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!

I did not know this space was here! I have tried to drop in to see comedian friends perform in the…read morespace but had not actually looked it up so I had no idea what I was walking into. So many of the smaller venues are a bit tragic and in older neighborhoods, it could go either way. What a truly great surprise because it was really well decorated. So creative and unique - love it! Even with the very open floor plan it, somehow, feels intimate inside when you are seated for a show. I had the pleasure to see Canon Shakespeare perform Julius Caesar: "Mischief, thou art afoot." I was impressed at the use of lighting for the stage show. I was able to get a reasonably priced cup of wine at their concessions plus I loved that they had quite a few options for non alcohol and snacks available. My only complaint was only seeing one of the restrooms! One of the staff said that the restrooms were both themed and that one was themed 'Ladies Room' even though they are unisex restrooms... But each time I was in range, that one was in use. The other bathroom was spacious, very clean and covered in The Last Supper art pieces. Perhaps someone had a religious experience in the restroom?

When you can get some improv on a Saturday night and decide how much to pay $5-$20 per person, it's…read morea win. Love the break from the norm: amateur (and semi-pro?) improv working on their craft, A/C working just as hard as the performers to work the room with something to chill you out. Yes, they got some drinks. Yes, it is super relaxed. Yes, they have a restroom break. Yes, the DJ plays some jams during the the intermission. Yes, it's harder than it looks to make people laugh, unless you fill the room with your friends and family. Super chill spot.

Performance quality, authenticity, passion, live orchestral music, dedication to the craft!read more

I simply have to catch Shakespeare in the Park at least once during the summer. This year we saw a…read morelovely version of Romeo & Juliet in the Lone Fir Cemetery - what is more Gothic then seeing Shakespeare in the Park? No really - that's a genuine question or quest for that matter. There is always plenty of space and rarely do you suffer through "those people". There are a few folks who do not understand what the lines mean and still park their oversized epic camp chair right in front making it a challenge to see over them but only once did I get stuck next to a couple who sucked down a bottle or two of wine in a half hour and LOUDLY WHISPERED sweet nothings to each other the rest of the night. We did move that time.....as did the whole back area. The Actors Ensemble has neat snack packs for people to buy so if you are running behind they almost always have one or two left right at time of the show start! BUT, I personally have my theater in the park pack which is my little wheelie pull cart which I load up with my stadium chairs (invest - you can get them for stupid cheap at costco - worth every comfy penny), my woven throw for ground cover and some takeout since usually I am running pretty tight on time. This last one I just ran to Panera which packed up beautifully and is pretty quiet to eat during the play too...unless you get there Kettle Chips - you are on your own for that. I did have to attend a show in a wheelchair last year which was very much doable and these plays are always in accessible parks. I always love seeing the diversity in attendance - from the old to the young, in performers as well. They usually also offer matinees to offer to all audiences though I warn you that the night shows get out after dark and places like the Lone Fir are pretty much pitch black after dark so you may want to bring a small flashlight to get back to your car or bus stop.

One of the hardest things about being mobility challenged is accessibility to just about anything…read morereally. I was so active and and I try to continue to be as much as I can. I have a tissue disorder so I need ADA seating and thankfully I was able to relearn to walk and I'm not paralyzed but my body also causes my funds to be limited. With that said, I completely understand that companies want to sell as many tickets at full price as they can before allowing Arts for All patrons. I just wish they would have this disclosed on the Arts for All site or that they only offer Arts for All as a rush situation the night of the event. Triangle Productions says to contact the box office for AFA tickets so I left several messages for Triangle Productions with no call back for weeks. Now the production is a month away so I figured I'd try email. I had to hunt down their email because their website just has a phone number. A few hours later I received a curt reply that they're too busy to deal with phone calls and that they only allow AFA tickets day of the show. They were only able to give me ADA seating if it was for a regular ticket. It's shocking and sad to receive such an uncomfortable reply like this especially reading their mission statement. I didn't ask to be disabled and unfortunately my disability affects my available funds. I want to support the Arts still and wish I could monetarily. I was just at a show last night and the choreographer's thank you speech moved me stating thank you for including yourself in this experience with us... my friend and I, upon leaving discussed how much this really affected us. I'm so grateful I was gifted that inclusive message last night because it made this intensely oppositional message a bit easier to bear. I might mention that that company reserved space for us weeks ago and all of their shows are sold out for their run as well.

What a wonderful experience in watching Margie Boule starring as Eleanor. She delivered a first…read moreclass performance. The story of Eleanor's life was woven together very well. I knew very little about her life. Fascinating. The reason for the low rating is due to the lack of microphones as well as speakers. Sitting five rows from the stage in the center and clould not hear Ms Boule most of the time except when she stood down stage.

Intimate, friendly, full of vibes. The Milagro is a beautiful venue on the inner Eastside. They…read morefocus on bilingual theatre and cultural arts events with the Latino and Hispanic community. I went for their annual Dia de Los Muertos event and it was amazing. Tears laughter drama heart. I don't speak Spanish but I was able to understand the story as it was presented mostly in English with songs in Spanish. They performers had so much emotion it was beautiful. The venue has nice hangout areas and cute bathrooms (signs are in Spanish FYI). Easily accessible by bus too!

Remember the days 'BC' (before covid)... I barely do, and this happened to be one of my stops just…read morea month before the world changed! I had the pleasure of experiencing Milagro with a friend to attend a several day work training. This place was FANtastic! I love being on the Eastside of the river when I visit Portland, walkable to local eats, free street parking if you are willing to move your car every few hours, and a 'homey' spacious feel for break out groups without the hotel feel. There is even a kitchen area for those food and drinks, again all "BC". Definitely would come back for a work or pleasure event when hosted here!

I see a lot of performances but last month was my first visit here. The Juliet Letters was…read moreperformed by PDX Opera and Papermoon Opera. I very much enjoyed the space and the staff were incredible especially since I went through it to get there. I left WAY early knowing rain + cars bad. The disclaimer here is that Google is now corrected because I reached out to Artists Repertory Theatre when I discovered the issue and they got Google to correct it. I had never been to the venue before but knew about where it was and I am downtown several times a week in different areas. I've lived here forever and also traffic gets weird off 405 so it is not uncommon to be tossed onto offramps when an accident or something happens. I was using Waze.. address saying 1515 SW Morrison. Coming from Beaverton, I am almost to the tunnel when the freeway STOPS and GPS adds a LOT of minutes. While stopped in the far left lane waiting for traffic to move, I had my window down for a spot of fresh air. A car HITS a pocket of water rolling down the other side of the freeway and my car gets a tidal wave of gray water. So I was VERY awake and DRENCHED... The second I am through the tunnel, FINALLY, there is no traffic. I was pretty annoyed since the horrific traffic ate a half hour and I was now going to be barely in time. I was so hyper focused on getting there that I was not really registering that I was in NW, not SW. I pull up to the Armory. I was so pissed at myself. I was JUST at the Armory for a Portland Center Stage show and thought I must have absent minded typed The Armory into Waze. But Waze was genuinely saying I was at 1515 SW Morrison. FYI - Someone had 'tagged' Artists Repertory Theatre in a photo they too of a fundraiser for Artists Repertory Theatre, held at The Armory resulting in Google having Artists Repertory Theatre IN The Armory. I had to manually enter the address and am doing that AT start time for the opera. I was having an anxiety attack and thinking about just going home but NO, DAMN IT I WILL MAKE IT. I will be late but I did not just go through this for nothing. And I genuinely was excited to see this venue I had never seen. I am so grateful I stuck it out though my adventure was not over yet! Driving the blocks from NW to SW, I was green lights all the way. BUT people randomly would just walk in front of me for zero reasons. Then a Max train genuinely just drifted slowly straight in front of my car when I was green light and they were not... my 5 minutes turned to 10 minutes... But I see an empty parking spot out front which is so great since I am ADA and walk with a cane but see no ADA spots. Everything is covered in wet fall leaves which can be a bit scary for my walking. As I pulled up, the space in front is just being taken. I parked around the corner, in front of a bar next to a truck that pared like they pregamed before hitting the bar. While getting out of the car, in sideways rain with zero light on that street (hysterically there was a light that was on when I came out after the performance but when I arrived it was pitch black) I see a perfect banana peel right where I would step to stand up getting out of my car?? And who says the universe does not have a sense of humor?!? I arrived and security came at me like I was dying because I probably looked like I was! Everyone was AMAZING. The lovely person with the will call list found me so easily and they tucked me right in like a mysterious diplomat with a folding cane who clearly walked into a lake and fought ninjas to get there. I, again, am ADA and try to just tuck in away from people at an end seat. There were five seats marked reserved for us ADA folks (the kind people from the venue had told me the whats what when I got my ticket) and they were all empty. As it was, right before I popped in to rush to my seat, they were apologizing to me that it had already started. I was shocked as I was mortified I was so late! I did make note of the great bar area with some tables and chairs to the right of the performance area for people to be social before and after with vendors selling wares. As I am taking a seat, I see an end one in the very front which I sit behind as the person seated directly to its right left a napkin with something...on it... that looked like chewed food. I was a bit distracted the whole show by that napkin because ewww. When the show ended, I took my program and political sign I was handed during the show as part of the show to get a photo. I chatted with an usher about the opera while I was taking my pictures and I was VERY surprised when I noticed the genuine blood stains on the wood floor next to me. Innocent probably but also MAYBE MURDER (had to).

Seats on the first floor theater are incredibly uncomfortable - they're basically foldup chairs…read morewith a cushion. The show was good minus the loud sneeze I had just as the actor was about to start their monologue :p My apologies to the audience!

I've been coming here for many many years. Usually I see performances at the Newmark Theater for…read moreWhite Bird dance performances, opera, or ballet performances but I have also seen plays and musicals in the smaller Brunish and the Dolores Winningstad theaters. All three theaters have a great array of different seats for able body and ADA. I have sat in various spaces throughout time in each and I have never really had a "bad" seat. I only had one "yuck" experience at the Newmark because I had a seat in between a guy and a lady. Our whole row was empty... guy basically "ordered" us to move over.... so that his wife at the end seat could have "more room". The woman next to me said a solid NO. they started arguing over me. I interjected saying to the fella, "Hay, so the ENTIRE row seems empty... How about you and your lovely wife grab the center so she has plenty of room AND a way better view!" SOLVED... Next up was then getting the NO lady to stop wanting to talk to me....oomph.... Folks, go to all of the shows! Support the arts, share the space the best you can. If you start talking to the stranger next to you, try not to inflict your ick on them.

I got to go see one of my favorite food and travel stars from Netflix's Somebody Feed Phil. Phil…read moreRosenthal is also the creator of Everybody Loves Raymond. What a fun night and wow what a gorgeous and classy building. The seats were pretty comfortable and the staff was so kind and helpful. Great experience!

I had never been in the theater at OMSI and now I can't wait to go back!…read more I feel much more 'in the know' now. I have been to many OMSI exhibits. Since I lost a great deal of mobility, navigating the world is very different and can be very challenging. Thankfully the staff want to help. I opted not to get any snacks at concessions this time but apparently there were tacos AND popcorn. A staff member brought me to the elevator and around to enter which leads to some accessible seating. Many have tables. The screen is so big it was nearly made me dizzy. I was immediately telling a friend we need to see a movie here! I think I might have to come back for Wicked. It looks like they have a tasting menu of sorts for that which sounds fun. I even one a free museum admission from guessing 8 out of 10 for the science quiz. I definitely like having ADA spots available on both sides of OMSI's entrance as well.

The 2026 Sci-Fi Film Festival has been *so much* fun and it's not even half over yet. The…read morefour-story screen with laser projection works for new movies as well as old classics (in addition of course to science-focused specially-filmed pictures). The seats are narrow (at least for contemporary Americans) but it's otherwise a great facility.