Gallery Theater keeps it cool this summer

Two women in period costume lean over a table, looking at a piece of fabric, with concerned looks on their faces. — Holly Spencer (left) and Beth Sobo Turk in *Trifles.* Photos by Ekay Media.

If you’re visiting McMinnville the next couple weekends, Gallery Theater has assembled some of the region’s finest stage actors to breathe life into two riveting, but little-known one-act plays. It’s a perfect way to cap a day of checking out our wineries, shops and restaurants.

Sam Shepard’s blistering Fool For Love and a powerful early 20th century piece Trifles, by the “first wave” feminist playwright Susan Glaspell is on stage in the black box through Aug. 11, with Friday-Saturday shows at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.

Local theater artists Lance Nuttman, and his wife and fellow director Marla Nuttman direct–he helms the Shepard, and she’s the force behind Trifles. Trifles is based on a real-life murder that Glaspell covered as a journalist. Fool for Love is a story about reunited lovers whose disturbing backstory spills into the open during a sweltering night in a Mojave desert motel room. It makes for a short but enjoyable night at the theater.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors 62+ and students 5-17 are admitted for $16. Given the subject matter, the plays are best suited for older and/or more mature students.

Two men in western wear, one sitting at a table in front of a prop of a bottle of liquor, and the other speaks with his eyes closed. — Remington Keough (left) and Ed Schoaps in *Fool For Love.*

While you’re there, consider getting tickets for the upcoming 56th annual Gallery Theater Gala, scheduled for 6 p.m. Aug. 17. It’s a fun evening with cocktails, catered appetizers and wine with a sock hop, live music and a raffle. The night is capped with an unveiling of what is expected to be a thrilling 2025 season.

“If you want to see the amazing community that Gallery Theater and McMinnville can be, this is definitely an event you won’t want to miss,” says theater manager Jared Richard.

Tickets for admission and food/drinks are $25 before July 28; after that, the price is $35. For more information, visit the Gallery Theater online or call 503-472-2227. The theater is located at 210 Ford Street in downtown McMinnville.

David Bates (he/him) is a McMinnville writer whose work can also be found online at Artlandia.