An Epilogue

September 4, 2026

Dear Friends,

After careful consideration over our summer break, we have made the difficult decision to close Bedrock Theatre.

As we approached the 10-year anniversary of our very first trail performance (The Nightingale, Powell Butte, August 2016), we took time to reflect on all that we have tried, learned, created, and shared over the past decade. We have always been a small, scrappy force of artist-administrators, and we are so proud of the work we accomplished within a pay-what-you-can and free programming structure. And. Turns out, Bedrock wasn’t the only thing to get 10 years older. We did too (isn’t that annoying?). Our lives and the nonprofit landscape have both shifted significantly since our founding; producing under our current model no longer feels sustainable. Difficult as it is, we’ve made the choice to dissolve Bedrock Theatre and evolve towards what’s next for each of us.

Operationally, what does this mean? Effective July 1st, Bedrock has stopped accepting contributions. To all the donors who have funded our work over the years, thank you. We encourage you to please redirect your financial support to another small arts org or nature space operating in your community. It’s an especially difficult time in the nonprofit sector, and your support is still needed! Bedrock’s remaining funds on hand will be used to cover our final operational obligations and find permanent archival solutions for our body of work. After completing our final annual reports with the IRS and the State of Oregon, we will cease operations as a nonprofit organization at the end of 2026. Our volunteer admin team is committed to ensuring a smooth and responsible closure; if you have questions, please reach out! We will continue to respond to messages through the end of the year–though please be patient with our replies.

Artistically, what does this mean? We will no longer be regularly producing work together as a creative ensemble under the Bedrock name. This is not a decision we took lightly, and we’ll level with you - it’s hard! We still have a lot of love and respect for each other and for the work we created together. But we can feel the season of this work drawing to a close–and if producing site-specific, outdoor theatre has taught us one lesson, it’s that you can’t fight nature; you have to embrace it, and adapt.

For some good news? Although we’re ready to put Bedrock to bed, we who have powered it–Joellen, Emily, Becca, and Sean–will still be around, and you can bet that all that we’ve learned from this work will be carried forward into whatever we choose to do next. There is music still to be made and gnome beards to be crafted. Coastal miles to be stewarded and LOTS of bee facts to be learned. And–most importantly–community still to be joined. Which brings us back to you.

You–our audience, our supporters, our partners, our guest artists–you have made this work so meaningful and joyful, even in the tough stretches. You are why we lasted for 10 years, and thinking of you makes the choice to end feel especially achy and painful.

But we hope that, like us, you will carry pieces of Bedrock forward with you. Maybe you’ll pause the next time you hear a bee buzzing, considering what your own waggle dance would look like. Maybe you’ll appreciate dandelions differently, remembering the taste of homemade liqueur from the flower that can bloom everywhere. Maybe you’ll go back to the Secret Spot at Powell Butte, awaiting the moonrise and humming along to “Where It’s Green”–the song we never let you forget, our first original banger. Even better: maybe you’ll find your own Secret Spot, and make up your own tune. Because if we’ve done anything right over the past decade, we hope you know that practicing curiosity and creative storytelling in nature isn’t a concept that belongs to Bedrock; it belongs to all of us.

While no more formal Bedrock events will take place prior to our closure, we still welcome the opportunity to connect with you. If you have stories or reflections you’d like to share about your experience with Bedrock, we would love to hear from you. You can reach out to us through the contact form on our website, or tagging @bedrocktheatre on Instagram.

We’ll see you on future trails.

Love,

Team Bedrock

(Emily, Joellen, Becca & Sean)

🎵 Never to fear what I’ll miss, ‘cause I’m sure,

Though there’s more, I will love what we’ve made. 🎵

What we made