You could argue that the top theatrical performance in Oregon this year was given by a certain frog.

Aside from the nationally famous amphibian who cavorted in front of the ICE facility in South Portland, though, our theaters were alight with the passion and profound insights brought to us by an array of directors, actors, musicians and designers. Not only has their work sparked conversation and mirrored the pain and joy of being human – in general and specifically in 2025 – these artists offered us something we all crave: delight and entertainment.

While the federal government took away arts funding, our local theater artists remained a brilliant presence. As Marissa Wolf, artistic director of Portland Center Stage recently told ArtsWatch, “We will not be erased. We will not be silenced.”

ArtsWatch’s Darleen Ortega found proof of that in theaters throughout Portland. In reviewing Profile Theatre’s Lauren Yee play Samsara (previewed by Bobby Bermea here), she wrote, “It’s a gift crafted to seep into your consciousness in the best and most complicated ways.” About Third Rail’s A Case for the Existence of God, she noted that the show’s stars, Charles Grant and Isaac Lamb, embody “a fullness and generosity that would hardly seem possible without the sort of deep grappling that does not come easily.”  

Ortega was also a fan of Portland Playhouse’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, a production that went onstage despite the sudden withdrawal of NEA funds. She praised Playhouse’s Paradise Blue, too, which she said opened “a compassionate window into the variety of experiences that have been lost in our haste to destroy what we term the ‘slums.’”

Meanwhile, in Ashland, where Ortega attended the Oregon Shakespearean Festival, she found that OSF “struck gold” with its productions of Fat Ham and Jitney, two works by celebrated Black American playwrights. As for OSF’s Into the Woods, she deemed it “unmissable.”     

Bob Hicks, ArtsWatch’s executive editor, found much to admire in Clackamas Rep’s Damn Yankees and in the latest presentation of The Immigrant Story Live series at The Armory at Portland Center Stage this September, saying that these tales “are important for immigrants and the general population alike, bringing to the surface the realities of a nation that is blessed with a cultural blending without always noticing it, yet building, at its best, a rich vibrancy from its many cultural strands.”

In Yamhill County, Dee Moore dropped in on rehearsals for Gallery Theatre’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? And in Hillsboro, Brett Campbell wrote about Bag & Baggage’s Hillsboro Youth Performance Ensemble, or HYPE.

For the ArtsWatch podcast Stage & Studio, Dmae Lo Roberts previewed a number of shows, interviewing Sara Jean Accuardi,Ramona Lisa Alexander and director Jackie Davis for Portland Playhouse’s production of Anna Deavere Smith’s Notes from the Field, and Jane Vogel Mantiri (Indo-American writer/actor and founder of Advance Gender Equity in the Arts) and Samson Syharath (Laotian-American theater artist and co-founder of Theatre Diaspora) about their Fertile Ground festival solo shows, as well as a long list of other theater artists.

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Like many fellow audience members, my head is spinning at the number of stellar shows on offer this year. Here are some thoughts (in chronological order) on a few of the performances I was lucky enough to catch in 2025:

A Streetcar Named Desire, Imago Theatre, directed by Jerry Mouawad.

Fiery performances from Meghan Daaboul, Max Bernsohn, and Jaiden Wirth were accompanied by visceral music and sound effects (designed by Myrrh Larsen) in this theatrical experience that managed to be both magical and nightmarish. To stage Tennessee Williams’ classic play, Mouawad, with help from Ty Caskin, created a thrilling set that was like a Garden of Eden with touches of squalor. Later in the year, Wirth was also stunning in Imago’s Salomé, and Daaboul debuted her new theater company, the appropriately named Tour de Force Productions, with Sam Shepard’s Fool for Love, which Bobby Bermea previewed for ArtsWatch.

J.C.: Gospel According to an Angel at triangle productions!, directed by Don Horn.

Don Horn’s new musical about Jesus Christ steered clear of delivering a dull Sunday school lesson, and offered a thought-provoking and thoroughly entertaining show instead. The book and lyrics were written by Donnie, with Michael Allen Harrison composing the music and writing additional lyrics. Michael Hammerstrom soared as both John the Baptist and Judas, and Dave Cole was a sassy, sinister delight as the serpent. ArtsWatch talked with Harrison here.

Sapience, Artists Repertory Theatre, directed by Melory Mirashrafi.

This luminous world premiere of Diana Burbano’s play centered on a neurodivergent scientist (sensitively portrayed by Cristi Miles) and her subject, an orangutan named Wookie (an expressive Barbie Wu). Alex Meyer designed the set, which featured green vines growing around the hanging shop lights and illuminated potted plants. Ambient music and the sounds of tropical birds between each scene also added an emotional richness to the space. The production was a collaboration with PHAME Academy, which Brett Campbell wrote about for ArtsWatch.

The Melancholy Play, Blinking Eye Theatre, directed by Riley Parham.

The performers in this buoyantly absurd production of Sarah Ruhl’s play seemed to be enjoying themselves as much as the audience did. Lorelai Shae starred as the deliciously depressive Tilly, along with a white parachute that was always on the move, smoothly swirling from one ridiculous scenario to another.

The Curious Savage, Twilight Theater, directed by Shannon Cluphf.

Twilight’s presentation of John Patrick’s play was the perfect blend of snappy wit and soft heart. Kathleen Worley was brilliant as the wealthy widowed stepmother, Ethel Savage, who is trapped in a sanitarium by her scheming stepchildren.

Assassins, Fuse Theatre Ensemble, directed by Rusty Newton Tennant and Sara King.

This electric production of the Stephen Sondheim musical featured the drag queen Quesa D’Mondays in the role of the Proprietor, who saucily skipped around in scarlet ankle-strap heels, enticing a series of unloved misfits to take aim at American presidents. The play was packed with fantastic performances, including Dave Cole’s John Hinkley, Jr., the man who wounded Ronald Reagan, and Nathan Dunkin as Sam Byck, Richard Nixon’s would-be assassin.

The One, 21ten Theatre, directed by Jessica Wallenfels.

Part contemporary dance and part clown, writer, performer and choreographer Andrea Parson’s solo show probed societal preconceptions about searching for “the one,” while also providing genuine laughs. Dressed in a puffy-sleeved white dress and veil, along with sneakers and flesh-colored knee pads, Parson combined comedic movement with a catholic twist at 21ten’s summer residency show.

The Rainbow Passage, 21ten Theatre, written and directed by Ajai Tripathi.

The developmental residency production of this absorbing show successfully blended projections with live performance. Lawrence Siulagi, who also performed in the play, created exquisite black and white photos that displayed new layers of emotion within all the characters. The show also featured a heart-wrenching performance by Parth Ruparel as a character who was struggling with both drug addiction and loss.

Them, University of Oregon, directed by Malek Najja.

UO did justice to Salmah Sabawi’s riveting play, bringing out the humanity of Palestinian people living under siege, erasing the boundaries between “us” and “them.” Featuring a compelling cast of student performers and the stunning Portland-based actor Dré Slaman. ArtsWatch also previewed the production.

Apple Season, 21ten Theatre, directed by Francisco Garcia.

This production of E.M. Lewis’s beautiful and emotionally harrowing play featured riveting performances by Paulina Jaeger-Rosete, Michael Heidingsfelder, and Jonathan Hernandez, as well as an evocative soundscape (designed by Daye Thomas) that travelled into the past and back. Bobby Bermea talked to Lewis and Garcia here.

Triangle, Broadway Rose Theatre Company, directed by Michael Baron.

Tigard’s professional musical theater company reached new heights with this uncommonly beautiful and heartrending work of art. With the tragedy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire as a backdrop, two unlikely love stories bloomed, featuring breathtaking performances by Alex Foufos, Sophie MacKay, and Collin Carver, all of whom I’m eager to see on stages in the coming year.

Witch, Profile Theatre, directed by Josh Hecht.

This preternaturally polished production of Jen Silverman’s play was both devilishly funny and darkly human, delivering the emotional kick that’s often found in productions given by scrappier theater companies. The stellar ensemble cast included Lauren Modica-Soloway (profiled by Caitlin Nolan in ArtsWatch), Joshua J. Weinstein, Charles Grant, George Mount, and Logan Bailey. With a range of plain and wildly ruffled costumes by Ahmad Santos and a scenic design surprise by Peter Ksander, the show visually evoked the chasm between haves and have-nots without saying a word. Caitlin Nolan also previewed the production here.

Recent Tragic Events, Third Rail Repertory, directed by Scott Yarbrough.

A revival of Third Rail’s 2005 inaugural production of Craig Wright’s play (directed by Scott Yarbrough then and now), the show was as funny as it was unsettling, and featured superb performances and design. Ben Tissell was entertaining as a man on a supremely awkward blind date, as was Rose Proctor and a sock puppet named Joyce Carol Oates. Bryan Boyd’s beautifully detailed scenic design opened new windows into the characters … and the character of America in 2001.

Stilt, Corrib Theatre, directed by Holly Griffith.

Drawing from the Grimm tale Rumpelstiltskin, the Irish-focused theater company’s production of Joy Nesbitt’s world-premiere play adeptly walked a fine line, depicting a deeply unsettling scenario without, in my view, crossing a line into gratuitously sickening scenes. Jonathan Hernandez was superb as the likable Chris, who gets drawn into the warped world of his brother TJ (Max Bernsohn), and Olivia Mathews was powerful as Fiadh, a terrified but defiant victim. The sense of menace was amplified by Daye Thomas’s uneasy sound, including the echoey tones of water dripping in a basement and something akin to a human laugh and a seagull’s cry. Kelly Terry’s lights projected shadows of a spinning wheel, creating a haunting image of the impact stories have on us.

Much Ado About Nothing, Salt and Sage, directed by Asae Dean.

Dean’s vision for Shakespeare’s comedy was a beguiling mix of inspired performances, along with music, dance and design … plus some satisfying sass flicked in the face of the patriarchy. Among the delightful cast members, Nina Pamintuan played an enraged Hero, and Bobby Bermea’s Benedick soared past my already high expectations for the comedic character. The scenic design and lighting created a magical, flowering atmosphere, enhanced by a surprising assortment of songs performed by the cast, including Gerry Rafferty’s 1978 easy rock “Right Down the Line” and Monica Martin’s 2018 “Cruel.” The show, performed in repertory with The Winter’s Tale, was a delicious ending to 2025 and whetted my appetite for more Salt and Sage productions in the new year.

More noteworthy performances from 2025:

As always, the Fertile Ground festival of new works offered us a wide array of promising shows, including Rogues, which featured dynamite performances by the ensemble cast (Jane Geesman, Brooke Calcagno, Sharonlee Mclean, Louanne Moldovan, Crystal Muñoz, and Garland Lyons); Unbound: a Bookish Musical, which gave Ashley Song and Paulina Jaeger-Rosete a chance to shine in a large ensemble concert reading of erin rachel’s unabashedly earnest and goodhearted musical; and Camp Fire Stories, a captivating solo show written and performed by the versatile Murri Lazaroff-Babin, who used voice and movement to morph into different characters before our eyes.

Tootsie and Oliver! – Kirk Mouser as Dorothy Michaels and Fagin in one year? Thank you, Stumptown Stages!

The Antipodes at Shaking the Tree Theatre featured scenic design by director Samantha Van der Merwe, a flawless cast, and that moment when the brilliant Josie Seid shelled a hardboiled egg.

In Lakewood Theatre’s musical Groundhog Day, Travis Bilenski made the convincing transformation from the callous creep Phil Connors to a man with a more sensitive soul.

A reading of BlueJay’s Canoe, illioo Native Theatre’s play, brought to light the specific challenges that Native communities faced during the pandemic, and their music and traditions that help sustain them.

Light Opera of Portland’s vibrant The Yeomen of the Guard was sheer fun, with an emotional turn at the end.

Portland Center Stage artfully blended humor and heart in its production of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, which was reviewed by Darleen Orega.

More 2025 in Review stories

• FilmWatch Weekly: The Best Films of 2025. From Sorry, Baby to The Secret Agent, Marc Mohan shares his picks for the year’s best movies.
• Visual Arts 2025: A look at the year that was. From the Portland Art Museum’s $116 million reinvigoration to a bevy of innovative exhibitions, it’s been a good art year in Oregon despite the Trump Administration’s war on arts and culture.
• Books 2025: A year of Triumphs and tensions. It was generally a good year for books and readers in Oregon, with local writers winning honors and drawing crowds.
• Arts & politics 2025: Trump assaults top the year’s cultural news. The Trump Administration’s war on culture, DEI, and federal arts agencies has slashed money for arts groups across the nation, including Oregon, and is likely to continue.
• Oregon arts 2025: Comings and goings. Major shifts in leadership at All Classical Radio, Portland Art Museum, the state’s arts & cultural agencies, Eugene Ballet and many other groups made 2025 a year of realignment.
• Music 2025: The light shines in darkness. In a long, sometimes stressful, and often beautifully sounding year, the most important thing we do is talk to each other.
• In memorium: Arts figures we lost in 2025. From novelist Todd Grimson to actor Denis Arndt, painter Isaka Shamsud-Din, gallerist Donna Guardino, jazz vocalist Nancy King, singer/songwriter Jack McMahon and more, remembering Oregon artists who died in 2025.
• DanceWatch: Looking back and ahead. Jamuna Chiarini spotlights leading dance events coming up in January and looks back on highlights, changes, and significant events in the Oregon dance world in 2025.
• A last look at 2025 (and a peek into ’26). It’s been a year of highs and lows, from the Oregon Symphony jamming with the Dandy Warhols and the Portland Art Museum reinvigorating itself to the closing of the Five Oaks Museum and the federal administration’s fiscal war on arts. Time for 2026 to step up and take over!