There are a variety of venues in Eugene to see concerts, plays, lectures and movies, but none like the McDonald Theatre, at Willamette Street in downtown Eugene. The theater, which has been around since the mid-1920s, is currently owned by the Keseys, the family of Ken Kesey, who wrote “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.” The building is also on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Eugene historical landmark. In its history, the theater has hosted traveling vaudeville companies, popular musicians, major theater productions and
important political personalities such as the recent speeches by Teresa Heinz-Kerry and Ralph Nader.
University junior and journalism major Julian Peters described the McDonald Theatre as having an “old theater” feel to it. When comparing it to other venues in Eugene, Peters said she liked the McDonald because of the amount of seating available and the size of the venue.
Junior English major Rachel Horn agreed.
“I like the McDonald more (than the other venues in town) because it’s bigger,” she said. “It’s just way better.”
With the wide variety of
productions, the type of audience varies as broadly as the performances. Hosting everything from punk rock and reggae concerts to weddings and private parties, the McDonald Theatre sees a diverse crowd from one day to the next.
“We have the ability and the connections to pull in large shows but also the versatility to bring in small and local bands,” McDonald Theatre operations manager Ginger Loeshner said.
The McDonald Theatre recently opened a bar inside the building named The Lounge, which allows the theater to host smaller bands, while the main stage gives the venue the opportunity to bring in big-name acts.
The Lounge, which is open every Friday night at 9:30, features either live music or a DJ on those Friday nights without a main-stage performance. During major events, televisions placed throughout the bar allow
of-age patrons to hang out in a smaller and quieter atmosphere but still enjoy what’s being featured in the main theater.
One recent memorable show was a concert last year featuring the Pixies, tickets for which sold out in only four minutes.
“A girl from Georgia called me over the phone and was hysterically crying, saying, ‘The Pixies are my favorite band! I have to get tickets!’” Loeshner said. “But tickets were gone.”
Hoobastank, NOFX, and Evanescence have also played at the venue. Evanescence performed at the McDonald Theatre just three days after its premier at the MTV Music Awards in 2003. Jimmy Eat World and George Clinton will be coming to the Theatre in the coming weeks.

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