Best Local Theater Company

1. Very Little Theatre 2350 Hilyard St. 541-344-7751. TheVLT.com.

2. Oregon Contemporary Theatre 194 W. Broadway. 541-465-1506. OCTheatre.org.

3. Actors Cabaret Eugene 996 Willamette. 541-683-4368. ActorsCabaret.org.

One of the coolest things about Very Little Theatre — which has a lot of cool going for it — is that postwar building. It’s a quonset hut made of wood, and it envelopes you with warmth and friendliness from the moment you enter the hall, and if the sight lines aren’t perfect in the front rows, well, VLT is in the process of fixing that.

But what makes any theater a success is the quality of its work, and VLT shines with the best in town, from serious drama to fast-moving farce to the recent creation of Minority Voices Theatre, which is bringing new energy into local performance.

Like nearly every other live theater company in the country, VLT has been shut down during the pandemic. They still need your support. Keep up with them online and be generous with donations, so we’ll still have live theater in Eugene when the madness ends.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!