Broken open and beautifully stitched, a collage of heartists offering one unrepeatable night of community togetherness through sound and story, violin and voice.

OPEN is a Valentine’s Day invitation to contemplate and celebrate LOVE in its myriad forms. Through a dramatic tapestry of word, music, and imagery, this show tangles and tangoes with the particularly provocative and sometimes painful realm of romantic love, without separating it into a commodified category. Bring a friend, bring a sweetie, bring a polycule. Most importantly, bring yourself. Take your heart out for a night of connection, on a giant group date (where you don’t have to talk to anyone if you don’t want to).

This is the second show in a unique quarterly series produced by writer/performer Jorah LaFleur in concert with the Eugene Art House. In collaboration with original poetic work and visual design from LaFleur, OPEN will feature celebrated violinist Ness Zolan and a small company of special guest performers.

This is a one-night-only event. If you are called to be there, please reserve tickets in advance, as they may sell out.

FEATURING

NESS ZOLAN

Ness Zolan is a musician, composer, and public servant working daily to elevate the value of art in society and unlock creative economic development. Ness toured in central and south America with the Latin Grammy nominated Pan American Symphony Orchestra, playing violin and viola. He plays around Oregon with The Tailors, a guitar/violin duo. Ness has also produced award-winning productions for the Kennedy Center, National Symphony Orchestra, and Eugene Symphony. He currently co-leads The Bee on Fox Hollow creative lab in Eugene, OR and holds the position of Senior Director of Economic Development with Onward Eugene, amidst being a dad and partner.

JORAH LAFLEUR
A writer, performer, emcee, and community arts advocate, Jorah LaFleur has spent years tending creative expression in herself and others, from a decade of hosting the Eugene Poetry Slam to her current work as a teaching artist with Wordcrafters in Eugene. Voted 2025’s “Best Poet” in the Eugene Weekly, Jorah’s work thrives on curiosity and collaboration, always chasing connection like a golden retriever after a tennis ball.

WITH VERY SPECIAL GUESTS

GERRI ALMAND
Gerri Almand is a humorous nonfiction author of four multiply awarded books about RV travel and growing old. She and her husband landed in Eugene in an over-55 community when the transmission metaphorically fell out of their RV. At seventy-eight, she rails that she’s too young to live with all those old folks and spends untold amounts of time fretting over her mortality. She strives to tell the truth, as she sees it, with humor, compassion, and honesty.

NATASHA CROW
Natasha Crow is a somatic practitioner and artist of consciousness whose work weaves body-based awareness, ritual, and creative presence. Grounded in trauma-informed practice and intuitive wisdom, her offerings center sovereignty, relational depth, and love as a living force expressed through embodiment and conscious connection.

RUDY TYBURCZY
Rudy Tyburczy is a Eugene-based comedian and storyteller whose work blends humor, health, and quiet vulnerability. Drawing from years of performing internationally, personal training, relationships, and a few unexpected medical detours, he turns everyday confusion into grounded, self-aware comedy. His work is less about punchlines as an endpoint and more about using laughter to stay human, connected, and honest.

BETTREENA JAEGER
Betty is a self taught vocalist and seasoned performance artist who has transplanted from Kalispell, Montana, and writes the entirety of her song repertoire. Known for her vocal versatility, Jaeger's artistic history spans over a decade of singing and touring for wide ranges of project genres, yet finds herself closest to home within organic minimalism and swooping orchestral ballads. Her collaborative band, Baroque Betty, is a dark, orchestral folk ensemble hailing from Eugene, OR. She also graces stages across the Pacific Northwest as a burlesque performer, and produces The Wax Poetry Revue burlesque and variety show.

SAMIRA LOBBY
Samira Lobby is a dynamic singer, performer, and poet who has established herself as a cornerstone of the Eugene, Oregon, music scene. While most widely recognized for her powerful and evocative vocal work, Samira is a multi-talented creator whose artistry extends into acting, modeling, voiceover work and moderating. Samira’s work is a reflection of her roots; her poetry is socially conscious and profoundly honest, drawing from her personal journey as an African woman raised in the Pacific Northwest. Above all, Samira believes in the power of a "good time." Whether she is performing for a crowd or sharing an intimate poem, her mission remains the same: to foster connection and bring people together through the power of art.