Much Ado About Something
Eugene Opera at 40
When Mark Beudert arrived as its artistic director in 2006, Eugene Opera was in trouble. It was losing so much money that it could only … Continue reading
Bravo Archive
A New Spin on Good & Evil
Eugene Ballet reimagines Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen
Next spring, Eugene Ballet Company will stage the biggest project the outfit has undertaken in its 38-year history — a brand new, quarter-million-dollar envisioning of … Continue reading
Left of the Dial
Fred Crafts brings back the golden days with Radio Redux
From screwball comedies to hardboiled gumshoes to fantasy, science fiction and holiday fare, Radio Redux brings the past into the present. “We’re exploring great … Continue reading
(Laugh)TrackTown, USA
Eugene comics build local scene with open mics and showcases
As a kid, Eugene-based stand-up comedian Seth Milstein watched Saturday Night Live religiously. “I thought it was the greatest,” Milstein recalls of NBC’s long-running sketch … Continue reading
Timely and Timeless
Very Little Theatre tackles Harper Lee’s classic To Kill A Mockingbird
For half a century, Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird has held an immovable place on the American bookshelf by using humor and grace to tackle one of our nation’s ugliest ongoing realities: racism. The Very Little Theatre has mounted a winning production of this evergreen tale. Continue reading
All That Jazz
University Theatre takes on the rhythms of Pulitzer-winning 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
Parade of Portlanders
Rose City performers descend on Eugene
Once upon a time, it seemed as though music, like the Willamette, flowed mainly to the north: Eugene bands worked hard to play Portland, but the favor wasn’t always returned, especially in the classical and jazz arenas. More and more, though, we’re seeing Portland performers recognizing the value of the Eugene market and, accordingly, this winter and spring brings a parade of Portlanders here to perform additional, even exclusive concerts. Continue reading
It Takes a Village
A peek behind the scenes at the technicians who bring Eugene theaters to life
When we think of live performance, we probably picture actors or dancers — the people we regularly see onstage. But where would a production be without the tireless, behind-the-scenes magicians who create the sets, lighting and sound? Continue reading
Written in the Stars
OCT’s Silent Sky tells story of little-known female astronomer
Like a lot of people, Corvallis-based theater director and educator Elizabeth Helman watched Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Cosmos series on Netflix. “I just happened to see a tiny little biography,” Helman tells EW, “a 10-minute segment of the Cosmos series and it had this mini-biography about Henrietta Leavitt.” Henrietta Swan Leavitt was an American astronomer at the turn of the 20th century. Continue reading
Moving Forward, Looking Back
Eugene Symphony turns 50
In this month’s Symphony magazine cover story detailing the resurgence of new music in American orchestras, three of the dozen or so featured orchestras — in Baltimore, Nashville and Eugene (the only Oregon orchestra listed) — are led by current or former Eugene Symphony music directors. Continue reading