For twelve and a half years, The Steep and Thorny Way to Heaven in inner southeast industrial Portland served as a beacon of the weird, a haven for performers and performance styles who struggled to find a home in the increasingly mainstream and gentrified Portland arts scene.

One part performance incubator, one part underground club, one part immersive theatre warehouse — this 1,000 square foot piece of performance art “heaven” served as a vital resource for performers and a welcoming home for audiences of all stripes.

Described as “one of the gems of the Portland arts scene,” “Portland’s best kept secret treasure,” and “a golden hole in the wall,” The Steep and Thorny Way to Heaven was a gothic underground DIY labor of love: entirely volunteer-run and community oriented.

In January of 2024 tragedy struck when a sprinkler pipe burst in the venue due to freezing temperatures, dumping an entire square block’s worth of grey water into the warehouse space at pressure — water which subsequently froze for four days, destroying much of our sound, lighting, and practical equipment and decor.

With support from local and regional grants, private donors, and our incredibly supportive community, The Steep and Thorny Way to Heaven has been able to move out of our destroyed performance venue and continue to create the work we have become known for: connecting audiences with unconventional and immersive performance styles and disciplines through themed variety shows, underground performance support, multidisciplinary music productions, and immersive theatre.

Moving into a production model rather than a permanent venue, and setting our sights on unconventional spaces around Portland, The Steep and Thorny Way to Heaven name continues on as a producing agent under the Misfit Academy umbrella.