifespan of a Fact, and Looking for Light. He wants to thank his partner, Pax for being so supportive, hilarious and loving (and stage managing his last show For Better) At home, he’s often watching too much YouTube, tinkering with retro computers and synths, and getting clawed by their cats Navi and Orca. This is his 3rd show this year, so please be kind and hug often and know that he is very tired.

  • Karen is thrilled to make her debut with Spark Plug Theatre Collective! A lifelong theater geek, she studied theater and improv throughout her youth and graduated with a theater minor at Willamette University.

    Favorite past roles include: Mrs. Bennet in Pride & Prejudice, Flic in Spirit Level (Mask & Mirror); Nancy in The Women (Willamette); The Inspector/The Strawberry Blonde in Witness for the Prosecution (Contra Costa Civic Theater).  Thanks Mom & Dad.

  • Since retiring from a teaching career with Portland Public Schools I have returned to acting after having enjoyed it as a teenager. Theatrical experiences include appearances in Calendar Girls, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Love Loss and What I Wore. I’ve also enjoyed working in commercials as well as appearing in film, most notably The Great Divide. I’d like to thank Kristina Haddad and my friends at The Actors Lab for helping me find a place in the Portland’s acting community, as well as Amanda Clark for giving me the opportunity to play the complex and interesting Mrs. Gottlieb.

  • A founding member of Spark Plug Theatre Collective, Amanda is consistently fueled and inspired by the incredible artists who give their time and their talent to share these stories with the community.

    She’s been active in the area’s theatre scene as an actor and director for over a decade. Productions she’s directed include FUTURA, Slow Food, Infamy, Inc., A Sleeping Country, and Almost, Maine.

    Some favorite past acting roles include Woman in Lungs, Annette in God of Carnage, Berta in Boeing, Boeing, Corie Bratter in Barefoot in the Park, and Laurie in Stage Kiss.

  • Amelia is honored to be back with Spark Plug after directing Vertical Daylight with SPTC's first Fertile Ground production, Looking for Light. Amelia fell in love with Sarah Ruhl during college while producing Eurydice and is thrilled to be part of the creative team on such a fascinating piece. Other favorite roles include Catherine in Proof and Lorraine in The Receptionist (Mask and Mirror Unmasked), and Charlotte in Charlotte's Web (BCT).

  • Anna (pronounced “Ah-na”) is both a seasoned Stage Manager and performer with a background in symphonic & marching percussion. In addition to Spark Plug, she has worked with a several theatre companies in the Portland Metro area including Beaverton Civic Theatre, Oregon Children’s Theatre, Broadway Rose, 21Ten, Profile, & PassinArt. Some notable productions include The Man Who Came to Dinner, Two Witches No Waiting, FUTURA, Slow Food, Goodnight Moon, Lifespan of a Fact, & The Other Place. She would like to extend an extra special thanks to all of the incredibly talented individuals that helped make this show possible!

  • Matthew Grand is thrilled to be back in the Spark Plug space as a production role! He is mostly known for his on stage work (Ellard in The Foreigner, Jim Fingal in The Lifespan of a Fact), but he has done production in the past (SM for Holmes for the Holidays, Director for Post Partum). Outside of theatre, Matthew is an absolute nerd who loves games of all kinds. Ask him about his most recent hyperfixation!

  • A founding member of Spark Plug Theatre Collective, Alex has been the Technical Director of the theatre since the company's debut show, FUTURA, in 2023. He holds degrees in both psychology and environmental design and was inspired to put his architectural design creativity to good use designing sets for Westside theatres over the past 10 years. By day, he works for a youth day treatment center.

  • Pam has been the Production Designer for Spark Plug Productions since their second production, Slow Food, and she helped with costumes on their first production, FUTURA.

  • Bryce loves all things theatre, but outside of theatre he enjoys camping with his wife and two kids and playing tabletop games with them. He also enjoys working on his constructed world and languages. Until now, he has always been in the lights, but he jumped at the chance to exercise his technical and design skills to get behind the lights for Dead Man's Cellphone. He's had a great time on the production team and is grateful to the entire SPTC production team for helping him along.

  • LeeAnn Ducker is thrilled to work on her first production in Oregon with Spark Plug Theatre Collective! She completed her MA in Theatre this past spring from Texas Woman's University where she also completed her BA. Her previous sound design credits include The Last Days of Judas Iscariot at TCC NE Playhouse, and Gun Show with Texas Woman's University which was later performed at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She wishes to give a big thank you to Alex and Amanda for being so kind and welcoming!

  • Sandi King has been working with Spark Plug Theatre Collective since Looking For Light as part of it’s first season.

  • After 30+ years of performing on stage, film and TV there comes a time to know when to step aside and into new theatrical challenges using all that experience. Working as one fourth of the Costume Quartet has provided me that opportunity. I hope you'll be pleased with our contribution to this production.

  • Sue has costumed casts for Spark Plug Theater, Beaverton Civic Theatre, HART, Masque & Mirrors, and Light Opera of Portland. Sue started working with community theaters in 2009.  She has won two BCT Civies and a Region IX award for best costume design. Sue enjoys working behind the scenes to support everyone brave enough to step into the spotlight and is very excited to be part of this show’s costuming team.