New Arts Venue Comes to the West Side for Experience Theatre Project

Experience Theatre Project, Beaverton’s “2024 Best Theatre,” has announced that it has finally found a permanent home in Washington County. 

This nomadic group, known for its intimate, innovative immersive live theater shows, is planning to shape an empty warehouse located at 18850 SW Alexander St. in Beaverton into a vibrant arts hub. The venue will host their unique brand of immersive theater, and welcome underrepresented artists and art groups that may not otherwise be able to afford renting a venue to present their work. The space, which will be unique to Washington county, will offer opportunities to diverse, unrepresented voices otherwise not available in the area.  

“I’m so thrilled that after nine years of using temporary spaces, our theater company finally has found a place to call its own,” said Managing Artistic Director Alisa Stewart. “It’s been a long time coming for our group. And giving back to the community is important too. It’s time to ramp up what this artistic, diverse community is capable of.”  

Since 2016, the nonprofit group has been performing it’s immersive shows like The Queen’s Feast, Clue, A Regency Garden Party, Misery, and Great Gatsby’s Daisy, at various rental venues in and around Beaverton, from a vacant storefront to a wedding barn. “It’s hard to be in a space for a short period of time,” says Stewart. “Everything from the set, costumes, lights, and sound to the front of the house, food and drink must be set up and taken down in short order, sometimes on the same day. And we are always at the mercy of house rules, which often clash with our goals as a community-driven theater company.”  

Experience Theatre Project delayed its 2024-25 season until it was able to find a space in which to perform. “We have been trying to find an accessible, affordable space for years. We wanted to find something not too big that would serve our audiences well, and provide opportunities for diverse artists to use our space for their own artistic desires, like an exhibition or as a maker space. I often think of The Theatre Building in Chicago as a great example of how artists come together and collaborate in one space, pooling resources, which makes theatre production more affordable and gorgeously diverse. Our new venue will help float all boats.” 

Experience Theatre Project is producing a “Murder Duet” of two mysteries in 2025: Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, opening February 28, 2025, and a comedy-mystery (TBA) scheduled to open April 25, 2025. 

The Experience Artspace is scheduled to open its doors to the public with an open house on January 4, 2025. More information about the space and how artists can get involved will be made available later this month at www.experiencetheatreproject.org.

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