Linda Ferguson

A nominee for six Pushcart awards, Linda Ferguson writes poetry, fiction, essays, and reviews. Her latest chapbook, "Not Me: Poems About Other Women," was published by Finishing Line Press. As a creative writing teacher, she has a passion for building community and helping students explore new territory.

DramaWatch: Meaning and  music in ‘Another Dialogue’ and ‘Ballad of Iron Jo’

April 22, 2025Linda Ferguson

Music is key in productions from Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble and Bag&Baggage. Plus: "Joe Turner," "Storyteller," "Brothers Size," "Six" and other openings, continuing shows, Oregon Children's Theater's emergency fund drive and more theater news.

Fertile Ground wrap-up: Four shows from a vibrant festival

April 21, 2025Linda Ferguson

"Rogues," "545," "Unbound: A Bookish Musical," and "Camp Fire Stories" offered a rich array of theater at this year’s festival of new works.

Salomé’s spellbinding strangeness

April 15, 2025Linda Ferguson

Imago Theatre’s mesmerizing production embraces the wonderful weirdness of Oscar Wilde’s verse play … and then some.

The bouyant absurdity of ‘Melancholy Play’

April 15, 2025Linda Ferguson

A parachute keeps the comic action moving in Blinking Eye Theatre’s production of Sarah Ruhl’s oddly uplifting play about sadness.

‘Life of Pi:’ A shipwreck and a tiger’s tale

April 9, 2025Linda Ferguson

The Broadway in Portland show at Keller Auditorium sates our hunger for spectacle by offering a sumptuous feast of projections and puppetry.

DramaWatch: Rain, shine, & Fertile Ground

April 1, 2025Linda Ferguson

Oregon theaters will flourish under an invigorating shower of shows this month, with big attractions like Oscar Wilde’s “Salome” at Imago, the touring “ Life of Pi,” and the annual Fertile Ground festival of new works, April 4-19.

Fertile Ground: An early look at three new plays in this year’s festival

March 27, 2025Linda Ferguson

In Portland's festival of dozens of new works April 4-19, "Conciliation" reckons with the continuing effects of the Holocaust, "Rogues" mixes humor with an unflinching look at the realities of caregiving, and "Shelf Life" takes a musical look into one woman’s past.

Oregon Children’s Theatre to pause all shows and activities

March 25, 2025Linda Ferguson

Due to financial troubles, the nationally recognized company will suspend its productions and educational programs beginning in September. In the meantime, it's begun a $1 million fund drive.

Stumptown’s ‘Tootsie’: Naughty and nice

March 25, 2025Linda Ferguson

Theater review: Stumptown Stages presents a salty, witty, and musical update of the comic 1982 movie.

DramaWatch: A bevy of absorbing and socially significant shows

March 18, 2025Linda Ferguson

Portland Center Stage presents a stirring production of "The Light." Fuse prepares "Great White Goes Down" for Fertile Ground. Twilight chronicles the beginnings of gay activism with "The Temperamentals." Plus more openings and continuing shows.

‘Sapience’: A loving look at diverse abilities

March 5, 2025Linda Ferguson

Artists Repertory Theatre’s warm and colorful premiere of Diana Burbano’s play embraces its array of characters.

DramaWatch: A whole new fairy tale world

March 4, 2025Linda Ferguson

Speculative Drama’s immersive show “Bitter Herb: A Play in Movement” invites audiences to explore the realm of fairy tales. Plus: other openings, continuing shows, theater news.

A satirical and entrancing ‘Antipodes’ at Shaking the Tree

February 26, 2025Linda Ferguson

Review: Samantha Van Der Merwe’s production of Annie Baker’s play is a beguiling blend of realistic dialogue and theatrical magic.

21ten’s broadly comic ‘Chekhov: 3 Farces’ offers some rowdy and welcome laughs

February 25, 2025Linda Ferguson

Review: New translations and superb performances (plus a little Looney Tunes) bring "The Bear," "The Proposal," and "The Ravages of Tobacco” to invigorating life.

DramaWatch: Only connect, all over town

February 18, 2025Linda Ferguson

With a multitude of shows opening in the next few weeks, the artistic teams read like a who’s who of Portland theater favorites. Plus: Other openings, including a bold new adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.”

Review: Don Horn’s ‘Gospel’ leap of faith

February 11, 2025Linda Ferguson

With "J.C.: Gospel According to an Angel," the founder of Triangle Productions! and composer Michael Allen Harrison turn biblical debates into a transcendent new musical.

DramaWatch: Michael Allen Harrison, composing a new musical, lives by his father’s advice to ‘love what you do’

February 4, 2025Linda Ferguson

The prolific composer thrives on his packed schedule, which includes rehearsing for "JC: Gospel According to an Angel," a new musical at Triangle Productions. Plus: Other openings, still running, and theater news.

‘Mrs. Harrison’: Movable mosaic of a showdown in an upscale bathroom

January 28, 2025Linda Ferguson

Review: R. Eric Thomas's densely stitched two-hander play at Portland Center Stage raises a complex tapestry of questions about race, friendship, and storytelling.

DramaWatch: Performers from two thought-provoking plays talk about their characters.

January 21, 2025Linda Ferguson

Audiences and actors alike have the chance to engage with the issues presented in “American Son” and “Samsara.” Plus: Openings, mid-run shows, coming up, theater news.

Breathtaking performances, lush set make Imago’s ‘Streetcar’ a stunning experience

January 20, 2025Linda Ferguson

Review: Jerry Mouawad is the maestro behind this tragic but artistically magical reimagining of Tennessee Williams's great American drama "A Streetcar Named Desire."

DramaWatch: In January, theaters explore intricate shades of gray

January 7, 2025Linda Ferguson

Imago’s "A Streetcar Named Desire," the touring musical "Kimberly Akimbo," and Portland Center Stage’s "Mrs. Harrison" all defy oversimplification.

Style is the star of Lakewood Theatre’s ‘The Maltese Falcon’

January 6, 2025Linda Ferguson

Review: Delicious set, sound and costume designs bring a film noir vibe to the stage in this U.S. premiere theatrical production.

2024 in Review: A few of my favorite (theatrical) things

December 30, 2024Linda Ferguson

Oregon theaters offered us an abundance of blissful, moving and mind-altering moments in 2024, and DramaWatch columnist and reviewer Linda Ferguson remembers her favorites.

DramaWatch: In with the new

December 27, 2024Linda Ferguson

The 2024 theater year is ending, but there’s plenty to anticipate in 2025 – and a little left in '24.

Review:  ‘ZooZoo’ blinks, hops, slinks and sings with fresh delights

December 17, 2024Linda Ferguson

Imago Theatre’s co-artistic directors Carol Triffle and Jerry Mouawad, who have been creating anthropomorphic animals since 1979, have hatched a charming new trio of baby birds for this year’s production.

Christmas spirits: Playing with the supernatural in ‘Fezziwig’s Fortune’ and ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’

December 10, 2024Linda Ferguson

Josie Seid and Sara Jean Accuardi’s “Fezziwig” offers Twilight Theater audiences a chance to explore their own losses and joys, while Stumptown Theater’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” adds vibrant color and toe-tapping music to its adaptation of a film classic.

DramaWatch: A season brimming with hope and light

December 3, 2024Linda Ferguson

Setting the stage for gratitude: As December dawns, “Black Nativity,” “Fezziwig’s Fortune,” and “Veronica, In Bed” all acknowledge adversity while offering inspiration.

Fresh Takes: Adaptations and original works abound in theaters this month

November 19, 2024Linda Ferguson

DramaWatch: In addition to a sleigh full of holiday shows, Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” an updated Cinderella story, a comic horror musical, and an unexpected Austen heroine are making their appearances on Oregon stages.

Short and sweet: E.M. Lewis’s 60-minute play ‘Dorothy’s Dictionary’ offers inspiration and hope in a divisive time

November 12, 2024Linda Ferguson

Review: Chronicling the friendship between a teen and a librarian, the 21ten Theatre production of the Oregon playwright's award-winning play glows with humor and emotion.

Forget your troubles: Plays to help get us through the election trauma

November 5, 2024Linda Ferguson

DramaWatch: Early November shows a range from comics and camp to E.M. Lewis’s heartfelt first two-hander, plus a sprinkling of holiday fare.