Community Theater

We love going to live theater productions. When it is a production of a 3-part online series done by your favorite writer, director, producer of all time, we love it even more.

Last night we went to the Blue Monkey Theater Co.’s adaptation of Joss Whedon’s internet sensation Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog and it was awesome! I mean, I have to admit that I was a little skeptical because this play obviously would have some areas where they’d have to really stretch the imagination, well that and it wouldn’t star Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day, but they pulled it off flawlessly.

Sometimes the ingenuity of small productions creates a much more unique experience for the audience than a big off-Broadway show, but I wouldn’t know as I’ve never been to one before so maybe I should shut my trap, but then again, this is my blog, so (nod with grimace.) I like the smaller venues where there are usually less than a hundred people in the audience, and sometimes much smaller than that even. This is the same reason I love school plays too.

This isn’t going to be a review for Dr. Horrible, but I do highly recommend going to see it if you are a fan of the show, and even if you are not, it is hilarious, complete with a few new numbers that work extremely well to give the entire cast some stage time. Just go to http://www.bluemonkeytheater.org/ for times and ticket information.

Anyway, so the real reason I wanted to write about community theater is because it is a great way to entertain your family and teach your kids about the arts. Watching TV is one thing, but there is a glass screen between them and their favorite actors on a show, whereas going to see a live show there is nothing between you and the performers. Usually after the show you can even interact with the actors which is especially fun for children’s shows.

Almost every town has at least one community theater group, or at least one nearby. We are so fortunate in the Portland Metro Area to have a ton of various amateur productions going on all year long, as well as the off-Broadway shows. I urge you to think about going to see a play instead of going to the movies next time you are looking for a family night out, or maybe just a grown up night out as I can’t necessarily recommend Dr. Horrible to kids under ten!