Great Event At A New Venue in Portland…read more SITREP Last year when I was passing through Portland this same time of season, I enjoyed the event ShadowPlay at the venue known as The Fez. Unfortunately, that venue shut down in the last year. THE SETUP @ NEW VENUE However, DJ Carrion has found a new home for ShadowPlay in the very eclectic venue The LoveCraft Bar ("LoveCraft"located on SE Grand Avenue in Portland's Eastside. I was meeting my awesome friends Marvin W. and Michelle B. - recent transplants from Sacramento to Portland - who already had an intimate knowledge of the music & dance scenes that we all love up & down the West Coast, from San Diego to the Bay Area and up through Seattle. THE VIBE Though much much smaller than The Fez was as a dance venue, LoveCraft has an immediate eccentric charm with it's physical layout, wall decor & accessorization that matches quite well the dark wave vibe that ShadowPlay sets out to establish. The attention is immediately drawn to the large open area (as you first walk in) that served first as the concert stage for the two (2) music acts - that started the night off at 9pm as soon as we arrived, and performed until 10:15pm - and then graciously tranformed into the main dance floor through the rest of the night. THE MUSIC The format focuses on such stalwart anthems ranging from VNV Nation, Covenant, StromKern, to some truly noteworthy German Industrial bands like Das Ich, and others I can't name at the moment. But whether you want to swirl or stomp on the dance floor, there was always seemed to be a song in the queue you would dance to with a couple of songs or so. THE BAR Our lovely bartendress made the best mixed drinks, had the most reasonable canned domestic beers available, and the most pleasant smile & demeanor to share with all her patrons. THE LOWDOWN A terrific time to dance & drink on Portland's East Side!

The fire throwing was incredible to watch. So glad I happened upon this. Very talented artists and…read moregreat music.

I am so happy I found JaJa Circus! It is my ideal aerial gym: lots of space, height, big windows…read morewith lots of light, and tons of apparatuses! They have plenty of room for acrobatics, handstands, floor work, etc. The ceiling height is wonderful: 26' ceilings. They have lots of aerial classes and private lesson availability: silks, trapeze, corde lisse, straps, sling, lyra, and some custom apparatuses as well. The founders are veteran circus performers with decades of experience in Cirque du Soleil and Le Rêve, among others. I trust their industry expertise, knowledge, and connections. So happy to be training here!

Baffled sometimes when people say theatre is expensive to watch. We have so many great places to…read moresee plays for many different budgets, and Portland Center Stage hits the mark on it. They have a number of programs, like $25 tickets, Rush/Standby Tickets, Arts for All, Pay What You Will days. All very affordable! And for the quality of the shows here, it's absolutely worth it to go see at least one show a season. The stage crew and actors put on great shows! Every staff member I've encountered there have been friendly, patient and accommodating. I've done the Standby tickets for a few shows now and it's a great experience. Put your name on the wait-list about 90 minutes before showtime, go grab a bite to eat, and if you get a seat, that's great! If not, they can put you on the wait list for the next show (and then you can go do another activity downtown). They keep the place pretty clean too, really nice bathrooms haha.

I need to do an update as I have become a lot more attending of the performances here. The reason…read morefor this is accessibility. As someone with limited mobility often - I have a tissue disorder and some days I am far more mobile than others. I am also, due to the tissue disorder, more modest means. Thankfully Portland Center Stage is a proud Arts for All member. In addition - they really do welcome people. They have a lot of seating for ADA and accommodate you should you need chair arms or no arms or will have a spot cleared for your wheelchair. I appreciate tickets being low cost for me but with ADA it can be tricky and the events at the most challenging ADA locations expect you to show up right before a show hoping they will have an extra ticket which I cannot physically do and would not want that on ushers either. When inquiring, I have been treated with less than stellar attitude. I would love to have money and mobility and I used to! I know so many who are starting to struggle with mobility as they age and I really encourage them to go to spaces like this where they can easily get in and out. But even just calling - they actually answer the phone and are so helpful! I get that they want to sell as much at full price but it makes me really appreciate how truly welcoming Portland Center Stage is. Arts are healing and the productions here really are top notch. Their staff is very diverse throughout the theater making it feel like a safe space for everyone also. When seeing shows here, they do have a great concessions stand/bar with a great wine selection and some decent snacks. The theater is in such a great location - to the back of the theater is a favorite gelato place of mine and also some of the most delicious West African food if you want to make a whole night of it!

We went and saw "The very hungry caterpillar" and it was amazing! Our children (9, 6, 3) all loved…read moreit for various reasons. The costumes, sets, designs and everything was amazing. What a beautiful tribute to Eric Carle. Thank you!

Twenty years old... still young at heart…read more That's OCT's motto as they head into their 20th Anniversary season. My children have been to a number of their productions, mainly on school trips, but my family has seen two productions this season. Yesterday we saw "Einstein is a Dummy" in the Winningstad Theatre and I was really impressed. OCT stages their productions in the Winningstad and Newmark Theatres in Hatfield Hall and there is so much to like. **Fun plays - the upcoming 2008-2009 season includes James and the Giant Peach (one of my favorite childhood books), Petit Rouge (a Cajun Red Riding Hood musical), and Click, Clack, Moo (my kids both love that book). **Different productions are suited for different ages - they tell you up front which performances are best for the whole family while others are better for a specific older age range. (Einstein fell in the older category). **Acting Academy - they offer acting classes and camps if your child is 'theatrical'. **Education - Workshops for teachers and free or reduced-price tickets for schools as well as scholarships for students attending their Acting Academy. **Staging - subject matter and performance were well suited to children but very professional. Performances are typically between 40 and 60 minutes. **Access - after the performance the cast comes to the lobby immediately to answer questions, take photos and sign autographs. It is just a brilliant way to introduce the little one to the arts without trying to force them to sit through a show for adults. If you are a donor, they have additional benefits like backstage tours and autographed posters. I'm so glad we have this theatre company in Portland. Bravo!

I am a bit surprised that this was my first time here. I have been seeing performances throughout…read morePortland for decades. You see a performance and you get ads for several others. A friend I go with to other events stumbled upon this production, and we're both down for anything involving vampires... couple of old school Goth pals. This show was our jam and we had a great time! They offer discount for us folks who are on benefits qualifying us for Arts for All. We definitely appreciate being included. Also, they are ADA friendly for their seats but please note that the entrance might be a challenge. I try to lead with the positives... I have not ventured to this area for some time , and I forgot the logistics of parking. There is parking within blocks but if you are ADA, you will likely need to have your person.Drop you because they are gonna need to walk a bit. Since i'm the driver, it's a journey. I got there closer to show time, then I would have liked due to traffic and parking. There's a fairly large number of businesses right there - venues.... I had to try numerous times to get into the entrance , which is really hard when you're balancing on a cane, but the door was locked. As I was walking up and holding my phone, a guy walked up in front of me to buy a ticket with cash while going on and on and on about how he wanted to support the arts. The one person working the counter was doing a really awkward long form explanation about how to see a play... Finally he walks back to me, asking if he can help... I show him the ticket TWICE and then he asks what the name is on the ticket. Then goes back to asking to see the ticket, back and forth. I can hear them starting and I still have to walk all the way around to the curtain to go in. He then looks at the cane and suggests that he come hold the curtain so that I can walk in. Like I don't know what you gotta do... I have just spent a ridiculous time in the lobby for 0 reasons. They have concessions... it seemed like a selection of wine and snacks... My friend who purchased the tickets for us told me an insane tale. Normally I am the one who buys the tickets for us - we're both Arts for All. She said that oddly, she had a bit of back and forth with somebody who worked at the theater 2 days before the show saying that they didn't know if they were going to have a show because not enough people had bought tickets. She said the person told her that they might do a live stream instead. I was like wait what? It was weird. Watching a live stream and a live performance are two completely different things... so she had to call the day of to make sure that the production was still happening. My point is seeing a show here was really lovely... but also there's a bit of chaos so prepare for that. When we were leaving, we walked past one of the actresses who was in full blown relationship/dating drama with some dude (seriously gurl, you seem super awesome... dump him).

Great theater with wonderful shows. Staff is very friendly.Only challenges that don't have their…read moreown parking lot and the neighborhood could sometimes be hard to find street parking in

The venue is a little long and skinny and the seating is not designed for the stage. The vibe is…read morevery casual and 30 something. Very friendly and enthusiastic crowd. GREAT music. Good beer selection. Never been disappointed.

Came out for live music that did not disappoint! I really enjoy a good divey aesthetic and…read moreLaurelthirst had plenty of it. The older gentleman at the door was welcoming and kind, and very apologetic that the door fee was cash only (tip - bring cash or you'll have to walk a couple blocks to the plaid pantry for atm access). The food we ordered was good (burgers and fries), the bartender seemed a little annoyed or bothered in general, maybe he was having an off night, so he wasn't the friendliest person but he poured cold beer and put our orders in correctly so there's that. Come for the live music and divey aesthetic, and you'll leave feeling quite satisfied! Oh, and parking was a little meh considering the area.

What is more Portland than a theater in the back of a coffee shop?! Great venue for intimate plays…read more Really enjoyed myself. Definitely recommend folks support this great theater. Actors were super talented. Stage manager was funny and informative.

The Backdoor Theatre is located, as it sounds, in the backdoor to a coffee shop on Hawthorne. And…read moreof course, it's tiny, with bench seating and fold out chairs. But somehow it manages to have some of the best theatre in Portland. Shows have minimal props and focus largely on the acting and the script. It's refreshing to see a bare bones play that hits you just right, and it puts some of the larger theatre companies in town, with light tricks and major props and scenes, to shame.

Sometimes we all have to admit that we have a prejudice bone in our body... And when you see the…read moreall American magic shop crammed into a dying mall, you think I don't know if this new venture is going to last... After talking with the owner and one of his good friends it was a customer that like hanging around I realize that he has been a huge part of the local magic community for probably longer than I've been alive. So, in that case it's not a new venture, but instead one cemented into the culture, trying to save a once thriving mall. He demo'd a bunch of tricks and addressed some previous magic tricks we had seen over the years. We got a few 'joke scratch offs' and repeaked my interest in flash paper and cotton... even purchase some upcoming tickets to a future Magic show... I am not sure how anything is going to survive in the Lloyd Center these days but I really hope it comes back because I really used to enjoy the Lloyd Center and the ice rink in the mall filled with shops... This place is a wealth of knowledge and a wealth of fun if you've had some kids and you even remember the days when magic was magical to you come in and check this place out have some fun have a book a few tricks for the kids because I know it was a huge part of my life growing up !

Fun shop with lots of classic magic nostalgia. Also has a theatre for live magic shows! The owner…read morewas really nice. Will be back again!