Fall is a great time to check out the theater scene in wine country. All the stages are popping with drama, comedy, and music. In the next couple of months, it’s possible to take in more than half a dozen theatrical productions, most of them in Yamhill County — and one in a brand spanking new theater. Let’s take them in order of appearance.
Grease at Gallery Theater in McMinnville
Grease is the word for the month of September at McMinnville’s nonprofit theater, with the popular musical set for a 14-performance run that opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6. The 1971 play, with the book, music, and lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, takes its name from a youth working-class subculture from the 1950s, the “greasers.” Gallery veteran Kelly Janssen, who is really a master at steering big, splashy shows that sell out, helms this production featuring songs now ingrained in American consciousness: Grease, Hopelessly Devoted to You, and You’re the One That I Want. Tickets for this one are selling fast, so much so that two performances were added this week, recalling the 2022 production of Mamma Mia! (also directed by Janssen) that als0 added shows to accommodate demand. Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors, and $16 for students 5-17, and you can purchase them online.
The 24-Hour Plays at Linfield University in McMinnville
Linfield’s theater department had so much fun last year with this experiment in ramped-up theater production that they’re doing it again this month as fall classes resume. On Friday, the private school’s theater students will gather to receive a writing prompt, after which they have 24 hours to write, rehearse, and perform new plays at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7. Admission is free and first-come, first-served, with doors open at 7 p.m. Remember that college students are doing this, so some material may not be suitable for all audiences.
All’s Well That Ends Well at Struts & Frets Theatre Company in Rickreall
Struts & Frets Theatre Company, launched in 2016 to bring classical theater to the Willamette Valley, continues to do that this fall with a production of one of Shakespeare’s seldom performed “problem plays”: All’s Well That Ends Well, set for Sept. 25-28 at Eola Hills Wine Cellars in Rickreall. This adaptation, directed by company artistic director Hannah Fawcett, is set during World War I, with the play’s Helena and Bertram having “undergone a bit of a rehabilitation, softening their historical edges without dimming
their ferocity,” according to the show notes. The Sept. 26 performance is ASL-interpreted. Tickets available here.
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The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Gather Repertory Theatre in Newberg
Gather Repertory, a fairly recent addition to Yamhill County’s theater scene, is back this fall with a staging of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Winner of the Tony and the Drama Desk awards for Best Book, the play is based on a book by Rachel Sheinkin and includes a score by William Finn. This bee is guaranteed to be an unforgettable experience for this reason: It is the first production in the newly remodeled LaJoie Theatre on the second floor of the Chehalem Cultural Center. The play, directed by company founder JeanneAnn Faris Comiskey, opens Sept. 26 for seven performances; you can get a peek at the facility Saturday, Sept. 6, when the center holds a grand reopening with a pay-what-you-will variety show.
Footloose at Pentacle Theatre in West Salem
Salem’s oldest nonprofit theater has eight more performances of Clue: On Stage (yes, a play based on the board game that originated in Britain in 1943) before dancing — and those who object to dancing — takes over Oct. 11 with Footloose (directed by Geri Greeno), which runs through Nov. 2. The stage adaptation by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie is based on Pitchford’s original screenplay for the popular 1984 film starring Kevin Bacon and John Lithgow. The play tells the story of Ren McCormack, an adolescent who relocates from Chicago to a small town where a local preacher opposes any form of dancing. Naturally, dancing (and music by Tom Snow, set to Pitchford’s lyrics) ensues. You can buy tickets here.
Fly By Night at Gallery Theater
Opening Oct. 11 in Gallery’s black box theater is a “darkly comic rock-fable” musical by Will Connolly, Michael Mitnick, and Kim Rosenstock, first developed and produced by the Yale Summer Cabaret in 2009. Directed by longtime Gallery actor/director Seth Renne, the play is set in 1965 New York during the Northeast blackout. “The story weaves together the lives of people who are all searching for something — whether it’s chasing dreams, finding love, or just trying to feel less alone,” Renne said. “What’s really powerful is how their stories intersect in ways that feel almost cosmic, like there’s an invisible thread connecting them all.” The show runs through Nov. 3. Tickets available here.
Death by Design at Linfield University
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Rob Urbinati’s 2013 play, based on a 1943 British film, is a comedic mash-up of a murder mystery set an English country manor that combines the wit of Noel Coward with the intricate plotting of an Agatha Christie mystery. Directed by Janet Gupton, the two-weekend run opens Nov. 14 with evening performances and one matinee on Nov. 23. Urbinati will join the cast and crew the first week of performances to conduct playwriting workshops (for students only) and a public lecture about his play. The show is sponsored by the Lacroute Art Series. For tickets, more information, and directions to the campus theater, visit the website.
