We've got issues.
There are plenty of traditional holiday sounds available this month, but happily, Eugene music organizations are also providing worthwhile alternatives when the wassail grows stale. The seasonal fare starts with the ever-popular University of Oregon holiday choral and gospel concerts Dec. 6-7 at Beall Concert Hall, featuring youthfully exuberant energy and traditional faves. Continue reading
Wanna catch a show? Holiday theater abounds in our suddenly festive town. This year local theaters are offering fun, family-friendly shows that aren’t necessarily Christmas-focused. Your options are as follows: She Loves Me Cottage Theatre is producing this sweet musical. She Loves Me is taken from the same story as the 1993 classic, Sleepless in Seattle. Fun music and dancing accompany the tale of corresponding sweethearts. The Cottage Theatre builds on a string of strong musicals, making this play a good bet. Dec. 5-21. Continue reading
What combines dancing penguins, tightrope-walking snowmen, gravity-defying aerial feats, illusion, acrobatics and some good old-fashioned song and dance? The answer is Cirque Dreams: Holidaze, featuring 20 such dizzying acts and lighting up the Hult Center stage Nov. 22 and 23. Continue reading
Friday, Nov. 21 Fern Ridge & Veneta Annual Holiday Bazaar, food and crafts by local artisans, 10am-7pm today and 10am-4pm Nov. 22, 541-935-8443. Maude Kerns presents “Art for All Seasons” exhibit, Nov. 21 – Dec. 19, Opening Reception Nov. 21, 6-8pm, Maude Kerns Art Center, 1910 E. 15th Ave., 345-1571. FREE. Annie, 7:30pm, Nov. 21, 22, 28, 29 & Dec. 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20; 2pm brunch matinees, Nov. 30 & Dec. 7, Actors Cabaret of Eugene, 996 Willamette St., 683-4368. $16-$42.95. Saturday, Nov. 22 Continue reading
The Eugene Ballet Company has steadfastly delivered heartwarming performances of The Nutcracker in every one of its 35 seasons. Usually things go off without a hitch, though over the years there have been a few mishaps. “This is live performance,” says Toni Pimble, artistic director for EBC. “And the unexpected is always upon us.” Continue reading
Words by Bryan Kalbrosky • Photos by Todd Cooper It was a spectacle of epic proportions at the Valley River Center and Matthew Knight Arena on Saturday, Nov. 15, and the center of attention was comedian and actor Kevin Hart. Continue reading
Emery Blackwell, 55, dancer, choreographer, musician, composer and teacher, retires from 25 years with DanceAbility International this fall. A giant figure in the local dance scene and a representative of disability rights around the globe, Blackwell will perform onstage one last time with his longtime dance partner Alito Alessi, as part of Vanessa Martin’s Xcape Dance Company’s premiere piece, Love! Continue reading
Lots of little kids take a dance class or two, but most won’t make a career of it. Sometimes, however, a special child comes along who has the talent and drive, along with the family support needed, to keep investing in dance for a lifetime. Choreographer Vanessa Martin was one of those lucky kids, who had big aspirations and a parent to back her up. Continue reading
Well, this is certainly not your grandmother’s Jane Austen. With overt sexuality, barebones plotting and updated humor, University Theatre has taken Austen’s beloved classic out for a new spin that, depending on your sensibility, may or may not make sense. Continue reading
When the new musical Constance & Sinestra and the Cabinet of Screams premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in the summer of 2011, Lane Community College student Anna Parks happened to catch a performance of the quirky show. Parks later brought the idea of presenting the offbeat musical to LCC’s Student Production Association, and after clearing sizeable hurdles to secure the rights to the play, the LCC theater will be among the first venues outside of the UK to debut this darkly twisted fairy tale. Continue reading