Get ready to decide between a variety of entertainment offerings this week from a tabletop gaming festival to an Oregon Ballet Theatre performance, to several stage plays, or even a virtual reality demonstration. There’s something for nearly everyone this week.
Although the state-wide indoor COVID-19 mask mandate has lifted, some venues or artists still have restrictions in place. Check venue websites for information on specific COVID safety requirements.
GameCon offers a tabletop gaming show in Corvallis February 17-18, 2023.Image courtesy of GameCon
Tabletop Gaming Fest – Corvallis
The tabletop roleplaying gaming convention GameCon is returning to the C3-Corvallis Community Center this weekend. The event draws hundreds of gamers from across the region for two days of cosplay contests, panels, vendors, and marathon tabletop gaming. Come play Dungeons & Dragons or try smaller indie titles like Goat Crashers and Blades in the Dark. The convention also offers panel guests including game developers and voice actors talking about the business and answering fans’ questions. Shop local vendors for everything from comics to gaming supplements.
1-11 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17-18, C3-Corvallis Community Center 2601 N.W. Tyler Ave., Corvallis; admission $12 in advance; corvallisoregon.gov/c3/page/c3-gamecon
“The Happy Time”
Lakewood Theatre continues its Lost Treasures Collection series of rarely performed musical gems. These shows are performed in a concert/cabaret style with scripts in hand and minimal staging. “The Happy Time” is by Samuel A. Taylor and was originally produced on Broadway in 1968. The story is set in the 1920s and follows a world-traveling photographer who returns to the French-Canadian village of his birth to reconnect with his extended family.
7 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17-18, Lakewood Center For The Arts Side Door Theatre, 368 S. State St. Lake Oswego; tickets $20; by phone 503-635-3901 or lakewoodtheatrecompany.csstix.com
Work by Kite and Robbie Wing will be featured during the “Remembering to Remember” exhibit at PICA.
“Remembering to Remember: Experiments in Sound”
Curated by Roya Amirsoleymani and Felisha Ledesma this multifaceted exhibit offers a program of more than 15 international, national, and local artists spanning six live performances. Highlights include five newly commissioned multichannel compositions, four film/video works at the intersection of sound and moving image, and a month of artist residencies, community workshops, and public engagements. The hub of the multifaceted event will be hosted at the Portland Institute of Contemporary Art through mid March. Featured artists include Adee Roberson, Alison O’Daniel, Crystal Quartez, Hiro Kone, Kite & Robbie Wing, Lucy Liyou, Nivhek, Nyokabi Kariũki, Reese Bowes, Saint Abdullah, Sholeh Asgary, Takashi Makino, and Tomoko Sauvage.
Opening reception 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17. The exhibit remains on view during gallery hours through March 19, PICA, 15 N.E. Hancock St.; free. Check the website for a schedule of workshops and performances pica.org/events/r2r
“Young Americans”
Portland Center Stage presents the world premiere of Lauren Yee’s play directed by Desdemona Chiang. “Young Americans” takes audiences on two road trips, traveling to and from Portland, 20 years apart. The comedy is a bittersweet family history, exploring what home and belonging can mean. The work will finally make its stage debut after being put on hold during COVID shutdowns. Yee’s plays have been performed at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, La Jolla Playhouse, Victory Gardens in Chicago, among others. She is the winner of several awards including the Doris Duke Artist Award, the Steinberg Playwright Award, and the Horton Foote Prize.
Opens 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17, and continues various dates and times through March 26, Ellyn Bye Studio, at Portland Center Stage, 128 N.W. 11th Ave.; tickets start at $23; pcs.org/young-americans
“Trade”
Corrib Theatre presents a Mark O’Halloran play directed by Tamara Carroll. The show delves into the deep longing of two men, one older, one younger, and their struggle to relate in a world where they feel like outsiders. The script is both intimate and funny and highlights the vulnerability and tenderness missing in the characters’ everyday lives.”
Opens 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17, and continues 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays through March 12, at 21ten Theatre, 2110 S.E. 10th Ave.; tickets $15-$35; by phone 503-389-0579 or corribtheatre.org/trade/
Bailey Shaw and Xuan Cheng star in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s winter production of “La Sylphide.”
“La Sylphide” – Oregon Ballet Theatre
August Bournonville’s “La Sylphide” is considered one of the gems of the Romantic Ballet Era. Originally staged in 1836 by the Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen, the story ballet features a lush score by Herman Severin Løvenskjold, which will be performed live by the Oregon Ballet Theatre Orchestra. On a bittersweet note, these will be the farewell performances for phenomenal principal dancer Xuan Cheng, who is retiring after dancing with the company since 2011.
7:30 p.m. Saturday Feb. 18, and Friday-Saturday Feb. 24-25, matinees 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, and Saturday, Feb. 25, Keller Auditorium, 222 S.W. Clay St.; $29-$128, 503-222-5538 orobt.org.
– Grant Butler
An Oregon white truffle.Marielle, Dezurick
Truffle Festival Fresh Marketplace
The final event of the month-long Oregon truffle festival offers a chance to taste and purchase fresh Oregon truffles, cheeses, artisanal products, local wine, craft beer and spirits, and other items.
11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, Oregon State University Alumni Center, 725 S.W. 26th St., Corvallis; $25 general admission advance, $35 at door; visitcorvallis.com
“Dakota Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe,” the retrospective of Oscar Howe’s career is on view at the Portland Art Museum.Lizzy Acker/The Oregonian
Portland Art Museum Miller Family Free Day
View and participate in events that center around the Jeffrey Gibson and Oscar Howe exhibitions of Native art, with storytelling from Karen Kitchen (Osage Nation), performance by 7 Waters Canoe Family, and other music, dance, and art-making programs. Go to the website to register for free admission, some tickets may be available at the door.
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, Portland Art Museum, 1219 S.W. Park Ave; portlandartmuseum.org
Portland Mardi Gras Parade
The Portland celebration of Fat Tuesday takes to the streets again this year paying tribute to the creative energy of Oregon. The more than 100-member Krewe brings Louisiana Mardi Gras flavor to a party in the streets welcoming the community to join in the parade. Dress up in your Mardi Gras best and be prepared to dance.
7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, along North Mississippi Avenue between Humbolt and Cook streets; free; portlandmardigras.com/portland-mardi-gras-parade
“Piano and Winds”
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra welcomes Artist-In-Residence pianist Orli Shaham in a program of Eric Ewazen’s “Ballade, Pastorale and Dance,” Michail Glinka’s “Trio Pathetique in D minor,” and W.A. Mozart’s “Quintet in E-flat major for Piano and Winds,” which Mozart called his best composition.
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, First Presbyterian Church, 4300 Main St., Vancouver; tickets $25; vancouversymphony.org
Wesley Della Volla will give a talk on immersive reality at U of O White Stag Block building Thursday, Feb. 23.Image courtesy of Meridian Tree House
The Promise of Immersive Realities
The University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication welcomes immersive experience pioneer Wesley Della Volla in a shared, synchronized, immersive reality talk that will demonstrate how immersive media, like virtual reality and augmented reality, can go beyond novelty to become a tool for communication, connection, education, and sharing knowledge. Attendees will wear virtual reality headsets while Della Volla, founder of Meridian Treehouse, guides visitors through multiple experiences from the stage.
5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, White Stag Block, First Floor Conference Room, 70 N.W. Couch St., free but pre-registration is required at eventbrite.com/e/the-promise-of-immersive-realities
– If you have live or virtual events you’d like to see highlighted at OregonLive.com or in the weekly printed A&E section of The Oregonian, please email submissions to events@oregonian.com at least three weeks prior to the start of your event. Digital images or links to videos are helpful.
— Rosemarie Stein
503-221-4376, events@oregonian.com; @trafficportland
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