Looking back means just looking around the corner from Hotel deLuxe
I guess maybe it’s because of the changing of the year, but I’ve been feeling decidedly nostalgic lately. Worse yet, it’s for a time before I was even born. The product of my love of old movies, I suppose.
But as I may have mentioned before, when my Mom was young, she often worked as a chorus girl for the old Portland Civic Theater. The theater is now the Social Security Office and is situated just around the corner from Hotel deLuxe at 1530 SW Yamhill.
The other day I wandered in there just to see if I could get a feel for what it must’ve been like. The theater opened about a century ago and had evening and afternoon entertainment from stock companies, road shows, vaudeville. It closed in the 1990s sometime.
For a second I thought I heard an echo of the theater’s former glory, but it was just someone’s stupid ringtone.
Break a leg,
Emily
Hi, I just took a chance that others might have the same interest as myself. all good stories usually start with “once upon a time” it was my pleasure to be able to work at the old Portland Civic Theatre with many fine (nefarous?) people. i worked there during the years 1977-79 on SRO and seasonal productions while studying video at Clackamas Com. College. Returning there one more time, in1983.Some of the programs we worked on were Damn Yankees, A Little Night Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, Guys and Dolls and the list goes on. My position was usually Scenic Carpenter and Running Crew. Glen Gauer, F.Dale Davis, David Hayward Master Carpenter, L.Stacy Eddie, Harry Sherbourne, Rick Jones . I i also enjoyed working with many fine actors and musicians and Music Directors such as David Kelly. There are some fun stories to tell about Cas tand Crew Parties , averting disasters, and hauntings inside the old Portland Civic Theatre (some of us slept there after hard work!) Did i mention Thaddeous Shaw?
Thank you,
Break a leg, (camera lens?)
thank you
Clayton
I’m even older than the two previous commenters, I was in a couple of Civic Theatre productions in the mid ’60s. It was wonderful, I was in high school, the theatre was a good intimate size, and the people working there loved theatre and were generous to us youngsters. My favorite musical was “Finian’s Rainbow”. I was so sad when the Civic Theatre closed, it was a very important part of my youth.
Camera lens but no legs broken.