OCT’s Young Professionals Company Breathes Vivid Life into a Haunting Tale

Teens will love The K of D: An Urban Legend, a supernatural story performed by the incredibly talented youth company of Oregon Children’s Theatre.

Way back when, when my kids were little, we attended many local children’s theater productions. Then I blinked (and the pandemic shut down live theater) and suddenly have teenagers who have aged out of these shows, most of which are aimed at the younger crowd. For theatergoers like them (and the adults who love seeing local plays with them), the Young Professionals Company at Oregon Children’s Theatre’s The K of D: An Urban Legend takes them back to their childhood experiences while broadening their exposure to youth theater.

Wednesday fans will love the chilling plot.

What better way to do this than with a supernatural play about teens, performed by (incredibly talented) teens? My 13-year-old loves plays and spooky stories, and this show ticked the boxes for a great evening at the theater. The sparse set and props and the intimate space keep the focus on the mesmerizing story. The spotlight shines on seven actors (one mostly offstage) who paint vivid images of a small Ohio town, six teenagers, and a tragedy and the strange events — including the lore of a kiss of death —that follow. Eerie sounds all around, handheld flashlights, and the young actors’ wide-ranging portrayals of several characters pull the audience in—so much that it feels as if you’re actually in that small town, living through the chilling events as they unfold.

This supernatural story is for teens and adults.

This production is recommended for ages 12 and up, though I’d probably recommend 13 or even 14+. There’s mature language (including occasional swearing) and typical teen behavior/talk, implied violence (including a scene that involves a gun, which can seem more real on stage than on a screen), adult situations, and the somber subject of death, loss, and grief. For many teens, much of this is hardly anything new, but what is both a barebones play and an enhanced storytelling experience requires viewers to exercise patience and their imagination. The payoff is a spellbinding story and captivating performances that will stay alive in viewers’ minds long after the play’s conclusion.

Get tickets.

The K of D: An Urban Legend
WHEN: Friday, April 12–Sunday, April 21 (Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., plus 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday). Doors open 15 minutes before the show. There’s no late seating, and runtime is 80 minutes with no intermission.
WHERE: New Expressive Works (810 SE Belmont St.; note that the entrance is at the back of the building and closer to Yamhill St). Free street parking is available (and plentiful the Saturday evening we went).
COST: General admission ($20 adults; $15 students; and $5 tickets available through the RACC Arts for All Program.)
Find tickets here.

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Jade Chan

Jade Chan is a native Portlander who remembers when Lloyd Center was an open mall, the Pearl consisted of warehouses, card catalog drawers ringed the second-floor lobby of the Central Library, and traffic jams were rare. A freelance editor and a mom of two, she enjoys sharing her love for the arts and her (ever-changing) hometown with her family.