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Coho Productions presents artist-driven plays in their homey 99-seat theater.

Credit: Owen Carey

Fertile Ground Festival

New works of theater, dance and comedy fill Portland's stages every January.

Editor's Pick

Updated Dec. 22, 2020 1 min read

Oregon Arts Watch

Editor's Pick

When

Jan. 28–Feb. 7, 2021

12:00pm–9:00pm

Free

Where

Virtual

Facebook & YouTube

Early birds, script-chasers and workshop-watchers already know: Fertile Ground Festival is where you go to see Portland’s newest performance works first. Produced by the nonprofit Portland Area Theater Alliance (PATA), this annual festival returns every January.

Fertile Ground Festival is distinct from other cities’ “fringe” fests in two important regards: 1) It only features local producers, and 2) it’s non-juried, waving creators through an open door to access the critics they value most: audiences.

As you might imagine, that means there’s a lot to see. Offerings include theater and dance, along with flourishes of comedy, musical theater, multi-media performances, staged readings and more. Each year, there is way more to see than one person can manage, and stumbling into something on your own that turns out to be fabulous is part of the fun. It also offers an opportunity to experience a variety of local performance spaces, including Brunish Theater, Milagro Theatre, CoHo Theatre and Portland Center Stage at The Armory.

If you like your performance arts like your produce — locally sourced and partially raw — then you’re sure to enjoy Fertile Ground’s bounty. A festival pass for access to the full 11-day festival can be purchased on their website.

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