Search Portland Theater
Dramatic offerings in Portland range from big productions to edgy independent works.
Looking to catch a play? You’re in for a treat: Portland has a well-established network of venues and theater companies and an increasingly dynamic and diverse small theater scene. Large downtown theater houses offer full-scale, world-class shows; smaller independent houses take creative risks and scout new talent; a few collectives even cater their seasons to a particular ethnic identity or special niche-like comedy, mime or puppetry. There’s really something for everyone. Read on to learn more about the city’s vibrant theater scene, then head to our events calendar to discover even more things to do on your next visit to Portland.
Major Theaters
A great starting point for theater explorations is Portland’5 Centers for the Arts, an umbrella organization that handles booking and promotion for several of Portland’s biggest venues. In Portland’5 online calendar, you’ll find touring Broadway productions, opera, ballet and big-name solo appearances by prominent actors and comedians. The major halls are Antoinette Hatfield Hall, Portland’5 headquarters, and the three theater spaces within it: Dolores Winningstad Theatre, the Newmark Theatre and Brunish Theatre. Other locations include the Keller Auditorium, Lincoln Hall (at Portland State University) and Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.
Portland Center Stage, the city’s largest theater company, puts on full-scale musicals and other productions on the main stage and more stripped-down avant-garde plays in its intimate basement space, the Ellyn Bye Studio — both in The Armory, a historic building in the Pearl District.
With performance space inside of The Armory, Artists Repertory Theatre favors tense dramas from contemporary playwrights as well as hosting Profile Theatre, a company that devotes each of its seasons to a single playwright.
Third Rail Repertory Theatre has a penchant for dark comedies and a take-no-prisoners acting style and splits its season between the Winningstad Theatre at Portland’5 and CoHo Theatre in Northwest Portland.
Pre-Show Bites
These lauded local eateries are all within walking distance of their respective theaters.
Children’s Theater
Northwest Children’s Theater offers vibrant, accessible productions that can be enjoyed by kids as young as 4, while Oregon Children’s Theatre aims a bit older, dabbling in rock opera and exploring world affairs. The beloved kids’ show at Imago Theatre features acrobatic actors dressed as frogs, cats and a menagerie of other creatures who dance, mime, delight and surprise.
Shakespeare
Portland hosts plenty of Shakespeare — especially in the summer through outfits like the Portland Shakespeare Project, which performs at Artists Rep, and Willamette Shakespeare and Original Practice Shakespeare, which offer free, open-air performances.
But for diehard followers of the bard, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, goes on nearly year-round in Ashland, 4.5 hours south of Portland.
Multicultural Offerings
Portland Playhouse undertakes critically acclaimed modern works, especially though not exclusively about the African American experience. The “Milagro” or Miracle Theatre Group gives voice to the pan-Latino experience with bilingual productions.
Small and Emerging Theaters
Longstanding small Portland companies like Theatre Vertigo and CoHo Productions tackle everything from Dickensian classics to Beckett-esque absurdity, while in adjacent towns Hillsboro, Milwaukie, and Lake Oswego upstarts Bag&Baggage and Chapel Theater, and veteran Lakewood also bring new twists to the classics.
Several newer theaters are scattered around Portland, and their productions often prove worth the trip. Working Theater Collective brings polish to the postmodern and the absurd and workshop new scripts. Curious Comedy Theater, which most often hosts standup and improv, shows a few plays, favoring minimal staging, spoof and solo work.
Upcoming Theater Performances
Dive into Portland's thriving theater scene at one of these upcoming shows.
A Dream Play
PSU’s Theater program presents Caryl Churchill’s adaptation of August Strindberg’s groundbreaking A Dream Play. Written in 1901, it represented an early effort to challenge the dominance of realism on European stages. Strindberg wrote that he “sought to imitate the disjointed yet seemingly logical shape of a dream. Everything can happen; everything is possible and probable.”…
In A Different Reality She's Clawing At The Walls
In A Different Reality She’s Clawing At The Walls​ is a play about human isolation within a vast virtual reality. The psychological repercussions of digital surveillance are explored through an ensemble whose codependency on technology brings them to the tipping point. Witness the Sisyphean search for the unplugged mind, driven by the agony of technological…
Mary Jane by Amy Herzog
“A play with unexpected grace and optimism, and one that offers faith in the power of communion.” – Chloe Shama, Vogue As Mary Jane navigates the mundane, the shattering, and the sublime realities of caring for Alex, her chronically ill young son, she finds herself building a community of women from many walks of life….
Portland Revels Presents: Rancho Trinidad
Portland Revels is a rich, vibrant exploration of world cultures through storytelling, music and dance. This year’s spring production is Rancho Trinidad, a story rooted in Latinx culture and tradition: Maribel finds herself back at her abuelo’s rancho, now a stranger in a place she used to consider her home. As she mourns the passing…
The Full Monty
Based on the cult hit film of the same name, The Full Monty, a ten-time Tony Award nominee, is filled with honest affection, engaging melodies and the most highly anticipated closing number of any show. The powerhouse team of Terrence McNally (Ragtime) and David Yazbek (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) cooks up an aggressive crowd-pleaser that both…
The Inheritance Part II
Picking up where PART ONE ended, THE INHERITANCE, PART TWO takes its characters on roller-coaster journeys of self-discovery, self-deception, and self-destruction. Eric, reeling from his discovery at Walter’s house, finds himself growing even closer to Henry – while Toby tumbles down a dark hole of celebrity and addiction as he runs from a hidden past…
The Pursuit of Happiness (or the Wacky Lesbian Adventures of Brillo Pad and Hula Hoop)
​A musical like no other, The Pursuit of Happiness features characters across the gender and sexuality spectrums. Leading the country in trans representation, Fuse Theatre Ensemble presents a show which investigates the intricacies of transitioning, coming out, gender dysphoria, social pressure, and how peoplel try to be someone they’re not. And it’s a banger. Get…
True Story
A troubled writer, raw with grief from the death of his wife, is hired to ghostwrite the biography of a wealthy man accused of murdering his wife but acquitted on technical grounds. Drawing from the classic noir detective stories about the slipperiness of truth and blurring the lines of good and evil, True Story propulsively…
The Jolly Riot : Pirate Rock Musical
Climb aboard for a swashbuckling adventure that’s part “Pirates of the Caribbean,” part “Treasure Island ”, with a set list of exciting original rock songs and heavy metal sea shanties by local writers. Featuring a live band, epic battles, rollicking choreography, and a colorful cast of characters, “The Jolly Riot” has everything ti love about…
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Kings, queens, fairies, lovers, and sprites all collide in an enchanted forest one midsummer night, proving that “the course of true love never did run smooth.” One of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies takes us on a beguiling odyssey full of mistaken identities, misguided passions, love potions, and magic spells. Fall in love all over again…
Comedy "Jazz for an hour"
Friends, you are invited to the family comedy “Jazz for an hour” from Fool House Art Collective. This slick adaptation of Florian Zeller’s play “The Hour of Silence” tosses in every genre element and is bound to tickle even the most demanding tastes. The protagonist is a man of great success, living a life of…
How to Make An American Son
Father and son, Mando and Orlando, are living different versions of the American Dream. Honduran-born Mando built a successful janitorial business and can pay for his son’s fancy private school. Orlando enjoys the fruits of his father’s labor but is embarrassed by his old-fashioned ideas, accent, and line of work. When the business faces turmoil…
CALIFORNIA by Trish Harnetiaux
The Theatre Company is proud to present the West Coast premiere of California by Trish Harnetiaux. Originally commissioned, developed, and produced by Clubbed Thumb as part of Summerworks 2022, Harnetiaux’s unconventional play is an innocent road trip turned alternate reality mind-bender set entirely in a family car. Basically. But what if a story can split,…
A Midsommer Nights Dreame by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival
Hermia loves Lysander (requitedly). Helena loves Demetrius (unrequitedly). Pucke (a fairy) accidentally makes Lysander and Demetrius love Helena. Chaos ensues. King Oberon bespells Queen Titania to love an actor transformed into an ass. The fairies reconcile. Pucke fixes the spells (except Demetrius). Everyone gets married and watches a terrible play. OPS Fest brings no-cost repertory…
Macbeth by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival
Scottish lords Macbeth and Banquo meet witches who predict Macbeth will be King and Banquo father of kings. Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to kill King Duncan. Prince Malcolm escapes, and Macbeth takes the throne. Macbeth orders Banquo killed. Lady Macbeth goes mad. Malcolm raises an English army that defeats Macbeth. OPS Fest brings no-cost repertory…
Measure for Measure by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival
Lord Angelo takes over Vienna while the Duke’s in disguise and sentences Claudio to death for an out-of-wedlock tryst. Nun-in-training Isabella, Claudio’s sister, begs Angelo for mercy and gets propositioned. She and the Duke-In-Disguise trick Angelo with a bedroom switcheroo, save Claudio with an execution switcheroo, and justice is served..? OPS Fest brings no-cost repertory…
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
This colorful retelling of the story of Joseph, his coat of many colors, and his amazing ability to interpret dreams is a blockbuster of biblical proportions. From the legendary musical theater duo of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice (Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar), this musical parable features an exuberantly catchy score including such hits as…
Winter’s Tale by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival
Leontes thinks Hermione is stepping out with Polixenes. Hermione’s not. Hermione dies (or not?). Their child Perdita is abandoned (or not?). Turns out Hermione doesn’t, and Perdita’s not. Autolicus cons. Leontes repents. Perdita marries a prince. Everyone lives happily ever after. Except for Antigonus. Antigonus gets eaten by a bear. OPS Fest brings no-cost repertory…
Romeo and Juliet by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival
The Capulets and Montagues hate one another. Romeo (Montague) sneaks into a Capulet party and meets Juliet (Capulet). They marry in secret. Juliet’s cousin challenges Romeo. Romeo kills him and is banished. Juliet fakes her death. Romeo doesn’t realise, takes poison, and dies beside her. Juliet wakes and stabs herself. OPS Fest brings no-cost repertory…
The Life and Death Of ​King Richard II by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival
After years of civil war, England is ruled by Yorkist Edward IV. His brother, Richard, coveting the throne, has his brother Clarence, nephews, wife, enemies, and friends killed on the way to ultimate power. At the battle of Bosworth, he is defeated by the Tudor Richmond, who becomes Henry VII. OPS Fest brings no-cost repertory…
The Tempest by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival
Shipwreck, romance, treason, revenge, spirits, clowns, song, and dance create a perfect storm of fantasy. Years ago, Prospero and daughter were shipwrecked on an island. Twelve years later, a “storm” brings their enemies. With the help of sprite Ariel, Prospero manipulates plots, bringing them happily together before giving up magic. OPS Fest brings no-cost repertory…
The Two Gentlemen of Verona by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival
Protheus loves Julia. Valentine travels. Valentine loves Sylvia. Speed loves bed. Launce loves a dog. Protheus changes his mind, loves Sylvia, betrays Valentine, betrays Julia, betrays Thurio, and generally acts like a privileged child. Valentine, banished, becomes outlaw king. Julia dresses as a boy. Protheus is foiled and forgiven. Weddings. OPS Fest brings no-cost repertory…
As You Like It Presented by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival
Frederick exiled the rightful Duke to the Forest of Arden. Orlando’s brother won’t raise him right. Orlando and Rosalind fall in love. Frederick banishes Rosalind. The girls escape to Arden (Rosalind is cross-dressed). Rosalind gets Orlando to pretend she/he is Rosalind and woo her. A god appears and performs many marriages. OPS Fest brings no-cost…
Henry IV, Part 1 by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival
King Henry IV faces a rebellion led by the Mortimers and Percys, while crown prince Hal parties, jokes, and drinks with Sir John Falstaff and his low-life cronies. At the Battle of Shrewsbury, fierce Hotspur leads the rebel charge. Hal kills Hotspur, Falstaff acts cowardly, and Henry IV’s forces win. IT’S A COMEDY OPS Fest…
Julius Caesar by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival
War, conspiracy, omens, assassination, and a ghost. The too-ambitious Caesar is killed by a group of high-ranking political conspirators led by Brutus and Cassius. Fleeing Rome, they are defeated in battle by Antony and Octavius, Caesar’s heir, but only after the battle do the bodies start piling up… OPS Fest brings no-cost repertory Shakespeare to…
The Tragedie Of Antonie & Cleopatra by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival
Antonie just wants to love on Cleopatra, but politics keep pulling back to Rome. First, the wife starts a war, then there’s a pirate harassing the shore, then Octavius Caesar just. won’t. stop. So many battles. Can love win out, or will everyone end up dead? Hint: it’s a tragedy. OPS Fest brings no-cost repertory…
Love’s Labour’s Lost by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival
Forgetting the French Princess is arriving soon, King Ferdinand and his friends swear off women. The courtiers are smitten. Letters are sent and confused. Berowne reasons ways out of the oath. The French court departs but will return in one year to marry the King and courtiers… if they prove worthy. OPS Fest brings no-cost…
Henry IV, Part 2 by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival
As King Henry’s health wanes, Hal feels the call to take up the crown. But what does this mean for Falstaffe? Sure, he’s a “war hero” now – but the war isn’t over, and his excesses aren’t waning. Will Hal’s ascension to the throne be the key to easy street or his ticket to the…
All’s Well that Ends Well by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival
Hellena unrequitedly loves Bertram. She cures the king, winning Bertram’s hand. Bertram refuses and leaves for war with braggart Parolles and prankster soldiers. Bertram attempts to seduce a virgin and fails when Hellena secretly takes her place, thus consummating the marriage. Back home, she reveals all. Bertram suddenly loves her. All ends well. OPS Fest…
Twelfe Night by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival
Orsino loves Olivia (unrequitedly). Twins, Viola and Sebastian, are shipwrecked. Viola cross-dresses, works for Orsino, and Olivia falls in love with her/him. Olivia’s household trick Malvolio into thinking Olivia loves him. Olivia (confused) marries Sebastian. The twins reunite, Malvolio’s gulling and Viola’s gender are revealed, and Orsino proposes to Viola. OPS Fest brings no-cost repertory…
Henry the Fift by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival
Hal’s all grown up. The Dauphin mocks Hal with tennis balls. War starts between England and France. Meanwhile, Falstaffe’s dead, so Pistoll takes over. Buddies Bardolph and Nym get hanged for stealing, and Pistoll is force-fed a leek. Henry wins the war but must now woo a wife. In French. OPS Fest brings no-cost repertory…
Six the Musical
Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. From Tudor Queens to Pop Icons, the SIX wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a Euphoric Celebration of 21st-century girl power. This new original musical is the global sensation everyone is losing their head over. The North American tour…
The Taming of the Shrew by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival
​Baptista’s daughter Bianca is beset with suitors… but can’t marry until after her shrewish sister Katherina. Bianca’s suitors pay the roguish Petruchio to marry Katherina, who works to tame his new wife’s wild tongue. Bianca’s suitors squabble (often in disguise), and Katherina returns to her sister’s wedding a perfect wife. OPS Fest brings no-cost repertory…
JAW: A Playwright's Festival
This annual theater festival invites the public into the creation process.
The Tragedie of King Lear by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival
Lear’s retiring and divides up his kingdom. Regan gets half. Gonerril gets half. Cordelia gets banished. Kent gets banished but sticks around anyway (in disguise). Edmund the Bastard stages a coup, alongside Goneril and Regan. Lear is cast out. Cordelia rides to Lear’s rescue. ​All your favorite characters die. OPS Fest brings no-cost repertory Shakespeare…
Henry the Sixth by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival
OPS Fest brings no-cost repertory Shakespeare to parks and venues throughout the Portland Metro area. The company uses the original practice techniques of Elizabethan England: limited rehearsal, scrolls in hand, audience interaction, and an onstage prompter. In Shakespeare’s Era, the audience knew the actors had not rehearsed and that the only context each had of…
The Comedie of Errors Presented by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival
Two sets of identical twins, masters (Antipholus) and servants (Dromio) were separated by a shipwreck. Antipholus of Syracuse arrives in Ephesus, and Adriana mistakes him for her husband (E.Antipholus).. S.Antipholus gets a gold chain E.Antipholus ordered, but then E.Antipholus is arrested for not paying. Confusion reigns until Antipholus’ parents are found. OPS Fest brings no-cost…
Much Adoe about Nothing by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival
The Prince visits Leonato with his evil brother John. Beatrice and Benedick feud. Claudio plans to marry Hero. Folks gull Beatrice and Benedick into thinking the other loves them. John makes Hero appear unfaithful. Claudio spurns her at the altar. Hero fakes her death. John’s plot is revealed. Everybody marries. OPS Fest brings no-cost repertory…
The Tragedy of Hamlet by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival
Mix together one dead father (now a ghost), a mother that quickly marries your murderous uncle, a complicated love life, two sycophantic childhood chums, a company of actors, a duel, poison, murder, madness, and the skull of a dead clown. Add pirates. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. OPS Fest brings no-cost repertory…
Cthulhu the Musical
Detective LaGrasse is searching for a murderer. Francine Thurston’s uncle vanished. The only clue to both mysteries is a bizarre statue worshiped by a nightmarish cult. And it’s leading them out to sea, toward a mysterious island from their nightmares — and toward insanity. But, you know, with singing puppets. Puppeteers for Fears, Oregon’s premier…
The Tragedie of Othello by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival
Othello promotes Cassio, bypassing Iago. Othello marries Desdemona without parental permission. Iago, seeking revenge, plots against Othello. Cassio gets drunk and brawls, resulting in his dismissal. Desdemona pleads with Othello on Cassio’s behalf. Iago convinces Othello that Desdemona is having an affair. Othello smothers Desdemona. Amelia dies. Othello dies. Iago doesn’t. OPS Fest brings no-cost…
The Merry Wives of Windsor by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival
Falstaffe woos two wives simultaneously, hoping they will shower their husbands’ money on him. Discovering this, they teach him a lesson using their wits and a jealous husband. Meanwhile, three suitors compete for Anne, who, defying her parents, chooses for herself. All plots are uncovered in a fairy-filled finale. OPS Fest brings no-cost repertory Shakespeare…
Richard III by Original Practice Shakespeare Festival
​After years of civil war, England is ruled by Yorkist Edward IV. His brother, Richard, coveting the throne, has his brother Clarence, nephews, wife, enemies, and friends killed on the way to ultimate power. At the Battle of Bosworth, he is defeated by the Tudor Richmond, who becomes Henry VII. OPS Fest brings no-cost repertory…
Was this page helpful?