Echo West Closure in 2027
Hello Echo Community,
After more than 3 years of inclusive classes, inventive performances, and wonderful relationships, the Echo board has made the difficult decision to move out of our Echo West location at the end of December 2026.
In Summer 2022, Echo answered the call of our circus community and rallied to save this beautiful studio, in support of the instructors, performers and students who called it home. We’ve nurtured the Brio and Reverb performance companies, shared the space with the amazing people of West Coast Black Circus, p;ear, and PCC, and hosted thousands of classes in everything from Clowning to Aerial Pole to Baby Circus. We are proud of the opportunities we created for our students and performers of all ages and abilities, and the community we’ve fostered with our staff.
Unfortunately, the cost of maintaining Echo West has proven to be unsustainable, especially given the uncertainty of the current economic environment. While our rent and expenses continue to rise, our community and funding partners are less able to support our programs at Echo West. In order to best serve our mission, we will refocus our efforts on outreach programs in our community and classes, shows and events at the Echo Theater. We will collaborate with our staff and partners to maintain as many programs as possible, pivoting to the theater and other shared spaces to prioritize the needs of our community and support vital programs like Brio, Reverb, Aerial for All Bodies, and Queer Aerial.
While we will not be renewing our lease at the end of 2026, Echo West remains open through mid-Dec. Our goal is to celebrate this beautiful space while it is still our home! If you have any ideas about classes, workshops, events, parties, photoshoots, etc., please let us know. Let's fill Echo West with positive energy and circus joy for these last 9 months!
Our mission is to create space for collaboration, empowerment and the joyful celebration of community using circus, movement, and ensemble theater traditions to help people of all abilities discover their potential, encourage perseverance and embrace their humanity. Thank you for joining us on this journey and helping us provide opportunities to collaborate, to take supported risks, and to create fearlessly.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact wendy@echotheaterpdx.org. We look forward to collaborating with you.
With gratitude and hope,
Wendy Cohen
Executive Director
Echo Theater Company
FAQs
When will Echo West be closing? Will there be classes at Echo West next Fall?
1
Classes and camps will run at Echo West as usual through mid-Dec, 2026.
Why are you closing Echo West?
2
Costs are increasing significantly at the same time that funding streams are increasingly uncertain.
The communities we serve are also facing economic uncertainty and cutting back. Demand at Echo West is down.
The neighborhood is not very accessible or part of a community with walking pathways; and hopes for expansion of the neighborhood have not come to fruition.
We’re consolidating in-house services at Echo Theater and expanding our focus on outreach programs.
Who made the decision?
3
Echo’s Board of Directors made this decision, following multiple meetings and conversations with leadership staff over the last six months, looking at benchmarks, strategic goals, and options. More generally, this has been an ongoing conversation since 2022 when Echo took over the space from The Circus Project, as maintaining a second space was seen from the start as a risk, an experiment and an opportunity.
After December 2026, what will happen to existing programming housed in Echo West?
4
We will do our best to include Echo West programs such as Brio, Reverb, and Aerial for all Bodies at Echo Theater, and are working with our partners to continue our programming in alternate venues.
How does this affect Echo as a whole? What will happen to my classes at Echo Theater? Will it be difficult to get into classes now?
5
We’re working to develop capacity at Echo Theater to continue to serve as many students as possible. We have experienced smaller classes in recent years and believe there will be plenty of room to consolidate our offerings into one location.
Is Echo looking for a different second location?
6
Not currently. However, we are always considering new ways to serve our community and will add a second location if it feels beneficial to the organization.
Can we raise funds to help maintain Echo West?
7
Unfortunately, a fundraiser would not solve the issue. The fundamental issue is long-term sustainability, rather than a short-term budget shortfall. Our goal is to serve our mission with thoughtfulness, care, and efficiency.
How can I be involved in future decisions about Echo’s future?
8
Thanks for asking! We are a nonprofit organization and our board meetings are always open to the public. In fact, if you are interested in board service, please email wendy@echotheaterpdx.org. Additionally, we encourage you to reach out with any questions, concerns or suggestions through quarterly surveys, emails, phone calls or conversations in either location.
What will happen to the physical space after Echo leaves?
9
We don’t know!
What will happen to the equipment at Echo West? Will it be available to purchase?
10
Some of it will be available for purchase! Please check back in December if you are interested in surplus equipment at that time. We will not be able to answer additional questions about purchasing equipment until then.