Community Theater Reflects Its People, and Its Place
A small-town playhouse offers international productions and shares local history
Right next to the Jim Wright Field is the community-built Cottage Theater. It’s come a long way from its first production under an Army surplus parachute on the Village Green Motor Hotel lawn in 1982.
On Father’s Day weekend, after decades of fundraising, building their first playhouse, and two expansions, they offered Canadian playwright Jonathan Christenson’s “Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe”.
The playbill warns and invites, “Delve into the grim world of Edgar Allan Poe in this macabre musical inspired by his gothic poetry and prose.”
Like most theater productions, the actors’ capacity for memorization is almost a medical marvel. It seems impossible. But here in the covered bridge capital of Oregon, as in small but vibrant theaters all over the world, artists passionate about their craft give their all to each production.
This production was all dialogue with transatlantic stage accents, a Tim Burton aesthetic, and a steampunk touch or two. For more than two hours, seven actors spiraled the audience through Poe’s tragic life and constant losses. They did not gloss over his marriage to his 13-year-old cousin, the wreckage of alcoholism, or the gruesome death that comes from tuberculosis.
This cast and crew were unafraid of tackling tragedy.
As I sat in the newly renovated theater made possible by the generosity of so many people, I remembered one of this community’s most heroic tragedies. The one memorialized right next door.
Before Jim Wright’s plane crashed in Yellowstone Park, it seemed he saw two terrible choices. As he neared the path he could glide to with a failing propeller, he saw people. He could risk the lives of 20-some tourists, or he could swerve and risk his own.
“The plane was heading directly towards my wife and several other people on the boardwalk. The plane was about 500 feet away from her with a height of 300 to 400 feet. She and other people were directly under the flight path. The next thing I observed was that the plane all of a sudden veered to its right … after two or three more seconds, I saw a huge explosion from the creek next to the main road,” bystander Ning Cheng wrote in a letter from his family to Jim’s after the crash.
“The plane started to swerve away from the boardwalk, flipped perpendicular to the ground, and crashed into a small hill near the river, wing first. Later my family figured that the pilot swerved away so he would not endanger the lives of the people on the ground, which also included my mom,” Ning Chen’s 12-year-old son Ian described.
“I realize Mr. Wright really spared the lives of the people on the ground. It must (have been) really hard for him to make that decision that final moment. I’m writing this letter to let you know (what) an honorable man he was. Our family is very grateful for his actions.” Mei-Ling Chen said in her contribution to their letter.
Jim Wright was flying home to Cottage Grove, Oregon, a small town of 10,000, where he was a well-liked machinist and respected business owner. After the crash, the city council immediately renamed the local airport Jim Wright Field.
The airfield and the theater are now longtime neighbors. Each reflects a community history of integrity, sacrifice, and dedication.
Community theater reflects people and place as much as homegrown local businesses. Both have survived economic changes and cultural shifts.
Generations of creatives have now collaborated and celebrated at the Cottage Theater. And every theater-goer who buys tickets supports local arts.
Their growing building is a part of local history. And its artists will continue to shape its future. Maybe some day they’ll tell Jim Wright’s story on stage. A plane crash and a play under a parachute both showcase the history and the dedication of a small community.
