Featured Event
Fertile Ground Festival
Jan. 19–29
Various locations
Fee: $50 for a festival pass
This theater festival takes place in multiple locations around the greater Portland Metro area at multiple times throughout each of the festival’s eleven days. This festival is a great way to experience new and sometimes experimental works from a variety of voices on the Portland theater scene. Festival passes are $50 and can be purchased through fertilegroundpdx.org, which also has a full listing of what is playing during the festival. Single tickets are also sold for individual plays; most are around $15. Here are a few highlights:
Blind (staged reading) by Bonnie Ratner
Third Rail at Imago Theater
17 SE 8th Avenue
Fee: $10
Set in 1960s Brooklyn, the tempestuous story of a black mother and her son versus a paranoid Jewish merchant is deconstructed. The question behind it all: Who really owns the neighborhood?
Homeless (the Musical) (staged reading) by Alan Alexander III (and co.)
Clinton Street Theater
2522 SE Clinton Street
Fee: $10 (students)
Matilda finds something worth fighting for besides survival on the streets.
Literary Theory by Sherry Lane (Support a fellow Viking!)
Hipbone Studio
1847 E Burnside Street #104
Fee: $10
Right before she gives a big presentation on literary theory and why it even matters, Amy has some unexpected visitors. Lucky her.
Into the Night by the Allegro Dance Company
BodyVox Theater
1201 NW 17th Avenue
Fee: $20 (students)
A belly-dance themed production that explores mortality and all that it contains.
Young Playwrights Festival
Lakewood Theater Company
368 S. State Street, Lake Oswego
Fee: $10
Four one-acts written by up-and-coming high school students are workshopped with an audience along for the ride. This is a culmination of many sleepless nights.
Jan. 18
Keeping Native Bees
6–8 p.m.
Bee Thinking
1744 SE Hawthorne Boulevard
Fee: $20
If you’re interested in helping to coax life back into the native ecosystem, come learn about the ins and outs, the pros and cons of beekeeping and how rewarding a future it can be for both you and all of humanity.
Albert Cummings
8 p.m.
Alberta Rose Theatre
3000 NE Alberta Street
Fee: $17–20
The legendary blues guitarist is here for one night only and comes highly recommended by fellow legends he’s played with: BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Johnny Winter among them. May play selections from his 2003 solo album From the Heart.
Thursday, 1/19
Louis C.K.
8 p.m.
Moda Center
1 N Center Court Street
Fee: $25–50
Brutally honest humor and endearing love for his kids have marked this comedian’s rise from stand-up to cable show maverick. Come hear the six-time Emmy award winner do the thing for which he’s known best.
Odd Couples
9:30 p.m.
Brody Theater
16 NW Broadway
Fee: $5
This night of improv comedy is performed by duos of improv teams from around the local area, competing for your laughs against each other’s extemporaneous wits.
Friday, 1/20
Pablo Sainz Villegas
7:30 p.m.
Newmark Theatre
1111 SW Broadway
Fee: $30–50 ($5 Arts For All tickets may be available)
Pablo Villegas understands how to give us his heart via the Spanish guitar. He travels around the world from his home in Spain and has a sound that is uniquely acoustic. Come hear the blend of joy, sorrow, and hope in his Spanish-influenced music.
Rent: 20th Anniversary Tour
Jan. 20, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 21, 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 22, 1 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.
Keller Auditorium
222 SW Clay Street
Fee: $30 ($5 Arts For All tickets may be available)
Honestly, it’s one of the best rock operas you’ll ever see. Jonathan Larson’s complete work before his untimely death is a harsh and loving ode to the bohemian-chic artists whose work often goes unnoticed as they eschew traditional modes of power. Ask any of your Broadway friends if they are Rent-heads, because there’s not enough space here to explain why this weekend should be devoted to Rent.
Some Days Are Better Than Others
Jan. 20, 7 p.m. (Artist talk only)
Jan. 21, 7 & 9:30 p.m.
Jan. 22, 3 p.m.
5th Avenue Cinema
510 SW Hall Street
Fee: Free for PSU students with ID, other students $3, general admission $4
Multi-layered film featuring Carrie Brownstein in a non-Sleater Kinney, non-Portlandia role. Directed by PSU professor Matt McCormick, who will give a talk on Friday.
Saturday, 1/21
Chocolate Fest
Oregon Convention Center
777 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
Fee: $15+
This weekend-long orgy of decadence is a great way to placate your sweet tooth if you have the cash. There are a few free samples, but most vendors are hoping you’ll pay full price after you pay admission. On top of that, there is also a VIP area and some wine selections, so it can get pretty pricey if you’re caught unaware.
Women’s March on Portland
12 p.m.
This march is in solidarity with those marching on Washington D.C., planned as an inauguration protest and visibility event. All people of an inclusive nature are welcome—no one will be turned away based on gender identity, immigrant status, ability, or religion. Keep tabs on the Facebook group to see where the march will start and end.
Sunday, 1/22
Rodin: The Human Experience—Selections from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Collections
Portland Art Museum
1219 SW Park Ave
Fee: $20 (students $16, Arts For All $5)
The man that revolutionized sculpting is examined via bronzed works that remain to this day. His long career is highlighted, starting with his masterpiece Gates of Hell and continuing all the way to the Monumental Torso of the Walking Man. Rodin’s portraits of famous literary figures like Victor Hugo will also be available for viewing. The exhibit runs through April 16.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Film Concert
Jan. 21, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 22, 2 p.m. & 7 p.m.
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
1037 SW Broadway
Fee: $35+ ($5 Arts For All tickets may be available)
The incomparable John Williams has scored many a famous film, and one of his more recent franchise works, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, is being performed by the Oregon Symphony. The movie will show in high-def on a screen while the orchestra plays along.
