Note: Eugene Scene thanks writer Teiri Freborg for permission to republish her article about Oakridge’s Zero Clearance Theater. It first appeared in the Highway 58 Herald, an online newspaper available at Highway58Herald.org; photos courtesy of Teiri Freborg.
Selected plays and monologues by Bob Wilson are on stage at Zero Clearance Theater
Author’s note: Walking the Boards is a tribute to longtime former Oakridge resident, playwright, director, and actor, Bob Wilson. This tribute was well earned. Bob has done so much for performance art in our little Oakridge. He gave local talent a chance to shine and grow. Bob performed in, or directed, 67 plays between September 1997 and October 2016. This performance is a very special grouping of Wilson’s works. A great deal of thought went into selecting the six one-act plays and three monologues from the many pieces he has written.
By Teiri Freborg
Over twenty-five years of theater in Oakridge
Zero Clearance Theater was formed in the 1990s by Warren Carlson and Pat Harmon. Bob Wilson, though not an original founder, became a driving force, along with Harmon and John and Janet Milandin. Over time, they moved their performance location from the Willamette Activity Center (WAC) to the Westridge Middle School, then back to the activity center, and were then forced to relocate again two weeks before a performance. Hopefully, they have found a permanent home at The Lion Mountain Bakery in Oakridge.
A cast from the ages
The cast of Walking the Boards is familiar to anyone who has attended a theater performance in Oakridge, with the addition of some very talented new faces. Longtime favorites Loren Christopher Michaels, Carina Shorer, Catrina Davis, Greg Burton, Ross Spencer, Demetrius Arnold, Mary Lee Sayre and others who couldn’t pass up the chance to perform Bob Wilson’s works. Performing in the tribute was very special to each of the cast members, no one more than Spencer, who performed with, or for, Wilson from the very beginning.
When Wilson first moved to Oakridge, he started as just an actor. In 1998, an actor in the play, Clara, bailed out of the production, and Spencer was asked to step in, thus beginning his work with Wilson. There were numerous trials and obstacles along the way to producing three plays a year for 29 years. This also included the summer Radio Shows.
A flashlight performance
Spencer remembered one early production at the WAC when the power went out all over Oakridge in the middle of the play. Should they stop? An audience member brought out a flashlight. Soon, others in the audience were going for their flashlights. Many were running out to their cars or pulling them out their bags. The play went on by audience flashlight. That is community theater and just one of numerous issues that could have derailed a performance. Wilson always believed the show must go on. And it always did.
Terry Callahan is Wilson’s longtime friend, actor, and radio show sound-effects guy. He observed that the community has always been involved whether providing props, set-building, or whatever was needed. Sets, props, costumes — everything was scrounged or donated. Wilson donated his work also; 23 of his original pieces found their way to the Oakridge stage.
Flawless execution
The performances in this production are polished and on point, and move at a good pace. The cast ranges in age from very young to retirees. Director Becky Chamberlain has acted in and directed a number of Zero Clearance Theater productions. This one was very smooth. She and Wilson have a special relationship, and their story is printed in the program, as well as a more complete story about Wilson. Loren Christopher Michaels lends his touch to lights, sound, video, and design, as well as his performance The Lazarus Zone.
Even though Wilson has retired from theater, his vision is carried on by the current board of directors of Friends of the Theater & Arts. Budding actors and stagehands still have an outlet, and the community receives something special. The show does go on.
Reunion of ZCT friends
In a special appearance, Wilson attended Walking the Boards in person on Feb. 5, along with his friend, Mary Sooh, and his sister, Mary. The cast brought Wilson’s director chair for him to sit in, and he was presented with the original artwork from the program cover, autographed by the entire cast. As always, Wilson was his humble self, saying, “It is very rare that a playwright gets to see their works performed. I was very, very fortunate.” Founders Pat Harmon, with her daughter, Sally, and John Milandin, with his son, Michael, also attended that performance.
Still time to see Walking the Boards at the Zero Clearance Theater
When: Evening shows at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 10 and 11; 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Feb. 12 (doors open one hour before showtime)
Where: Lion Mountain Bakery, 47781 Highway 58, Oakridge
Tickets: $12 in advance, $15 at the door for adults; children half-price. Advance tickets are available at Lion Mountain Bakery, or at Mane Street Coffee at 48296 E. First St. in Oakridge.
Bob Wilson, longtime actor/writer/director for Zero Clearance Theater, with Becky Chamberlain, who directed Walking the Boards, in a photograph from 2017; photo courtesy of Zero Clearance Theater.
