Actors rehearse "Bethany Sees the Stars," which debuted at Theatre 33 in July 2019 at the Lee Pelton Theatre. (Courtesy/Dale Peterson)
Live theater is back on the Willamette University campus - sort of.
Theatre 33, a company that debuts original plays by Northwest writers, is premiering "Unbuttoning Virginia" by Seattle-based playwright Nora Douglass on Thursday, July 15.
Unlike in 2020, when rehearsals were conducted over Zoom, the company was able to have live rehearsals and produce the show on the Willamette campus, said Theatre 33 executive director Thomas Nabhan.
But the university hadn't yet approved larger events on campus when the season was being planned, so performances are being taped, edited and premiering online.
“Everything was normal except we weren’t going to have an audience," Nabhan said.
Theater patrons can reserve tickets for specific online showtimes that run Wednesday through Saturday. Tickets are available by donation.
"Unbuttoning Virginia" is a "comedy about dying," according to the theatre website. It follows a woman close to the end of her life who teams up with an imaginary friend to take on the medical bureaucracy.
It's the second production of Theatre 33's summer season. Nabhan said he's hopeful the August premiere of "Merchant of Stratford" will be able to have a live audience. More information is available on the Theatre 33 website.
-Rachel Alexander
