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Portland-based Lacy Productions is bringing a new event to one of the city’s historic venues, combining Shakespeare, feminist burlesque performance and a dinner experience under one roof.
The Bard Supper Club: A Night of Feminist Shakespeare with Booklover’s Burlesque will take place on Friday, July 31, 2026 at the Victorian Belle Mansion, located at 1441 North McClellan Street in Portland, Oregon. Doors open at 7pm, with the show beginning at 8pm.
The event is a collaboration between three organisations: Lacy Productions, Speculative Drama and the Victorian Belle Mansion. It pairs literary readings of Shakespeare’s works with burlesque, boylesque and draglesque performances, and includes a bonus one-act play titled “A Walking Shadow” featuring Lady Macbeth, presented by Speculative Drama.
What Is Booklover’s Burlesque?
Booklover’s Burlesque is a recurring literary salon format that matches book readings with burlesque and drag performances in a single show.
The format sees professional readers, actors and local authors read aloud a selected piece of literature, which is then followed by a burlesque, draglesque or drag performance inspired by the reading. For this particular event, the literary focus is on the works of William Shakespeare.
The event listing invokes a line from Hamlet’s Ophelia to set the tone: “We know what we are but know not what we may be.”
The show is billed as a “Shakespeare After Dark” experience, reinterpreting the Bard’s works through a feminist and body-positive lens. The cast for the evening has not yet been announced.
A Historic Venue
The Victorian Belle Mansion serves as both the venue and a point of interest in its own right. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore the mansion’s interior for one hour before and after the show.
The property’s exterior is ADA-accessible, and an ADA restroom is available via a lift to the first floor. Street parking is available near the venue, along with two parking lots – one directly across the street and a second one block away.
Food and drink are not included in any ticket tier. All food and drink items are available for separate purchase from the Belle’s dinner menu, making it a supper club format where the performance and dining components operate independently.
Ticket Options And Pricing
Several ticket tiers are available for the evening, ranging from general admission through to VIP seating.
VIP Front Row Table single seats are priced at $40 per person. Second Row Table single seats are available for $35. A Tall Bistro Table for four people is priced at $140, with the option to swap the tall table and chairs for a lower table if requested in advance. General Admission single tickets are $25, and Standing Room Only tickets are available for $20. Community tables will be provided for Standing Room Only ticket holders.
All listed prices are base costs before applicable service fees. Including fees, VIP seats come to approximately $45, Second Row seats to $39, Bistro Tables to $151, General Admission to $29 and Standing Room Only to $23.
Lacy Productions has indicated that the company has a track record of selling out its events. Door tickets will be sold only if capacity has not been reached, on a first-come, first-served basis. Ticket prices increase by $10 at the door compared to advance purchase prices.
All tickets are non-refundable. However, the production company has stated it will exchange tickets for a future burlesque show if a ticket holder is unable to attend.
The event is restricted to attendees aged 21 and over. Questions can be directed to hello@victorianbelle.com.
About The Production Company
Lacy Productions is a Portland, Oregon-based production company. It describes its mission as promoting sexual empowerment, body positivity, inclusivity, feminism and the merging of art genres.
The company is led by Lacy Knightly and has built a portfolio of themed burlesque productions, including titles such as Booklover’s Burlesque, Dapperlesque, Foolish Mortals, Burlesque Over Broadway and others.
A Busy Season Ahead
The Bard Supper Club is one of several productions Lacy Productions has scheduled for the second half of 2026.
On Saturday, July 25, the company is staging Booklover’s Burlesque: Banned Books Edition 2026 at the Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland. That show focuses on books that have been subject to censorship, framed as a spotlight on the freedom to read.
On Friday, August 14, the company returns to the Alberta Rose Theatre with Cinemalesque: A Burlesque Tribute to Film. The show pays tribute to cinema history and encourages guests to dress as a favourite movie character.
Fantastical Cabaret: An Otherworldly Burlesque Revue is scheduled for Friday, September 18, also at the Alberta Rose Theatre. The production draws on themes of fantasy, Sci-Fi and imagination.
The season continues with Foolish Mortals: A Haunted Mansion Burlesque Cabaret, a recurring production with multiple dates across the Pacific Northwest. That show will appear at The Triple Door Theatre in Seattle, Washington on September 26, at the Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland on October 2, 3 and 4, and at Salem’s Historic Grand Theatre in Salem, Oregon on October 17.
Tickets for all upcoming shows are currently available through the company’s website and event listings.
