There’s a bounty of local plays, musicals and ballets to ease you into the holiday spirit. The Greenhouse Cabaret is producing the musical, “Once” It’s a love story set against a gritty Irish backdrop. The production won an Oscar for Best Original Song in 2008, a Tony Award for Best Musical in 2o012, a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album in 2013 and an Olivier Award for Best New Musical in 2014.
The storyline involves an Irish musician and a Czech immigrant who are drawn to one another through a shared love of music. Over the course of a week, a collaboration evolves into a complicated love story, underscored by emotionally charged music. Each actor is also part of the musical “pit” playing multiple instruments.
The Greenhouse Cabaret is a small, intimate theater with fewer than 100 seats so the audience can appreciate the words and music and not be overpowered by a showy set. It’s connected to the plant store, Somewhere That’s Green. Owner John Kish was recently voted Best Influencer for The Best of Central Oregon 2025 as Fertile Liza.
“Once” is one of several performances on stages in October and November. Here’s a roundup to help you plan your calendar.
Once
Fri., Oct. 17-Sat,, Nov. 15, 7:30pm
The Greenhouse Cabaret
1017 NE 2nd St., Bend
$19+
Tower Theatre
Four performances tee up the holiday season with “Swan Lake,” two versions of “Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet” and “Christmas with C.S. Lewis.” “Swan Lake” is based on an ancient German legend about the beautiful princess Odette, transformed into a swan after a curse from a sorcerer. The first Nutcracker production is part of a North American tour by Talmi Entertainment while the second one is put on by Valerie Holger’s Academie de Ballet Classique. The C.S. Lewis story is about his journey from Atheism to Christianity. The play centers around a Christmas Eve at his home in England where he hosts a group of Americans.
Swan Lake Ballet
Sat., Oct. 4, 2 & 7pm
Tower Theatre
835 NW Wall St., Bend
$52+
Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet
Tue., Nov. 18, 7pm
$47+
Christmas with C.S. Lewis
Sun. Nov. 23, 2pm
$73+
Nutcracker: A Child’s Tale
Sat. Nov. 29, 1:30 & 6pm, Sun. Nov. 30, Noon & 3:30pm
$33+
Cascades Theatrical Company
Founded in 1978, the oldest community theatre in Central Oregon is putting on “The Haunting of Hill House.” It’ll take you into the eerie, possibly haunted, hallways of a mansion. Based on Shirley Jackson’s novel, a group of investigators enter the home with whispering walls, strange creaking and ghostly images, but the haunting also manifests itself in past regrets, unresolved grief and powerful memories.
The Haunting of Hill House
Fri., Oct. 17-Sun., Nov. 2, 2pm & 7:30pm
Cascades Theatrical Company
148 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend
$42+
Ellipse Theatre Community
“Almost, Maine” is so far north, it’s practically Canada and barely a town. During northern lights, strange things overcome the folks who call this place home. People fall in and out of love in unexpected ways. Hearts are broken then mended in what’s described as a delightful midwinter night’s dream.
Almost, Maine
Thu., Sept. 25-Sat., Oct. 18, 2pm & 7pm
Ellipse Theatre Community
$20+
BEAT Children’s Theatre
The children’s theatre is putting on “Beetlejuice,” a show about death, when a teenager moves into a haunted house and meets the resident ghosts. It’s filled with heart and humor. Teenager Lydia Deetz meets a ghostly couple who once lived there as well as the mischievous demon Beetlejuice.
Beetlejuice
Thu., Oct. 30-Sat., Nov. 8
BEAT Children’s Theatre
1080 SE 9th St. Ste. 120, Bend
$15+
Open Space Event Studio
Thoroughly Modern Productions is putting on a fully student-run show of William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” a romantic comedy involving mistaken identities. The plot involves a love triangle with Orsino enlisting the help of a friend, who’s a woman disguised like a man, to woo Oliva by reading love letters. Instead Olivia falls in love with the friend in disguise.
Twelfth Night
Thu., Oct. 16, 7pm
Open Space Event Studios
220 NE Lafayette Ave., Bend
This article appears in the Source September 25, 2025.
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