MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM MACHINE to Transform Portland Park in August
The free community event will feature wearable art, live music, and artists with lived experience of houselessness.
By: A.A. Cristi Jul. 21, 2025
The Oregon Symphony, Gather:Make:Shelter, and SoundsTruck NW will present Midsummer Night's Dream Machine, a free, family-friendly celebration of community, creativity, and resilience on Thursday, August 14, 2025, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Portland State University’s South Park Blocks (SW Mill to SW Market).
The immersive evening will feature a live runway show of original wearable art designed by artists from Gather:Make:Shelter—a Portland-based nonprofit working with people experiencing houselessness and poverty. Their creations will be modeled to a soundtrack of live and recorded music, performed in part by Oregon Symphony musicians on SoundsTruck NW’s solar-powered mobile stage. The event reflects months of creative collaboration between GMS artists, SoundsTruck NW, and members of the Oregon Symphony.
Community members are invited to bring a picnic, blanket, or lawn chairs and take part in this joyful public gathering. Midsummer Night's Dream Machine centers the power of art as a healing force and fosters a sense of shared imagination, belonging, and connection. It aims to uplift the voices and talents of Portland’s most marginalized creators while transforming city space into a place of beauty, expression, and unity.
The event is co-presented by Gather:Make:Shelter, SoundsTruck NW, and the Oregon Symphony with additional support from Portland Parks Foundation.
About Gather:Make:Shelter
Gather:Make:Shelter is a Portland-based nonprofit that collaborates with individuals experiencing houselessness and poverty through arts workshops and creative mentorship. Founded by artist Dana Lynn Louis, the organization fosters creative expression, dignity, and community connection. Learn more at gathermakeshelter.org.
About SoundsTruck NW
SoundsTruck NW is a nonprofit organization founded by musicians Jon and Yoko Greeney. Using a custom-built, solar-powered mobile stage, they bring live performing arts to public spaces and reimagine urban landscapes as vibrant venues for creativity and connection. Learn more at soundstrucknw.org.
About the Oregon Symphony
Led by Jean Vollum Music Director David Danzmayr, the multi-GRAMMY-nominated Oregon Symphony serves over 500,000 people annually through live concerts and community engagement programs. With innovative initiatives like the Creative Alliance, the Symphony brings diverse cultural voices to Portland, extending its reach globally through digital content and broadcasts. For more information, visit orsymphony.org.
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Best Musical - Top 3
1.
WAITRESS (Broadway Rose Theatre)
7.9% of votes
2.
FUN HOME (Metropolitan Performing Arts)
6.6% of votes
3.
SWEENEY TODD (Twilight Theater Company)
6.5% of votes
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