The Fertile Ground Festival of New Works is an 11-day, city-wide arts festival (10 days in 2024) highlighting new work from Portland’s creative community. Historically held in January and/or February, Fertile Ground features myriad art forms and offers dozens of Portland-generated “acts of creation” for audiences to experience each year. Projects can range from fully staged world premieres, to theatrical workshops and play readings, to ensemble, multidisciplinary and collaboration-driven work, to a variety of dance, comedy, film events and more.

Unlike a typical fringe festival, Fertile Ground features the new work of our LOCAL artists, performers, and resident theatre companies, ensuring that the artistic and financial benefits of the festival stay in Portland. Where other new works festivals are typically curated by one entity, this Festival is collaboratively shaped by community participation, uplifting a variety of aesthetic voices.

Now in its 14th year, Fertile Ground has been overseen by the Portland Area Theatre Alliance (PATA) since 2018. After a year of strategic hiatus, PATA is presenting the first in-person Fertile Ground Festival of New Works since January 2020.

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Meet the 2024 Fertile Ground Staff

Save the Date(s)!

Fertile Ground 2025 is coming April 10th – 20th

Portland Area Theatre Alliance (PATA)

The Portland Area Theatre Alliance (PATA) supports and celebrates our region’s vibrant theatre community by fostering opportunity, innovation, and collaboration. PATA has three main objectives: to foster the further development of theatre in the Portland Metro Area, to connect the Portland Metro area theatre community to each other, and to provide and maintain programs that support our community theatre makers. Click here to read more about PATA.