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