November Rain

As you probably didn’t notice, I took last month off from sending out a newsletter.  I tried to address both troops being sent to Portland and a family yard sale, and I just couldn’t figure out the right tone to bridge the chasm.

But I’m back this month with news! And I should say news with a backstory.

Back In 2012 I premiered a live performance piece called Life Coach at the Portland Institute for Contemporary Arts TBA festival.

I had pitched PICA on a show making fun of life coaching, but I figured I should learn what life coaching actually entails. So I took 3-day seminar and realized life coaching kind of works. And I was good at it.

So, over the course of the festival, I offered audience members the chance to be coached, for free, in front of an audience of a couple hundred people. All 8 shows were wildly different from each other, because what happened was dependent on whoever was on stage with me.

The show toured a little bit, I started to do a little bit of actual coaching, and the idea of it never really left me. So last fall I reworked the show as AC Dickson: Life Coach for three nights at the Kiln theater here in SE Portland.

Since then I’ve been at work with a team of collaborators turning the live show into something new and more expansive I can share with a wider audience.

This summer we filmed a series of life coach sessions on camera with a few Portland personalities. Folks like Chelsea Cain, Laura Gibson, Kyle Kinane, Kye Alive, Sean Jordan, Chris Williams and Sean Tarjyoto.

And we’ve edited the most interesting moments from those sessions into short little “teaser” films.

I’m really excited to share that the first few videos are out! I’d love it if you would give them a watch on YouTube subscribe to the AC Dickson: Life Coach channel so you can enjoy the next few dozen as we share them.

But you can also follow along on Instagram or TikTok if that’s more your speed.

And we’re set to shoot a 12-episode scripted web series in the coming weeks. Whereas everything up until now has been “real” or least unscripted, the upcoming AC Dickson: Life Coach will function more like a scripted TV show.

I’ll be playing an artist who becomes a life coach to make a show about life coaching. But most of the action will be my character coaching fictional clients.

We have a great crew lined up, and have just about cast the entire show with some of the best actors in Portland. I can’t wait!

The only thing we need is the perfect location to film the life coach. We have something that will work. But we’re still hoping to find the ideal spot.

If you live or are familiar with Portland, will you help me brainstorm for a minute?

We need a space to film in for ideally for the next month, but at least a week in mid-November-early December.

It could be a house, apartment, warehouse, office building, church, school - really anywhere we can create a nice space for two people to sit that feels like a life coach office. Think a window with a some natural light.

It needs to be:

• Big enough for an office or office set plus lights and camera - think 30×30 with high ceilings

• Relatively quiet as we’ll be recording dialogue

• Close to parking for a few small trucks

• Safe and secure for locking up equipment

• And have ramp or elevator access if it’s not on the first floor

Free is great, but we absolutely have money budgeted for the location. Thanks for thinking on it and please reach out with any ideas!

Okay, what else?

There are lots of great upcoming shows in the Portland storytelling world.

The next Backfence Mixed Media show is at Powells on November 15th. It’s a great show with stories and work from local talent as well as Dan Kennedy from The Moth who is flying in.

As the cohost of the BACKFENCE Unhinged podcast I’m happy to share a $3 discount on tickets - just use with the code “unhinged” at checkout.

The Tiniest Party is having its one year anniversary show November 18th. It’s also a great lineup.

I’ll be hosting The Moth StorySlam in December on the 1st of the month. The theme is Family Matters in case you’re thinking about coming and sharing your story.

The above link will also bring you to ticket info for the annual Moth MainStage show on December 9th at the Schnitzer. 

And then 7 Deadly Sins has a number of upcoming shows including their newest incarnation — Church of Sin which will premiere at the Tomorrow Theater on December 11th. More info about their many other shows here.

What else?

My auctioneer and fundraising host duties are officially wrapped for the year. This fall I was part of the Harper’s Playground, Mt. St. Helens and Oregon Wild fundraisers. I’m really enjoying and feeling called to this kind of work.

I’m booking out both for Spring and Fall of 2026 - so if you’re planning an event I might be a good fit for - reach out! 

Okay, that’s it for now. Thanks for reading and hang in there.

Andrew