Performing Arts: Page 48

All That Jazz

University Theatre takes on the rhythms of Pulitzer-winning Water by the Spoonful

Theater
Michael Teague, Meghan Small and Allie Murakami in Water by the Spoonful

Theresa May, associate professor of Theater Arts at the University of Oregon, is directing University Theatre’s current production of Quiara Alegría Hudes’ Pulitzer-winning drama, Water by the Spoonful. The play tells the story of an Iraq War veteran readjusting to civilian life. May says the play is about two intersecting worlds. “One is the world of a Puerto Rican family in Philadelphia,” she tells EW. “The other is a world of online members of an addiction chat room and support group.” Continue reading →

DanceAbility International will offer a free screening and discussion of Afternoon of a Faun

Dance
Danceability’s Karen Daly

On Jan. 8, DanceAbility International will offer a free screening and discussion of Afternoon of a Faun, a critically acclaimed film that tells the story of Tanaquil Le Clercq, muse to choreographers George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. At 27, “Tanny” contracted polio, her legs were paralyzed and she never performed again. “She was a strong woman,” writes DanceAbility’s Kathryn Gaines, “emboldened by inner strength and love of life.”  Catch the film at 7 pm Friday, Jan. Continue reading →

Attempting to Dress

The Very Little Theatre bares all with Love, Loss and What I Wore

Theater
Jodi Altendorf In Love, Loss And What I Wore

You just want a bra. You want to get in, buy a bra and get on with your life. But the next thing you know you’re shoved into some tiny space halfway between a broom closet and a dressing room with a powerfully strong older lady. Aggressively this woman bends you over and pulls you up and actually, physically pushes your breasts around with her hands, then calls the other women in the shop over to have a look. You have lost all dignity. But you have found a really great-fitting bra. Continue reading →

Bid adieu to 2015 and ring in 2016 with dance!

Who's who and what’s what in dance this month

Dance
Ballet Fantastique’s Hannah Bontrager and Fabio Simoes in An American Christmas Carol. Photo by Stephanie Urso.

Bid adieu to 2015 and ring in 2016 with dance!  The Eugene Youth Ballet tours the town with The Nutcracker 4 pm Thursday, Dec. 3, at Springfield Public Library, 10:15 am Friday, Dec. 4 at the Sheldon Branch of the Eugene Public Library and 2:45 pm Saturday, Dec. 5, at the Waldorf School. The final performances will be at 4 and 5 pm Wednesday, Dec. 9, at the downtown Eugene Public Library, 7:30 pm Thursday, Dec. 10, at Elmira High School and finally 10:15 am Friday, Dec. 11, at the Bethel Branch of the Eugene Public Library; FREE.   Continue reading →

The Scrooge Effect

OCT offers another look at Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol

Theater
Robert Hirsh and Brittany Dorris in OCT’s A Christmas Carol

Most of us have grown up with the tale of Ebeneezer Scrooge rediscovering his Christmas spirit and, while the story doesn’t change, our relationship to the story does.  Sometimes life makes Scrooges of us all with its litany of heartbreak, missed opportunities and too much time wasted stressing about careers and money. That’s what makes Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol so immortal.  Continue reading →

Holiday Treats

Local theaters hit the stage with a whirl of winter classics

Theater
A Christmas Carol at Actors Cabaret of Eugene

What is it about the encroaching cold and dark that sends us shivering out into the night in search of a collective theater experience? Local theaters can smell our desire, and like an expert patisserie, they set out the most familiar, uplifting theatrical fare to tempt us. There will be no angst-ridden, painful social statements made on stage this December. The holiday theater season is about warm, familiar classics to satisfy an audience hungry for community and tradition. Continue reading →

Funny Girls

Local women’s comedy festival celebrates 10 years

Comedy

Look around and you’ll find the seeds of a comedy scene germinating in Eugene. More and more, nationally touring comics are stopping to perform locally, and several venues — such as Luckey’s, The Green Room and Sam Bond’s — are hosting comedy nights. A cornerstone of Eugene comedy is the NW Women’s Comedy Festival, now entering its 10th year.  Festival founder Leigh Anne Jasheway says that in the early years the event was the only women’s comedy festival between Seattle and northern California.  Continue reading →

Crack Your Nuts with Holiday Dance

A season of sugarplum fairies, Narnia adventures, dancing Dickens and more

Dance

It’s the holiday season, and all across town, stages start to sparkle with gyrating gumdrops, spinning snowflakes and leaping lions. So grab a hot cocoa in the lobby and settle in for a nice break from your to-do list as you take in some of this shimmery season of dance. This is the biggest time of year for dance recitals for local studios, and these hard-working young dancers are gearing up to strut their stuff. Continue reading →