Artists Rep Immerses Audiences in a Thrilling Murder Mystery: ‘The Event’ Spotlight

As almost every Beyoncé song proves, great singular art can emerge from many, a lot writers – up to 24. This is so true with “The Event!” ,” the original, collaborative fall opening of Artists Repertory Theater, which required just seven Portland-area playwrights. Lava Alapai, Linda Alper, Anthony Hudson, Daniel Kitrosser, Susannah Mars, Josie Seid and Luan Schooler (ART’s director of artistic programming who also directs) linked up via Zoom near the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Zoom the rooms all day, every day,” said Hudson, aka Portland drag superstar Carla Rossi. The writers were given carte blanche to free the Krakens from their respective imaginations. “We were just writing crazy scenes and seeing what came together for a storyline. I don’t know what it looks like, but I can’t wait to see it.

(At the time of this interview, Hudson had not been able to see the final version or attend a rehearsal.)

Hudson, a queer artist from Grand Ronde and Siletz, developed his memory piece “Looking for Tiger Lily” at ART. The premiere was scheduled to take place in May 2020, but was shelved as the pandemic forced theaters to close.

Produced as part of ART’s Mercury Project, “The Event!” kicks off the downtown company’s “Local and Made in Portland Season.” This is ART’s first major show since the organization abruptly fired its new artistic director Jeanette Harrison and canceled its 2023-2024 season following a sudden financial shortfall.

The new space isn’t finished, so the company is opening its doors to a sparkling new lobby. On opening night, the makeshift venue was outfitted with green alien lights, hanging clothing and posters for the McMenamins UFO Fest in McMinnville.

This may seem like an affectation of punctuation, but the thrilling mystery “The Event!” » deserves its exclamation point.

The show: Steeped in the noir of the Pacific Northwest, “The Event!” chronicles strange events in the fictional town of Cabotville, Oregon, a once-bustling logging town that could be Oakridge, Cave Junction, or John Day after the mills closed in the 1980s. When Rudy, whom Hudson described as a ” queerdo theater kid and outcast,” disappears, a curious reporter named Misty investigates his disappearance, interviewing the eccentric people of the town of Cabotville. “Twin Peaks” fans will feel right at home as ostriches, UFOs and other inexplicable oddities pop up in bizarre breadcrumbs. Although Rudy plays a central role in the pulpy thriller, he has never been seen on stage.

“It’s kind of like ‘Waiting for Guffman’ meets ‘Unsolved Mysteries,'” Hudson said. “It’s also weird and funny. The tone changes throughout, while maintaining the same “Guffman” vibe.

What’s the big idea? Instead Of which Big idea?

This would be Schooler, who launched the project, brought together the collaborators and distributed the missions.

“Luan would say, ‘Anthony, write a historical film strip that starts at the time of the Missoula floods and takes us back to the modern founding of the city,’ and I said, ‘I’m in it, I’m in it.’ , recalls Hudson.

“She really structured it in a way that we could all have agency and experience it, but she also guided us subtly.”

Before turning into a mystery play, “The Event!” began as an outdoor experiential theater piece built around different stations for the audience to explore. The show was also a podcast.

You would think that with so many voices, the story would be an adventure fraught with pitfalls. The craziest thing about “The Event!” that’s how well it works.

Hudson said the group’s efforts helped “flesh out the feeling of a thriving town full of weirdos.”

Egos left at the door of the Zoom room: “We all have very big personalities. We all have very specific and unique voices, but I think it was again a tribute to Luan’s incredible ability to bring people together, because immediately the attitude was just “Yes and”, all the way through. process,” Hudson said.

Things to know before you go: The show is interactive, but audience participation is (thankfully) elective (just sit in the back seats).

Who is who: Ashlee M. Radney lives in spunky Misty. The offbeat citizens of Cabottville include Bobby Bermea, Gail Dartez, Kailey Rhodes, Anthony Green Caloca, Dan Sweet and Alissa Jessup playing multiple roles.

Leah Cohn slides right into Velva Porter, a wacky Southern transplant, a character Hudson said he essentially wrote for himself, although he doesn’t star in the show.

“She’s a psychic who moved to Cabotville to open a psychic palm reader shop, but as a front to sell drugs in the back. Then weed was legalized, so she found herself having to become a real psychic reader,” Hudson said.

“The Twins,” two influential sisters also born by Hudson, are played by different groups of actors throughout the play, and each pair commands the spotlight.

Unmissable moments: Seven less talented scribes might produce something less appealing, more confusing – for example, “The event? » But “The Event!” ” ends with zany and surprisingly poignant final scenes as the town finds its purpose.

“The event!”

When: Various times and dates through November 10.

Or: Artists Repertory Theater, 1515 SW Morrison St.

Tickets: $60, 503-241-1278 or www.artistsrep.org

Note: The show lasts approximately 90 minutes without intermission.