BACK DOOR THEATRE

by Krista Garver - March 10, 2026

When seeing a new-to-me play, I typically try to walk in knowing as little as possible. I love the joy of discovery. That approach has never served me better than it did for A MIRROR, Sam Holcroft's gripping play now running at Third Rail Repertory Theatre. ...

by Krista Garver - March 09, 2026

If you had told me I would cry my eyes out at a musical about a young man with green, scaly skin who only leaves his apartment once a year to go on a Grindr date, I would have given you the side eye. But there I was on opening night of LIZARD BOY at Portland Center Stage, completely undone by this i...

by Krista Garver - March 09, 2026

As the Trump administration works to erase trans people from public life (literally removing the 'T' from LGBT on the government's website about the Stonewall Uprising, a movement to which trans people were central), it becomes urgent to understand that these events don't happen in a vacuum. They ar...

by Dawn Sellers - March 03, 2026

Few plays in theatrical history have achieved the enduring success of The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie. Since its premiere in 1952, the production has continued its celebrated run in London, earning its place as the longest running show of any kind in the world. ...

by Krista Garver - February 19, 2026

Portland Playhouse is not known for playing it safe, so it's fitting that their latest production centers on a woman, Anna Campbell, who built her entire legend on one audacious act. ...

by Dawn Sellers - February 16, 2026

Geography of a Horse Dreamer by Sam Shepard wrestles with artistic value, exploitation, power, and control. You will never dream the same again. On stage at Imago Theatre through March 1, 2026...

by Krista Garver - February 12, 2026

In Kallan Dana’s RACECAR RACECAR RACECAR, now running at Artists Repertory Theatre, a father (Anthony Green Caloca) and his adult daughter (Jerilyn Armstrong) head off on a cross-country drive from New York to California to clean out a storage unit....

by Krista Garver - February 11, 2026

It took about 10 seconds for tears to well up in my eyes during the opening monologue of THE BODY'S MIDNIGHT. They stayed there, occasionally spilling over, for the rest of Tira Palmquist's exquisite play. This show is just the second production by 100 Lives Repertory, but it firmly establishes them...

by Krista Garver - February 11, 2026

How do we carry on when everything is falling apart? In YOU STUPID DARKNESS!, Sam Steiner's funny and touching dramedy now running at 21ten Theatre, four volunteers spend their Tuesday nights answering calls at Brightline, a listening service for people who need someone to tell them everything is go...

by Krista Garver - February 04, 2026

For years, I'd written off THE WIZ. My only prior experience with the show had been a disappointing production that left me confused about why the original had swept the Tony Awards in 1975, winning Best Musical and Best Original Score among other honors. ...