Best places for live theater in Portland
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
The OrpheusPDX production of the Mozart opera "The Royal Shepard" at Lincoln Hall. Photo: Courtesy of OrpheusPDX
Portland has cool little music venues and cinemas, but its live theater scene also offers fine venues where actors can strut their hour upon a stage.
Here are seven Portland venues that make going to a play or musical feel like a special event.
The Armory
128 NW 11th Ave.
Anchor tenant Portland Center Stage's upcoming season (starting Sept. 29) includes reliable money-makers such as "Sweeney Todd," "Twelfth Night" and "The Importance of Being Earnest."
- The JAW play festival is July 26-28.
Artists Repertory Theatre
1515 SW Morrison St.
This theater company is rebuilding with mainstage and studio spaces, and recently began showing off its lobby.
- After skipping last year due to financial woes, ART has a three-show mini-season in October.
The Sanctuary at Sandy Plaza
1785 NE Sandy Boulevard
This 150-seat former Salvation Army space is home to the Triangle Theater, whose founder Don Horn prefers adult-themed shows such as "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" and "Darcelle: That's No Lady".
Patricia Reser Center for the Arts
12625 SW Crescent Street, Beaverton
With its fine acoustics and selfie-friendly lobby, the Reser which opened in 2022, is attracting local pop and classical music acts, plus one-off touring bands, making a trip to Beaverton worthwhile.
- Not to be confused with PRAx — the Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts in Corvallis — bankrolled by the same food makers.
Alberta Abbey
126 Northeast Alberta Street
The 380-seat Abbey has emerged as home to a variety of shows, both edgy and popular, putting the arts back in Alberta Arts District.
Lincoln Hall
1620 SW Park Avenue
This Portland State University building houses the theater with some of the best acoustics in the city and is home to opera, choral and experimental theater, especially during the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art's Time Based Art festival.
- Catch local opera company OrpheusPDX's two shows in August here, "The Rose Elf" and "Acis, Galatea & Polyphemus."
The Newmark Theater
1111 SW Broadway Avenue
The Newmark is home to serious plays and musical performances, in a building that also houses the smaller Winningstad Theatre and the tiny black box Brunish Theatre.
- They are all part of Portland'5 (pronounced "Portland Five"), which includes the Keller Auditorium and the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.