1. Storm Kennedy StormKennedy.com.
2. Inga Wilson OCTheatre.org/staff.
3. Kali Kardas KaliKardas.com.
EW readers have once again dubbed Storm Kennedy the best actor or actress in Eugene. She got what she calls her “trifecta” in 2020, when she took the category for the third year in a row. A former radio personality in town, Kennedy jokes that she may have won this year because of her most recent role, that of Myra in Death Trap at the Wildish Theater last summer, a character who dies onstage. “I died in a very convincing way,” she says.
More seriously, she’s been a regular on Willamette Valley stages for three decades. This year, besides Death Trap, she played in Love, Loss and What I Wore last spring at Albany Civic Theatre.
“The Eugene theater scene is full of amazing opportunities for local actors,” she says. “Although I wish there were more.”
A former model, Kennedy admits that at age 60 she might be past the ingénue phase of her career. “But I hope to keep doing this into my grandmother-role years,” she says. So what grandmother role does she have her eyes on? “Ouiser in Steel Magnolias,” she says. “That would be great.”
Meanwhile, she’s thrilled to still be connecting with Eugene audiences. “They like me,” she quips. “They really like me!”
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!

Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519