You may notice a few things about the 1031 Theatre isn’t quite what you’ve come to expect from a community theatre.

First but not foremost there is our infatuation with Halloween. We love it. We’d eat it if we could. Adopting this holiday as our theme gives our imaginations a license to run wild in a way that’s not only accepted but expected during that time of year.

Second and more importantly, by adopting a “haunted house” as our stage we create a totally unexpected theatre experience. The scenery surrounds our guests from all directions. Characters can interact with them and improvise their shtick, virtually guaranteeing that no two performances are exactly alike. Not only that, but we burst the normal boundaries of stagecraft as props are created to move on their own; more like what you’d see at Disneyland than at a community theater. So while our actors are busy being actors, our prop makers are busy making actors as well.

But third and most importantly is our community. We believe that there are few if any places in the nation other than Portland where an experiment like this could flourish. You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting an undiscovered creative talent in this town and more often than not, that mind marches to a different drummer. Perfect for us. We are painters, sculptors, actors and musicians. And we’re also accountants, computer programmers, secretaries and soccer moms. We’re anybody that wants to try something new in a big, admittedly offbeat way.