At age 42, Georgette Dashiell had uncertain feelings when she moved to Portland to begin getting her master’s degree in theater arts at PSU in 2005.
“I was the oldest person in the program,” she said. “I wasn’t sure I’d fit in.”
Now she is on her way to finishing her graduate thesis for her master of science in theater arts by directing the upcoming production of John Patrick Shanley’s play Savage in Limbo, which starts today and ends next weekend.
After 15 years touring as a singer, songwriter and guitarist, Dashiell said she wanted to find a place to call home.
Dashiell decided that she would pursue more education and found that Portland was a suitable fit. She said she chose Portland because the appealing greenery here contrasts with her upbringing in dry Southern California and because PSU has a theater arts program.
After her first year, Dashiell said, a few older people eventually joined the program.
“That made me feel less self-conscious,” she said.
During her time in Portland, Dashiell has balanced her studies with acting roles in local productions such as The Most Massive Woman Wins and Hedda Gabber.
In the past it has been tough for older actresses to get work, but not anymore, Dashiell said.
“Even celebrities were fazed out beginning in their late ’40s or early ’50s,” she said. “That’s less and less the case today because more and more scriptwriters and production company owners are women.”
She said this has caused more scripts to be written for female characters of all ages.
“One lucky result of this is the prolongation of careers beyond many actresses’ youth years,” she said.
Even with school and her acting career, Dashiell, like many other students, must work to earn money. In her spare time she works at a nearby Starbucks. After she graduates in June, Dashiell said a future goal of hers is to start a theatrical production company.
Savage in Limbo, directed by Georgette Dashiell, plays today and tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.; Jan. 13 at 2 p.m. and Jan. 17 through Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. in the Lincoln Hall Studio (Room 115).