Waterbrook Studio is Eric Hull's space for classes and performances, located in north Portland's industrial area not far from the new arts corridor along Mississippi Avenue, the latest "low rent" arts district for the city -- and going there last night to see "Poetry Off the Page" by Vox, I was reminded how important these "low rent" areas are. Here is where all the artistic risks happen, in environments before the stress and pressure of high rents, union wages, fat publicity budgets, many salaries, and all the rest of the business realities that chain "art for profit" (despite what they claim) institutions.
Last night I was reminded of the old Storefront Theatre space on Russell St in the 70s. The whole ambiance here is so different, so exciting, so "artsy". As an actor told me a few years ago, theater starts out as something to see and "progresses" into social activities to be seen at. In the 80s the Seattle Weekly compared its professional theater scene to Portland's not-quite-professional-yet theater scene and saw many advantages in the latter, such as more theatrical risk taking. Leaving the theater last night, H said, I'm glad places like this still exist. Indeed.
The performace itself, which we loved, was very well reviewed by Bob Hicks at Art Scatter.
And more history of Portland's "low rent" arts and the wonderful risks they embrace are here in my essay about the late Peter Fornara, Risk in Rep.
Look for a video profile of Eric Hull and Vox at a future Oregon Literary Review.
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Hi I just found this article and really took me back to those days. I knew Peter Fornara and a number of the people who worked with him and can remember the personalities very well.
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