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Plus, a national play premiere in Eugene, a Scottish festival in Santa Clara and a free bicycle advocacy documentary in Springfield.
Happy end-of-May, folks. I’m booked and busy this weekend, so I won’t be able to stop by anything on my list — which is an absolute shame, as we have the Art House yard sale, two stage shows from marquee Eugene arts organizations and more. Let’s get into it:
Out and about
Art House yard sale
If possible, don’t miss the Art House yard sale. It’s a movie dork’s dream, teeming with bits and bobs of film ephemera (and probably the best prices you can get on lightly used Fiestaware): used A/V equipment, movie memorabilia, 35mm trailers and film reels, physical media and plenty more. At last year’s yard sale, I picked up a metal film reel, a discounted T-shirt, 35mm film strips from the trailer for “A Serious Man” that I have yet to frame and a set of four sky-blue Fiestaware mugs I cherish.
- When: Noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 30 and 31
- Where: Art House, 492 E. 13th Ave., Eugene
- How much: Free to browse, but it’s a sale so obviously you might want to buy something.
Oakridge Rocks the Park
This weekend is the second Oakridge Rocks the Park, a grassroots community fundraiser in Oakridge with live music, food vendors and rocks to paint and pepper around Greenwaters Park. I attended the first Oakridge Rocks the Park in October and spoke with event coordinator Su Stella about the mission behind the community gathering to support Oakridge Strong, a nonprofit leading a legal fight against a long-controversial quarry project. (I would recommend going just to check out Greenwaters Park, which is drop-dead gorgeous and home to what I’m happy to deem one of the most scenic picnic tables in Lane County.)
- When: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 30
- Where: Greenwaters Park, 48362 Highway 58, Oakridge
- How much: Free to attend, but donations are welcome.
Eugene Scottish Festival
Ach, lassie! Maybe you’re looking for something a wee bit cultural? Ah cannae think of a better way to spend a Saturday than listening to Celtic music, seeing the Eugene Highlanders’ bagpipe and drum band, a demonstration of the Highland Games and seeing working sheep dogs herd livestock, and — gulp — the festival’s first-ever haggis-eating contest. Yum?
- When: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 30
- Where: Irving Grange, 1011 Irvington Drive, Eugene
- How much: Admission is $8, $5 for people 60 years and older, $25 for families up to five, and free for children under 12.
Performances
‘Dog Mom’ at Oregon Contemporary Theatre
A National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere — a project that launches playwrights’ work in theaters across the country — brings this pet-parent comedy to the Oregon Contemporary Theatre. Written by Tate Hanyok, “Dog Mom” is about a tough-as-nails New Yorker who begrudgingly fosters a scruffy stray dog. The dog is played by Katie Worley Beck, a standout performer in last fall’s production of “The Rocket Men” as German rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, reason enough to check out the play during its run.
- When: Opening night is Saturday, May 30 at 7:30 p.m. The play runs through Sunday, June 14.
- Where: Oregon Contemporary Theatre, 194 W. Broadway, Eugene
- How much: Tickets are available online, from $25 to $52 based on seat choice; student tickets are $20.
Eugene Ballet’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’
Your weekend plans are getting curiouser and curiouser, now that you’ll be fitting in seats at Eugene Ballet’s rendition of “Alice in Wonderland.” The ballet, choreographed by longtime artistic director Toni Pimble, will be presented with current artistic director Suzanne Haag’s “The Large Rock and the Little Yew,” an adaptation of a fable by local author and retired arborist Greg Ahlijian, about a small yew seed that grows after slipping into the crack of a rock.
- When: Two performances: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 30 and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 31
- Where: The Silva Concert Hall of the Hult Center, in downtown Eugene
- How much: Tickets are available online, starting at $30.
‘Three Decembers’ at Eugene Opera
A Broadway star and her two adult children grapple with love, loss and secrets kept from one another in this opera, which pops into the family’s lives during the holidays in 1986, 1996 and 2006. This multigenerational drama, inspired by the late celebrated playwright and librettist Terrence McNally’s unpublished play “Some Christmas Letters,” is being staged by the Eugene Opera, by director David Gately and artistic director Andrew Bisantz.
- When: Two performances: 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 29; and 3 p.m. Sunday, May 31
- Where: The Soreng Theater of the Hult Center, in downtown Eugene.
- How much: Tickets are available online starting at $37.
Shasta Jazz Band farewell concert
Back in March, my colleague Lilly St. Angelo wrote a beautiful story about the Shasta Jazz Band, a beloved youth music group at Shasta Middle School, after Bethel School District announced it would close the school outright. On Monday, Shasta musicians from the jazz band, bands from each grade level, and a Shasta alumni band will take the stage for one final concert.
- When: 7 p.m. Monday, June 1
- Where: The Silva Concert Hall of the Hult Center, in downtown Eugene
- How much: Tickets are available online and start at $15.
Movies
New at the box office
The A24-produced horror “Backrooms” comes to theaters this week, helmed by a 20-year-old director who graduated from YouTube short film to this atmospheric feature starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve. To explain: the “Backrooms” are a communal Internet horror creation, starting with a 4chan forum thread in 2019, centered on the idea of an endless chain of liminal, “wrong” looking spaces that defy the laws of physics in their mishmash construction of beige office interior. (Think “House of Leaves” meets “Severance” meets Slenderman, and you’re on the right track.) Director Kane Parsons previously made a popular “found footage” YouTube series inspired by the Backrooms; the feature is a test if his filmmaking chops can extend beyond 14-minute installments.
Playing at Metro Cinemas, Regal Valley River Center and Cinemark Eugene-Springfield.
The premise of “The Breadwinner” is even more horrifying: a father … has to actually take care of his children? And they’re … girls? I’m being sarcastic here because the press tour for this family comedy, anchored by everyman stand-up comedian du jour Nate Bargatze, has deeply annoyed me, with its “women-be-shoppin” level of gender dynamics applied to a guy with two daughters. (He laughed with Jimmy Fallon about having to wash a lot of towels. Cool.) I’m not a #girldad, so this could just be my mid-20s skepticism shining through. Your mileage may vary.
Playing at Regal Valley River Center and Cinemark Eugene-Springfield.
Special screenings
Part of the May Is Bike Month festivities include a $5 screening of “Building the Buffalo,” a documentary about the NGO World Bicycle Relief’s Buffalo Bicycle project, which designed and distributed bicycles geared for conditions in the global south to improve transportation access in the region. A group of locals will be talking about their recent visit to the World Bicycle Relief programs in Kenya to share first-hand reflections from the initiative. The screening is at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 29, at Springfield’s Wildish Theater.
Thank you for reading, Lookout members. If my picks aren’t up to your liking, check out our events calendar for more things to do. As always, if there are any events I should include here, or any feedback for this weekly list, drop me a line at annie@lookoutlocal.com.
