PORTLAND, Ore. — Volunteers at the Twilight Theater in North Portland are preparing for opening weekend of "Christmas in Christmasville."
"It is a spoof on holiday movies — specifically Hallmark Christmas holiday movies and all of the fates and foibles and falling in love that happens in those holiday movies," said artistic director Dorinda Toner. "It’s a barrel of laughs."
But the comedic show was delayed a week after a car crashed into the theater early in the morning on Nov. 22 and caught fire.
"A day before Thanksgiving, a car crashed into our building and caught on fire, and then unfortunately, caught the building on fire," Toner said.
The accident caused electrical issues and some smoke damage, which forced the company to cancel rehearsals. Despite the setback and necessary clean up, Toner said they're lucky no one was in the building during the crash and those inside the car will recover.
"I’ve been told all the occupants in the car, although they were injured, are all going to survive their injuries, which is amazing," Toner said.
"Christmas in Christmasville" will open Dec. 9 through Dec. 10. Toner says the company is grateful for community support and looks forward to many more shows already scheduled for the coming year.
"Other artistic directors in the area have reached out personally offering help," she said. "People have donated online; people have bought tickets for our shows. It's been a really good reminder that people care about the arts and what we're doing is really important."