Edited by Randi Bjornstad

They — meaning A-Squared Productions and Lane Community College’s Student Production Association — are getting together to bring a “musical drama” to the local stage on May 1-3, 2026, and here’s how they describe it:

WaterWorks begins at the dawn of time, when the Water Goddess first called life from the sea. It ends in the present day where a river stands at the center of a battle between a visionary urban developer and a fiercely dedicated environmentalist, each certain they hold the key to humanity’s future. As their conflict reaches its breaking point, the Water Goddess reminds them — and us — that the natural world doesn’t wait for human consensus.

Hooked yet?

It’s an original piece of work that brings to musical and dramatic life the “temperate rain forests, streams, and tides of Oregon’s mid-coast region” and meshes the talents of Eugene composer Anice Thigpen and filmmaker Gabriela Escobar. They are joined by director Tara Wibrew, conductor Brian McWhorter, and choralmaster Naomi Castro.

Performers include locally well-known singers soprano Siri Vik, mezzo-soprano Agnes Vojtko, tenor Brian Haimbach and baritone Jonathan Roberts, and plus local adult and youth choruses and a chamber orchestra. On the production side, costumes are being designed and created by Laura Tuffli and Zora Parker.

The show is billed not only as a musical performance but also “a call to protect the places that inspired its creation and production” — including rivers, forests, and wildlife. To accomplish that, its creators have collaborated with the McKenzie River Trust, a nonprofit organization formed in 1989 “to protect critical habitats and scenic lands in the McKenzie River basin,” which extends from Central Oregon to the mid-coast region, including the watersheds of the Long Tom, Upper Willamette, Coast and Middle Forks of the Willamette, Umpqua, and Siuslaw rivers, and coastal headlands, rivers, streams, and lakes from Reedsport to Lincoln City.

WaterWorks on stage at Lane Community College

When: 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, May 1 and 2, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 3

Where: Ragozzino Performance Hall at Lane Community College, 4000 E. 30th Ave., Eugene

Tickets: Available online at asquaredarts.com/waterworks

Special note from A-Squared Productions: “When you attend WaterWorks, a portion of your ticket supports that work directly — and every dollar donated in connection with the premier will be matched, so your gift goes twice as far. Come for the show. Stay for the rivers.”