The Very Little Theater

This is hard to write because I love live theater. I mean, we came to Oregon for the first time to visit the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. We’ve made the pilgrimage to Broadway and to London’s West End several times. University productions. Touring companies. Local theater in several cities. I’m always on the lookout for theater, wherever it grows.
And while this is a great venue — terrific atmosphere — good location and adequate parking…
The truth is, we left after the first 15 minutes because we either couldn’t hear the performers, or just couldn’t understand them. Part of it was the acoustics of the house, but most of it was the actors. They talked down toward the stage, the furniture, and their own chests. They didn’t use sufficiently loud stage voices. Their hollow stage pieces were like drums when they walked from one side of their elevated set to the other. Lines that should have been laugh-​lines went past and nobody seemed to notice that they were meant to to be funny. What should have been a dark comedy, was just grim.
I really wanted to love this place, but I think it was a lost cause before they even began because the script was so weak. It talked and talked — but didn’t go any where. And if, after 15 minutes, the play isn’t up and running, then it probably never will be. I assume positive reviews of this play from other cities means that it is this production, and not the play itself which is the culprit.
I will say there were a lot of people in the audience who seemed to be having a good time. Laughter bubbled through the crowd from time to time. Maybe they knew the performers (which I admit we do not.) Maybe if we knew them, we’d have been able to understand what they were saying.

What a gem!
I love theater, and am not scared of the amateur variety. If you feel the same, then make sure to check out a show at Eugene’s littlest one. Brad C. was right at one point: the Man and I were often the only non-​white hairs in the audience as recently as a few years ago. But I’m happy to say that the most recent coupla plays we have taken in at VLT have had the whole age range in the audience… including tons of hipsters and kipsters (with their little kids).
The VLT is a gorgeous community theater with loads of history. It’s billed as «one of the oldest community theaters in the country,» and certainly one of the oldest in continuous operation. The theater lobby is a fun blast from the past, as there are photos and costumes from plays throughout the past nine decades in at least three Eugene locations (including a stint at the fairgrounds).
I’m impressed with the actors here, as well as the shows that make the program each season. The cast always includes several repeat offenders who are not only crowd favorites, but also great performers in their own right. There’s definitely an energy here that’s palpable, and is really the only explanation for a tiny theater company persisting, in Eugene of all places, for as long as it has.
One last, minor, side note and that is the Intermissions here. The «littler» theater (Stage Left) opens up during the middle of every show and pours fresh Full City coffee for free. Candy is $ 1. Maybe it’s just me, but this makes me giddy. I grew up being taken to Keller Auditorium at least a couple times per year for shows and remember always being so BORED and HUNGRY because the lines were too long and the food was too expensive for me to snack during intermissions. The kid in me smiles every time I get my «treat» here at VLT.

Live community theater that’s been around since the stone age. This also describes most of the patrons, performers and décor.
The place has got history and class but I don’t think anyone under 50 even knows it exists. It’s the big white building you cruise by on the corner of 23^rd and Hilyard down by Sundance and Humble Bagel. Shows sell out and the place is kinda cool once you get inside.
Went to see Funny Money and was entertained. It’s not Broadway or anything but they put on a professional performance with nice stage sets and actors.