The Ellen Pullen Family Playwriting Residency
Corrib Theatre's new Playwriting Residency Program will support one writer per year to develop a new play inspired by Irish culture, history, or themes.
Generously supported by the Pullen Family in memory of Ellen Pullen, each resident will receive a writing stipend award, two workshops with professional actors, consistent feedback from Corrib Theatre’s Artistic Director and other experienced theatre-makers, and a final public presentation of their new script.
2025-2026 Ellen Pullen Family Playwriting Resident
Ken Yoshikawa
Ken Yoshikawa is a playwright, poet, actor, and from Portland, Oregon. He’s appeared onstage with Artists Repertory Theatre, Portland Center Stage, Corrib Theatre, Oregon Children’s Theatre, NW Children’s Theatre, and Oregon Adventure Theatre. He performed his solo show The Art of Fly Swatting in town and at the Pan Asian Repertory off-broadway in NYC. His play Through Bonavia, or The Simple Truth is being workshopped in collaboration with The Historic Alberta House concurrent to this production. His poems have appeared in Nailed Magazine, Letters from the Void, Hapa Mag, and Discover Nikkei. His first full length poetry book Monster Colored Glasses is out now on Lightship Press, and available to purchase at yoshikawaken.com. He is a Reed College graduate and an alum of PETE’s Institute of Contemporary Performance, which he highly recommends. In his free time he enjoys video games, hanging with trees, and working as an astrologer.
About Ellen Pullen
Lake Oswego resident Ellen Pullen attended many Corrib Theatre productions in the last years of her life. Her grandfather emigrated from Ireland to the USA in the 19th century. When Ellen was in her nineties, she reconnected with her Irish relatives, traveling to Ireland and touring the USA with her Irish cousins. She passed away in June 2024 at 97.
“Our mother loved Corrib Theatre’s intimate performances of plays related to Irish culture,” said her son Mike Pullen of Portland. “Our family is thrilled to sponsor this residency so that a local playwright can create a new play that Corrib Theatre can present. Supporting the arts was important to our mother. We are happy to continue that tradition in her memory.”
Pullen family members contributing to the sponsorship include Ellen’s children Mike, Liz and Bonnie Pullen, and Mike’s wife Saundra Stevens.