Theater

Lauren Yee’s ‘Mother Russia’ at Profile: Comedy, culture, questions for U.S., too

Yee's undercurrent of humor cushions deeper questions about communism, capitalism, the fall of the Soviet Union, and the ways we live our lives.

Sponsor

Portland Shakepeare Project William Shakepeares The Merchant of Venice Portland Playhouse Portland Oregon

Remembering Darcelle: Sweet, cheeky fun

Review: Triangle’s encore production of "That’s No Lady" pays tribute to Darcelle/Walter Cole, as well as his love for Roxy Neuhardt and drag performance.

Taking a wild ride with ‘Fool for Love’

Review: Tour de Force Productions turns the trainwrecked relationship at the center of Sam Shepard’s desert drama into thrilling theater.

Cole Escola wins a Tony for ‘Oh, Mary!’

Escola, from Clatskanie, Oregon, won for best leading actor in a play and was also nominated for writing the much-praised farce about Mary Todd Lincoln. Four others with Northwest roots were also Tony nominees.

Watching the Tonys Sunday? Keep an eye out for Northwest nominees

Actors Brooks Ashmanskas and Megan Hilty, producers Corey Brunish and Brian Rooney, and actor/playwright Cole Escola are up for awards in Sunday's Tonys ceremony.

‘That’s No Lady’: Remembering Walter Cole

Stage & Studio: Dmae Lo Roberts talks in her new podcast with writer/director Don Horn and actor Kevin Loomis about Triangle's revival of the show celebrating Cole/Darcelle.

With her own theater company and a dream role, Meghan Daaboul’s a ‘Fool for Love’

Daaboul, founder of Tour de Force Productions, finally steps into the shoes of May in Sam Shepard's American classic of ill-fated love on the edge of the Mojave Desert.

DramaWatch: A confluence of talent

illioo Native Theatre’s workshop performance of ‘BlueJay’s Canoe’; Profile Theatre’s upcoming ‘Mother Russia’ and its scenic designer Alex Meyer. Plus other openings, an extended run for Portland Playhouse’s ‘Joe Turner,’ new season announcements, and Nik Whitcomb’s departure from Bag&Baggage Productions.

‘Assassins’: Packing heat, lighting a Fuse

Fuse Theatre Ensemble lights up Reed College’s Black Box Theatre with a sizzling production of Stephen Sondheim’s musical about presidential assassins.

‘Nostalgia Is So Yesterday’: David Hume Kennerly and Charles Jennings talk politics and their collaboration of photos and poetry

Cygnet Salon presents a one-night performance by Bruce Burkhartsmeier, David Meyers, Vana O’Brien, and Kathleen Worley on the work and friendship of the two men.

Oregon Shakespeare Festival unveils its 10-show 2026 season

While the current season continues through October, the Ashland festival announces a sweeping 2026 lineup of magic, music, and the messiness of being human.

Transformations: Talking story and life with the stars of two new Mikki Gillette plays

Trans actors Juliet Mylan and Ethan Feider talk about the risks and rewards of queer theater and their roles for Salt & Sage in Gillette's "Tears and Glitter" and "Mimetic Desire."

‘I Am an American Live’: Telling tales from many cultures

In vibrant music and compelling stories of immigration, The Reser hosts an evening of blending cultural traditions and finding fresh starts in Oregon.

‘The Curious Savage’: Making kindness cool again

Twilight Theater Company turns the witty 1950 play into a charming antidote to contemporary American meanness.

Stage & Studio: Chris and Scarlett, together (again?)

Comedian/actor Chris Grace talks on Dmae Lo Roberts' Stage & Studio podcast about race, who gets to play what roles, and his solo turn at Portland Center Stage in "Chris Grace: As Scarlett Johansson."

Two solo shows with heart, humor & sting

In review: Damaris Webb goes camping in "Precipice: re-membering, forgetting, and claiming home"; comic actor Chris Grace cuts to racial realities in "Chris Grace: As Scarlett Johannson."

DramaWatch: Gather ye rosebuds while it’s May (and June)

Despite funding cuts, vibrant stories are busting out all over, from "The Book of Mormon" to Ten Fifteen’s "Again! The Art of Perfection" to "Assassins" and other continuing shows.

The making of: Two groundbreaking Portland artists, Carol Triffle and Damaris Webb, talk about the process of creating their new shows opening this weekend

A look inside the making of Triffle's "Happyness (The Wrecking Ball)" and Webb's "Precipice: re-remembering, forgetting, and claiming home."

Stage & Studio: Vanport Mosaic turns 10!

The "memory activism" festival, established to tell stories of the lasting cultural effects of the 1948 Vanport Flood, continues with a rich tapestry of music and theater. Dmae Lo Roberts talks with the Mosaic's leaders and co-founders.

Believe the HYPE: Bag&Baggage’s new youth performance group exemplifies a company that looks to theater’s future

The Hillsboro Youth Performance Ensemble offers youth hands-on experience in theater craft and management through a paid workforce development program.

A brilliant ‘Joe Turner’s Come and Gone’ at Portland Playhouse (even with its NEA grant pulled)

As its grant goes on the chopping block, August Wilson's American classic gets a transcendent performance in a tale of people wrestling with profound human questions.

Portland Center Stage launches $9 million emergency campaign

The city's biggest theater company aims to shore up its finances by June 2026 – and needs $2.5 million by the end of August to keep its doors open and begin its next season.

DramaWatch:  ‘The Other Place’; Portland Playhouse campaigns to aid Oregon arts groups; Fuse’s OUTwright Festival

Plus: More openings and continuing shows; Native Theater Project awards; a look ahead as theaters begin to announce their 2025-26 seasons.

‘The Storyteller’: Starlight and stories

Premiering at Artists Repertory Theatre, Sara Jean Accuardi’s play explores the complexities of life and of storytelling, which is both dangerous and delightful.

‘The Brothers Size’: Heartbreak, erasure, resilience and connection

Tarell Alvin McCraney's poetical play at Portland Center Stage embodies memories of prison and mystical characters from the Yoruba traditions of West Africa.

‘Groundhog Day’: Worth repeating

The lively and thoughtful stage musical, based on the 1993 movie, creates its own magic at Lakewood Theatre.

Star Power: How Rogue Theater found its voice at Ashland’s Grizzly Peak Winery

The company, which features many current and former Oregon Shakespeare Festival actors, draws a loyal and growing audience for contemporary plays in the heart of Shakespeare territory.

Stage & Studio: Sara Jean Accuardi on launching ‘The Storyteller’

In her new podcast, Dmae Lo Roberts talks with the playwright about her world premiere at Artists Rep and the play's inspiration in Shakespeare's "The Tempest."

A Grimm ‘Iron Jo’: Send in the puppets

... and the bucket, and a hero and a villain, and a few good songs and an ode to fairy tales and the Brothers Grimm in Elliot Lorenc's new stage spectacle at Bag&Baggage.

Fertile Ground: ‘Who’s Who’ across the decades

In Marshall Welch's promising play from Rogue Pack, two girls "meet" through notes left 70 years ago in a library copy of "Who's Who."