Fall Arts Issue Calendar: Dancing on the Sabbath, Amanda Lepore, and More!

Apotropaic

September 13–December 14

(VISUAL ART) UK textile artist and Royal College of Art professor Freddie Robins fuses kitsch, gender exploration, and a rebellious sense of expression into tapestries, tactile sculptures, and assemblages. Adding a little insight into what this show might investigate: its name, Apotropaic, means “designed to avert evil.” It’s less “Keep Calm and Carry On” and more ritualistic, comprised of knitted horses and studio remnants, among other curiosities. Curated by Stephanie Snyder, Robins’ solo exhibition brings her to Portland as Reed’s Stephen E. Ostrow distinguished visitor, and she’ll deliver an artist talk on September 30. (Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery, Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock, FREE, reed.edu, all ages) LC

Karen Slack: African Queens

September 13–14

(MUSIC) Iconic soprano—and winner of the 2025 Grammy for Best Classical Vocal Solo—Karen Slack opens the Portland Opera 2025-26 season with a survey of story and style. Her curation of African Queens, draws from songs already familiar and new compositions from contemporary composers Jasmine Barnes, Jessie Montgomery, Shawn Okpebholo, Dave Ragland, Carlos Simon, Joel Thompson, and Portland Opera’s Music Director Damien Geter—sometimes referred to as “the “Blacknificent 7.” Each commissioned work drew inspiration from a great African woman in the past; the collected evening draws a line through history via Slack’s impressive musical range. (Patricia Reser Center for the Arts, 12625 SW Crescent, Beaverton, $36-56, portlandopera.org, all ages) SUZETTE SMITH

The Elixir of Love

September 19–20

(THEATER & PERFORMANCE) Nicknamed POGO, Portland Opera’s “to go” company travels around the state—with portable scenery and costumes—performing 50-minute opera productions for students in school gyms and neighborhood community centers. The shows are created to be approachable to youthful audiences, which also makes them perfect for anyone dipping their toe into opera for the first time and worldly fanciers looking for an opera snack. On an educational level, Elixir of Love by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti is a textbook example of the bel canto style he was influential in popularizing; on a theatrical one, it’s a messy little drama about snake oil salesmen and the strongest romantic love potion: affected indifference. (Winningstad Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway, $15, portlandopera.org, all ages) SS

Sasha Fishman: Shad Mode

September 20–November 15

(VISUAL ART) For Sasha Fishman, the extraction of marine biomaterials is both a research-driven investigation and a sculptural gesture, an inquiry shaped by the sea itself. The fittingly surnamed artist is a Columbia sculpture grad who has collaborated with laboratories on “salmon, fountains, and carbon capture materials.” She’ll show for the first time at ILY2; expect a slick, watery sensibility in Fishman’s Shad Mode, whose material explorations include hagfish slime, algae, and cicada shells. (ILY2, 925 NW Flanders, FREE, ily2online.com, all ages) LC

Paradise Blue

September 24–November 2

(Theater & Performance) A jazz club in 1949 Detroit is the setting of Paradise Blue, the kickoff production for Portland Playhouse’s 18th season. The Black Bottom neighborhood, which is home to the Paradise jazz joint, is on the precipice of gentrification, as the protagonist Blue—a deeply troubled trumpeter—fights to retain control over the club and come to terms with his own tortured history. Acclaimed playwright Dominique Morisseau’s immersive script is one of a cycle of productions documenting the Black experience in Detroit, and how the city and its residents are haunted by the decisions and mistakes of the past. (Portland Playhouse, 602 NE Prescott, $25-59.95, Arts for All passes available to those receiving SNAP benefits, portlandplayhouse.org) WSH

Amanda Lepore

September 25

(THEATER & PERFORMANCE) Amanda Lepore graces the faggots, faeries, dykes, and daddies of Portland with her club kid glamour for one night—giving face, showing off the “world’s most expensive body,” and oozing downtown cool with every pose. This “Back-to-Werk” show sees Lepore invite the city’s buzziest queens to share the stage, like Mona Chrome, Ry Bred, Tomboy, and Mercury favorite Violet Hex. Those willing to splurge on VIP afterparty tickets can enjoy the homo DJ collective Jacques Strappe at a secret location only disclosed to buyers of the very VIP tickets. (X-Port Lounge, 1355 SW 2nd, 8 pm, $25-50, posh.vip, 21+) NP

Yoshida Chizuko

September 27–January 4

(VISUAL ART) Pioneering Japanese modernist Yoshida Chizuko gets her due in this first-ever major retrospective, which spotlights Chizuko’s paintings, woodblock prints, and rare monotypes, among other print mediums. Described as “quietly prolific” by exhibition organizer and curator Jeannie Kenmotsu, Ph.D., Chizuko’s avant-garde contributions to both the modernist movement and 20th-century Japanese printmaking have long been undersung in favor of male artists of the period. Featuring optical art, naturalist works, and experimental pieces, the exhibition traces the full arc of her career and restores overdue recognition to her legacy. (Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park, FREE–$25, portlandartmuseum.org, all ages) LC

Primary Trust

September 28–October 26

(THEATER & PERFORMANCE) Awarded the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Primary Trust by Eboni Booth tells the story of Edward, an introverted Black bookstore employee who spends much of his free time with an imaginary drinking buddy. After Edward is suddenly laid off and ejected from the bubble of his solitary, comfortable life, he’s encouraged to get a job at a local bank, where his life is slowly transformed in unexpected, and ultimately positive, ways. Produced in multiple cities across the country, Primary Trust has received tons of terrific press, which bodes well for Portland’s version of this good-natured and funny meditation on the importance of human connection. (Portland Center Stage, 128 NW 11th, $25-98, pcs.org) WSH

The Bed Trick

September 30–October 26

(THEATER & PERFORMANCE) Tired of dusty Shakespeare revivals? Then you may fall in love with Seattlite Keiko Green’s sparkling, modern version of All’s Well That Ends Well—now called The Bed Trick—which updates the farcical tale with a sexy, youthful, and thoughtful spin. Three college freshmen engage in a wild plot of revenge and trickery when they discover that one of their boyfriends is a cheater—leading to a hilarious series of events that include catfishing, deception, and romantic betrayal. While hilarious, this effervescent story also promises to be an eye-opening treatise on consent, modern romance, and the “problematic” plays of the Bard. (Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison, $5-60, artistsrep.org) WSH

Lambrini Girls / Edging

October 4

(MUSIC) At their Mississippi Studios gig earlier this year, Brighton, UK’s Lambrini Girls tore it the fuck up, easily facilitating one of the absolute best shows of 2025—forging community in the shape of a 10-person human pyramid that a circle pit immediately formed around. The radical, all-femme outfit plays fast, witty punk for those interested in Palestinian liberation and queer and trans rights. It’s Cuntology 101, bitch! (Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark, 8 pm, SOLD OUT, revolutionhall.com, all ages) NP

Dancing on the Sabbath

October 11–November 8

(THEATER & PERFORMANCE) Shaking the Tree’s season opener sounds promising on a number of levels. It’s a reimagined fairytale—12 Dancing Princesses—told on a topical slant, which has become something of a specialty for the theater company that brought us _____ the Wolf in 2018 and The Brother and the Bird in 2024. Some of the city’s finest talent are at Dancing on the Sabbath’s creative center: with the company’s Samantha Van Der Merwe directing and a notable cast that includes Sammy Rat Rios and Kai Hynes. ProLab’s Laura Cannon choreographs “12 ritual dances” to convey “silent resistance and rebellion.” (Shaking the Tree, 823 SE Grant, $12-48, shaking-the-tree.com, 16+) SS

Via Mardot / Pillow Spiders

October 24

(MUSIC) You know and love Detroit heavyweights J Dilla, the Stooges, MC5, the White Stripes, and the Supremes, now get ready to fall for Motorcity thereminist Via Mardot. But don’t get it twisted, the composer and multi-instrumentalist also plays guitar, chimes, marzolin, and the makeup brushes—among others. And she sings! Mardot’s music exudes eerie soundscapes that might make you fall in love or question how you came to be in this remote European cemetery at three in the morning. (Polaris Hall, 635 N Killingsworth Ct, 8 pm, $26.05, polarishall.com, all ages) NP

Carmen+

October 24–25

(THEATER & PERFORMANCE) In 2017, choreographer Ihsan Rustem debuted a commissioned work for Performance Works NW, a take on the 19th-century opera Carmen that infused the drama about passion with wry absurdity and set it partially in a ’50s barbershop. The work was a hit, earning a Readers’ Choice Award from Dance Magazine and furthering Rustem’s already commendable reputation for collaboration. Now Portlanders have a real treat on their hands: another chance to see Rustem’s Carmen, with the original cast members, Andrea Parson and Franco Nieto. The “+” is a brand new work from UK choreographer Caroline Finn, which rounds out the show, treating audiences to an evening of dance that is new, boundary-pushing, and beloved. (Newmark Theatre, 111 SW Broadway, $35-74, nwdanceproject.org, all ages) SS

Portugal. The Man / Ya Tseen

November 6–7

(MUSIC) Portugal. The Man’s first three albums—Waiter: “You Vultures!”, It’s Complicated Being a Wizard, and Church Mouth—still go so hard to this day, Yet, the early work feels rather remote when lined up side-by-side next to their newer, more radio-ready releases. Will the band’s new album—slated for a fall release—return to their deeply experimental roots, or will it be a further exploration of pop music’s groovier outer reaches? One thing we do know: P.™ are primed for their back-to-back hometown and tour sendoff shows. (Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark, 8 pm, $60.44, revolutionhall.com, all ages) NP

Portland Book Festival

November 8

(Readings & Talks) Every year, nonprofit Literary Arts brings a passel of writers, publishers, and book lovers to the Portland Art Museum and surrounding South Park Blocks to mark the start of cozy-nights-in-with-a-good-book season—on the other side of summer’s debaucherous beach read bacchanals. This year marks the 20th anniversary of what began as Wordstock—renamed in 2018—where attendees get to interact (no touching) with authors from all genres and backgrounds, hawking their words in the most enjoyable way possible: via talks and readings that’ll give you way too many good ideas of what to read next. Bring a tote, because you’re going to take home an armful of new things to stack on the nightstand. (Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park, 10 am–6 pm, admission $18 and up, free for youth 17 and under, along with veterans and active military, Arts for All passes available, pdxbookfest.org, all ages) NED LANNAMANN