Skip to main content
WATCH: Home/Land
Hand2Mouth may be a small theater company, but it’s one of the most significant drama institutions in Portland. Its 2021 virtual epic Distancias was the most poignant portrait of life in quarantine to emerge from the PDX theater scene—and it’s easy to imagine 2017′s wondrous Psychic Utopia (about the history of communes in Oregon) being talked about for decades. For its latest endeavor, Home/Land, Hand2Mouth teams with France’s Begat Theater and NYC’s WaxFactory to take audiences on a time-shifting journey through a shelter village. With a brilliant creative team in charge, the production promises to do what Hand2Mouth does best: astonish. Zidell Yards, 3121 S Moody Ave., 503-217-4202, hand2mouththeatre.org. 7 pm Thursday-Sunday, through Sept. 18. $5-$25.
LISTEN: Jackson Browne
Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Jackson Browne’s early lyrics captured hard-to-express emotions, exemplified by “Late for the Sky” (1974) and “Here Come Those Tears Again” (1976). His later work has turned outward—often expressing dismay over the state of the environment and social injustice. Browne’s upcoming Edgefield concert is sure to offer a solid mix of both iterations of his music, performed in the venue’s beautiful outdoor amphitheater and serviced by McMenamins’ amply oiled event machine. McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheater, 2126 SW Halsey St., Troutdale, 503-669-8610, mcmenamins.com. 6:30 pm Wednesday, Sept. 14. $50.50-$145.50.
WATCH: Clown Down 2: Clown Out of Water
A stranded drag clown, a seagull with irritable bowel syndrome, the world’s last surviving polar bear, Liberace, Liza Minnelli and puppets of all sorts convene in Clown Down 2: Clown Out of Water. It all sounds like something out of a Kurt Vonnegut novel, but as part of PICA’s internationally renowned Time-Based Art Festival, the theatrical performance promises to be hyperrelevant. If you’re into absurdist commentary, the environment, or unhappy seagulls, be sure to put acclaimed Portland drag artist Anthony Hudson/Carla Rossi’s work on your calendar. Portland Institute for Contemporary Art Annex, 15 NE Hancock St., 503-242-1419, risk-reward.org. 6 pm Thursday-Friday, 2 pm Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 15-18. $10-$25.
GO: JUNTOSpdx Opening Ceremony
A free, family-friendly festival featuring everything from a vintage T-shirt collection to an exhibition made by local Latinx artists (Xochitl Santana Nuño, Alex Valle, Karen Taylor and others) kicks off JUNTOSpdx, a new celebration marking Hispanic Heritage Month. Events take place every weekend through Oct. 15, including a gallery show at the Old Town Chinatown Community Association’s headquarters on Saturday, followed by live music performances and dancing throughout Portland’s original downtown. ¡Estás invitado! Portland’s Old Town-Chinatown neighborhood, juntospdx.net. 2-6 pm Saturday, Sept. 17. Free.
WATCH: Doc-O-Rama
The Portland Art Museum and the Center for an Untold Tomorrow, collectively known as PAM CUT, invite film buffs to stop debating the merits of 8 mm over digital (at least temporarily) and attend the Doc-O-Rama film festival instead. The event’s five selections showcase boldness in all senses of the word, from Workhorse Queen’s story of a drag artist struggling to create a meaningful career in the entertainment industry to Aggie’s tale of a wealthy art investor using her assets to fight for justice. The festival culminates with a showing of Moonage Daydream, which features a live musical performance in honor of Ziggy Stardust (aka David Bowie). Whitsell Auditorium, 1219 SW Park Ave., 503-221-1156, pamcut.org. Showtimes vary Friday-Saturday, Sept. 16-17, and Friday, Sept. 23 and 30. $12 for individual screenings, $55 for a festival pass.
WATCH: You’re Wrong About Live
Sarah Marshall has made a career of bursting people’s bubbles with her podcast You’re Wrong About. Her modus operandi is to shatter long-held beliefs and collective misremembrances by shining a light on commonly misunderstood topics, such as the Donner Party, Go Ask Alice and Tom Cruise (specifically, an incident with a couch). Marshall teams up with Chelsey Weber-Smith of the American Hysteria podcast for an evening of perspective-alerting revelations set to the music of Carolyn Kendrick. McMenamins Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan St., 503-223-4527, mcmenamins.com. 8 pm Friday, Sept. 16. $30 in advance, $35 day of show.
GO: CoHo Clown Festival
If you have mixed feelings about clowns, it might be time for some exposure therapy at the CoHo Clown Festival. The event features performances by clowns of all types: extremely tall clowns, clowns bearing rubber chickens, clowns who bring along a sex-positive ally, Frenchy clowns, and everything in between. Join in the performance of the Opening Follies: Clown Dance Ritual, dip into one or two of the diverse performances, or snag a CoHo Clown Festival FastPass to enjoy all the events at a discount. CoHo Theatre, 2257 NW Raleigh St., 503-220-2646, cohoproductions.org. Various times Thursday-Sunday, Sept. 16-Oct. 9. Tickets to individual shows are pay what you can, $50-$200 for a FastPass.
LISTEN: Beatrice
Portland Opera to Go takes the operatic experience on field trips to regional schools, and this year it showcases Beatrice by Dave Ragland and librettist Mary McCallum. The opera explores the history of Beatrice Morrow Cannady, associate editor of The Advocate—the first African American newspaper in Oregon. Those of us not attending middle school have just two opportunities to sample the performance POGO will share with kids all over the state. Hampton Opera Center, 211 SE Caruthers St., 503-241-1407, portlandopera.org. 7:30 pm Saturday, 2 pm Sunday, Sept. 17-18. $35.
EAT: Annual Corn Roast and Harvest Festival
Corn is amazingly versatile: It’s grainlike yet counts as a vegetable; it’s sweet yet works amazingly well in savory dishes; and it’s among the few foods that pop. There are so many reasons to celebrate corn that the town of Forest Grove is doing just that. Head to Pacific University in the heart of downtown FG to enjoy corn roasted, toasted and popped, along with live music, family-friendly activities, and a scenic setting. Pacific University, 2043 College Way, Forest Grove, 503-357-3006, forestgrove-or.gov. 11 am-5 pm Saturday, Sept. 17. Free.