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 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 was recently invited to attend a live music performance at the Mission Theater…read more McMenamins is of course known for converting historic buildings into venues and restaurants, and this location is no different. It used to be the Swedish Evangelical Mission Covenant Church. There's some cool millwork, antique light fixtures, and large curved staircases, but overall this is on the tamer side for McMenamins properties. The venue had standing room and high-tops on the same level as the stage. Upstairs is theater style seating that was decently comfortable and had a counter spot to put your drink. There weren't any bad views, and the sound system was better than I expected. I think there are two bars, one on each floor, but the upstairs one was closed for the small event I attended. They serve drinks and small bites, not full meals. Parking is challenging nearby.

Fantastic experience! Was here 20 years ago when it was still a movie theater. Now it's a concert…read morevenue and so much fun. Lined up outside about 1.25 hours before the concert. The doors opened up and hour before and we were able to get a seat in the balcony on the first row. The venue was small so every seat was great. The later people came had to stand up on the floor but they came to dance. Listened to Petty Theif...a Tom Petty cover band and had a lot of fun. Pizza, hotdogs, popcorn was the food offering and beer, cider and wine you can eat in your seats with the tables. Got the Mission Theatre stamp for our passport.

Cinema 21 is consistently a great spot to catch a movie. The location is awesome to grab a bite…read morebefore or a good popcorn/pizza in theatre. I'm always happy to support Cinema 21 because they have supported my family's movie watching for over three decades. Thanks!

In the perfect place centering Slabtown with great new movies playing. Lots of seating that you can…read morepick at your leisure as you walk inside the place. I'd still come back regardless because of this very reasoning. The points down really is just the staff don't really care about anything and really give you the hey here's your food, go watch your movie and get out of my face. Like damn, sorry I wanted a medium popcorn and ice cream?

I always know I am in for a good time when I see a Bodyvox show. I love that their performance…read morespace is in an area where you can find parking and is not horrific traffic as well but close enough in that a wander before or after a show for a spot of food or drink is also a great plan. I like that their shows seem to explore a bit of the dark and the light - it feels right. I also love the way that they use the space very creatively. As an ADA person, it means a lot that I have easy to get in an out of seating. Even just easy in and out of the building! And the staff there have always been so kind and welcoming.

Bodyvox is such an amazing dance space!…read more Their staff is friendly, warm and knowledgeable. I also love the lounge area they have. The space is huuuge! I love that there's dressing rooms and tall ceilings with mirrors. I take clases with Asteria who teaches many classes including Contemporary for Fat Bodies. She's so talented and a great teacher. I always feel welcomed there and love their commitment to accessibility with sliding scale options.

Took my first class with Shiloh. She was super welcoming, very on top of making sure we knew how to…read morebe safe (techniques and by warming up!). Shiloh's was super attentive and gave me a lot of one on one help and tips, and of course celebrating our wins when someone got something down! The classroom itself is gorgeous, love how they encourage you to record yourself by offering tripods for you to use in class. Would definitely love to take another class with Shiloh!

P&D is a fine choice but I recommend trying all the studios Portland has to offer. The p&d studios…read moredon't look as nice as other studios (not as cute, vibes are dull). Most of all people at p&d are extremely cliquey. Do not come here if you are trying to build community. You will notice they do have a nice community but it is closed off and not inviting.

This is a cool project where old pianos are turned into works of art during the summer, the lovely…read moreinstruments placed at different locations within the city of Portland, available for the public to play or simply admire. We love hunting for public art pieces, even better when they're also musical instruments! The 2024 event which started with a kickoff concert at Director Park in mid-July ended their live performance schedule in the first week of August. But lucky for us they keep the pianos on display till end of August, so we were able to check some of them out during our visit to Portland this past weekend. We didn't see them all, but we had the pleasure of checking out The Angry Florist piano at Mississippi Records, Rebecca Rook's piano at Director Park, LAIKA's piano with a design from Coraline at the Portland Playhouse (though the keys were rusted and stuck together from the rain on Saturday night), Christine Claringbold's piano at Urbanite, and my fave, the artwork of Julia Alexis Hunkler, a piano named Heart and Soul, at the World Forestry Center, which was set up with an adorable matching stool. And though our visit to Portland was two weeks too late for the special performances on these pieces, I brought my own charming musician with me, so we got to hear lovely tunes everywhere we went, over the course of three days :D