Performing Arts❯Open Mics

From the celebrated and award-winning composer Dave Malloy comes Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812, an electropop opera based on a scandalous slice of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Young and impulsive, Natasha Rostova arrives in Moscow to await the return of her fiancé from the front lines. When she falls under the spell of the roguish Anatole, it is up to Pierre, a family friend in the middle of an existential crisis, to pick up the pieces of her shattered reputation. Following a critically exalted premiere at Ars Nova in New York City, a subsequent off-Broadway transfer and an acclaimed run on Broadway, this award-winning musical expands the possibilities for the genre with its daring score and bold storytelling.

Music and Lyrics By Dave Malloy

One of the most beloved operas ever written, La Traviata pairs soaring melodies with a deeply personal story of love and sacrifice. At its center is Violetta, an independent woman navigating desire, societal expectation, and the fragile possibility of happiness on her own terms. As romance and reality collide, Verdi’s luminous score reveals the emotional complexity of living authentically in a world determined to impose its rules. Tender, tragic, and timeless, the opera continues to resonate for its compassionate portrayal of Violetta’s vulnerability, resilience, courage as she chooses personal truth in the face of public judgment.

Step into a slippery world where the line between truth and fiction is all in the packaging. It’s 1936, and a pair of passionate filmmakers has landed their next big project: a sweeping Spanish Civil War film with the potential to change American hearts and minds. It just happens to be bankrolled by the KGB. Spain by Jen Silverman is a seductive and tense thriller about the power of art to change the world — for better and for worse.

by Jen Silverman, directed by Josh Hecht

One of the most ambitious productions in recent Profile history, Spain is a grand cross-disciplinary spectacle featuring multiple partnerships with arts organizations throughout Portland, including live opera developed in partnership with Portland Opera, and both recorded and live music performed by musicians with 45th Parallel.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra is back with a spectacular new production of The Ghosts of Christmas Eve: The Best of TSO and More – featuring the fan-favorite holiday rock opera alongside TSO classics, and rarely performed gems.

Shows:

November 28 at 3:30pm & 8pm

What is a StorySLAM? The Moth StorySLAM is an open-mic storytelling competition in which anyone can share a true, personal, 5‑minute story on the night’s theme. Sign up for a chance to tell a story or sit back and enjoy the show. Tonight’s Theme HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS: Prepare a five-minute story about embracing every aspect of the holiday season. From the chaos of family gatherings, an unexpected

Comedy: Dia de los Muertos Open Mic at Kilo D'Cofi.

For more than 20 years, Portland Opera to Go (nicknamed POGO) has shared opera experiences with communities around the region. The Crown Maker is a world-premiere opera inspired by the life and legacy of Eva Castellanos, a Mexican American healer, artist, educator, and tireless advocate for immigrant rights. Rooted in Oregon history and shaped by the traditions of community storytelling, the work explores how creativity, compassion, and cultural knowledge can transform lives across generations.

Told as a traditional corrido, The Crown Maker blends poetry, history, and music to explore how one woman’s vision empowered generations through art, healing traditions, and fearless community leadership. Through an evocative score and intimate storytelling, The Crown Maker honors Castellanoz’ lifelong dedication to uplifting others through art, healing practices, and grassroots activism. Her work created spaces where identity, heritage, and belonging could thrive, even in the face of social and political barriers. The opera examines the lasting influence of those who build community not through power or prestige, but through care, vision, and persistence.

Created especially for Portland Opera to Go audiences, The Crown Maker blends poetry, history, and music to explore how one woman’s vision empowered generations through art, healing traditions, and fearless community leadership. This production brings a uniquely Oregonian story to life, while speaking to universal themes of resilience, memory, and self-determination. The Crown Maker celebrates the power of cultural inheritance and the people who preserve it, inviting audiences of all ages to reflect on how stories, traditions, and acts of courage continue to shape communities today.

Nov. 14 — Two performances at Walters Cultural Arts Center in Hillsboro at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Dec. 4-5 — Three performances at the World Trade Center Theatre.

Jan. 10 — Watch at the historic Clatskanie Cultural Center at 2 p.m.

Jan. 24 — Join the Happy Valley Library at 2 p.m.

Slamlandia is a poetry open mic and slam that meets every month at Literary Arts, on the third Thursday. This mic provides a creative, fun, and welcoming space for all literary communities in Portland. We encourage poets new and old to come share their work. We strive towards a safe space for poets to read their own poetry, witness others, and participate in community.

Hosted by Julia Gaskill. November’s featured poet will be announced soon.