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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 27, 2018)
Arts & Culture LOCAL THEATER Oregon Contemporary Theatre OCTheatre.org • 541-684-6988 Very Little Theatre TheVLT.com • 541-344-7751 Actors Cabaret of Eugene ActorsCabaret.org • 541-683-4368 Cottage Theatre CottageTheatre.org • 541-942-8001 Here’s one of the worst-kept secrets in the local arts world: Live theater in this town is going through an incredible renaissance. At a time when so much of our entertainment arrives via screens and hand-held devices, nothing comes close to the power and intimacy of live actors performing in front of you on a stage. The four main theater companies around town have been setting an increasingly high artistic standard with their work. Oregon Contemporary Theatre offers the closest thing we have to a fully professional theater, doing shows just this season that run the gamut from sharp musical comedy like Fun Home to Edward Albee’s At Home at the Zoo; Very Little Theatre is one of the oldest community theaters in the country and is taking on shows in the coming season from Hello Dolly to the more-bracing Proof; Actors Cabaret is practically a school of rock for aspiring performers, young and old, of musical theater, rotating through standards from Wizard of Oz to Mamma Mia!; and, down I-5, Cottage Theatre has gotten so good they were chosen by American Association of Community Theatres this year for a world premiere of Joe Musso’s new play Treehouse. All four are nonprofit organizations, getting by — sometimes barely — on the generosity of donors. Dig deep and donate before New Year’s to qualify for the Oregon Cultural Trust tax credit (see story this page). — Bob Keefer Wordcrafters WordcraftersInEugene.org Storytelling is like a birthright, Daryll Lynne Evans says. “It’s how we understand the world.” Evans is executive director at Wordcrafters, a nonprofit literary arts organization in Lane County. “We help people tell their stories,” Evans says. This help takes many forms, from writers-in-school programs to workshops for adults, an annual writing conference and more. “We also work at the Serbu Youth Detention Center,” Evans says. “We have a residency at Calapooia High School. We send professional writers in to work with students.” Literary arts programs in schools are particularly important because students get creative writing in their classrooms, which has become exceedingly rare, Evans says. The value of teaching literary arts translates across curriculum, she explains. It helps students build empathy, communicate more effectively and gives them tools for creative expression. “Storytelling is the most basic way we communicate with each other,” she says. “Most of the help we need is with writing.” There are lots of other opportunities to get involved with Wordcrafters. To find out more go to wordcraftersineugene.org. — Will Kennedy Adventure! Children’s Museum AventureChildrensMuseum.org “Everything is educational,” Amelia Reising says. She is founding director of Adventure! Children’s Museum, located on the upper floor of Valley River Center. The museum is “a big space where kids come to explore and discover new things with their families,” she says. How is it like a museum? “That language is in place because we are here to provide an educational experience that’s very child-led,” Reising says. Lane County has similar educational spaces, such as the long-running Science Factory. What makes Adventure! Children’s Museum unique is that not everything is based in science, she says. What’s important is that everything at Adventure! is play-based. “The more you try things, the more you learn,” Reising says. “A lot of times adults look at play and they don’t think it’s super important. We don’t subscribe to that theory.” At Adventure! kids can play in a replica of Doctor Who’s Tardis, serve pretend sushi, and a whole lot more. As children play, she says, they are learning.“ A cardboard box, Reising says, can be educational. — Will Kennedy left L.A. I started tuning in to “Fresh Air.” Now there’s no one I’d rather hear interviewing Bob Woodward or Meryl Streep than Terri Gross. National and local news programming airs during the day Monday through Friday, and Eugene also broadcasts semi-local “Think Out Loud” from Portland station OPB live on weekdays at noon. KLCC reporters and hosts fill listners in on local topics. Local KLCC music programming begins at 7:30 pm each night, as well as during various times over the weekend. Local programming is 95 percent volunteer, and all of it is music. About 20 local programs are broadcast in Eugene. “Heartwood Hotel,” for example, airs Tuesdays 7:30 to 10 pm and plays a blend of all genres. Cina Kraft has been hosting it since 1988. “Eye 5” is on Saturday 3 to 5 pm and advertises a combination of “rock, americana, and alternative sounds.” It’s been on the air since 2015 and is hosted by Scott Majors. KLCC (89.7 FM) is owned by Lane Community College; its signal reaches Bend, Albany, Newport and Roseburg. — Ester Barkai KWAX Lane Arts Council LaneArts.org • 541-485-2278 I’m always amazed at the enthusiasm children bring to making art: Put a crayon in the hands of a 3-year-old and just watch as they try to represent the world around them. As they grow up, most people stop making art. Those who don’t are called artists. The Lane Arts Council supports art for children and also for those who never stopped making art — some of whom are practicing art professionals. You may be familiar with LAC’s sponsorship of Eugene’s First Friday ArtWalk. If you wish to become a sponsor of the ArtWalk there are perks such as being included on LAC’s newsletter and guided tour printed material. But LAC has several programs in the works as well to bring art education to schools. It’s no secret that arts education is often the first thing to be cut when school funds are tight. This is especially true in rural schools, where art and music teachers are now virtually nonexistent. By donating to support the Adopt-a-School program you help fund an artist residency in a Lane County school. Supporting Bethel Arts Education will help to bring arts education to 5,600 students in the K-5 Bethel school district. LAC’s goal is to raise $27,000. The ArtSpark Initiative also strives to bring arts education through artist residency programming by partnering with organizations like the Rotary Club of Eugene and Eugene Education Foundation. — Ester Barkai KWAX.uoregon.edu • 541-345-0800 When KWAX had its annual drive last year, I spent a lot of time listening to Peter Van de Graff talking about money and the importance of supporting the radio station. He’s right. As music director, Van de Graff gives radio listeners some sort of reprieve from the seemingly nonstop runs of Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl,” The Knack’s “My Sharona” and the overall terrible Def Leppard. KWAX isn’t just spinning dusty recordings of decomposing composers. One of my favorite programs, “Picture Perfect With Ross Amico,” explores some of the finest cinema soundtracks out there. And Van de Graff is dedicated to the art of classical music even when he’s pumping iron. I thought I was strange for beginning to flirt with Glen Gould’s fast-paced interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations in my exercise playlist. But last year Van de Graff told me he puts together a playlist filled with dance suites from operas by 18th century French composers. I haven’t yet thrown one of those French dance numbers in my playlists since it’s hard to compare those works to Richard Wagner in getting the blood flowing. Nevertheless, KWAX (99.1 FM) provides a service we can all appreciate: Programming that keeps us from suffering from overplayed nonsense. — Henry Houston People Planned Parenthood of Southwest Oregon KLCC radio KLCC.org • 541-463-6000 What’s special about KLCC? “This type of radio barely exists,” says Sallie Leadon, office manager at the National Public Radio member station. Public radio has a freedom that commercial stations don’t enjoy, and donors who support the station represent a wide variety of ages and economic backgrounds. I’ll testify to the part about varying economic backgrounds. When I was a student I donated $10 to my local NPR station because that’s all I was able to afford. NPR was my station of choice, and donating made me feel that my small contribution added to a larger voice. I first got hooked on NPR’s national programming listening to “All Things Considered” driving stop-and-go during rush hour in my hometown Los Angeles. After I ppsworegon.org/donate 1-800-430-4907 Planned Parenthood is an organization we cannot afford to lose. For more than 50 years, Planned Parenthood has worked to ensure every individual’s right and access to management of their sexual and reproductive health. PP provides accurate and appropriate sex education, as well as a wide array of medical services and testing. Given our political climate as of late, it is important that we as a community support Planned Parenthood, and ensure their continuation. Individuals trust PP, and know that it is a safe haven that will provide confidential preventative, diagnostic, treatment, and procedural services at an affordable rate. Planned Parenthood strives to normalize sexual education and reduce the stigma associated with taking control of ones own reproductive system. Most of all, all are welcome at PP — they provide services eugeneweekly.com • December 27, 2018 13
