Theater is like Yeast

16 Apr, 2008

When we first began discussions about what we’d like our new home to be like, one of the phrases that often popped up was, ‘it should be activated from 10 in the morning until midnight, six days a week.’ It sounded exciting - but perhaps a bit unrealistic. I mean, were people really going to ‘hang out’ in a theater lobby?

Last week I arrived at the building at 8 in the morning for some meeting, and was surprised to find a film crew set up in the lobby and swarms of people running back and forth. I had no idea what they were doing - because I literally cannot keep up with the amount of activity that now happens at the Armory. The building has become like yeast: it has a life of its own.

Some examples of activities over the past six weeks:

Oregon Ballet Theater Board Meeting; Henry Condos HOA Meeting; tour for the Vancouver, Washington Parks and Rec board; ”Green Building” event hosted by Former Governor John Kitzhaber and Dick Moe of the Trust for Historic Preservation; Travel Portland Board meeting; Sojourn Theater reception/fundraiser; Powell’s Books bulding committee met to look at our approaches for their future expansion project; tour for Newberg High School students; tour for Portland Adventist School; gathering for ‘Crave Portland’ a group of sustainable entrepreneuers; Juvenile Diabetes Photo Shoot; Equity Foundation fundraiser; Portland Magazine photo shoot (fashion spread); Travel Portland event: 60 meeting planners from across the U.S. here to view Portland venues for potential bookings; Ian Garrett event - young leader in the Green Theater movement in LA; Business Journal banquet; Corley Wedding; Nintendo Video Shoot in the lobby (this is apparently what I stumbled upon); Klosterman wedding; Ken Kesey Symposium with Gus Van Sant; Regionalism Dialogue with William Robbins; tour for PCS Donors; tour for students from Catlin Gabel school; Oregon Council for the Humanities: ‘Four Questions’ Lecture series; World Affairs Council - visitors from the British Prime Minister’s office; GBD architects (the building’s designers) tour with 15 architects from New Zealand; Oregon Live (news website) reception; Portland Community College Environmental Building class; ‘Good Day Oregon’ TV filming about Green Technology applicable to homeowners; Literary Arts event with Barry Lopez and Paul Hawken; Portland Tribune Home and Garden tour for the ‘Green Homes’ section; PDX ‘Mind Share’ reception.

This doesn’t count the folks just hanging out to have a pastry or cup of coffee at the cafe, or to check out the history of the building at the ‘historiscope’ (last week there was an older woman sitting at the thing with a notebook scribbling notes - for what I couldn’t quite imagine).

Whew. I’m worn out just thinking about it.

But it is awfully fun to watch this variety of activity filling up and enjoying our home.

published in Portland Center Stage

1 comments

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Queen of chaos said in 4-17-2008 @ 10:43:47

One of the “perks” of being on staff as one of the House Managers at PCS is witnessing the visable delight of first time patrons as they enter the doors on performance nights/matinees…You can easily spot the “newbies” as they generally enter, walk three feet in, freeze in their tracks and look upward, pointing, nudging their accompanying friends and begin smiling. We generally give them a moment to drink it all in, then step forward to greet them, direct them to the box office, restrooms, cafe, or to the funky and fun historiscope for a little trip down memory lane. Two visitors from San Fransisco simply said, “Stunning…just stunning” to each other over and over. I especially like the evenings when there is a Production on the Mainstage, a Production in the Studio theatre, AND a reception or dinner party going on simultaneously on the Mezzanine Balcony -Theatre patrons often inquire about the beautiful, candle lit event on the Mezzanine as they enter for a theater performance and are surprised and delighted to find that PCS does indeed rent the space too. A glorious old/new war-horse of a building indeed. And like yeast, it is indeed taking on a life of its own - what a delightful place to be!