Student Rock Opera “The Last Dragon” Returns to the Stage After 40 Years

The 1980s University of Oregon production is being revived by Actors in Action founder Damon Jones.

"The Last Dragon," image courtesy of "The Last Dragon."
By Andrew Jankowski

College art doesn’t always age well, especially after more than 40 years. But The Last Dragon, a rock opera staged at the University of Oregon in the ‘80s, not only bonded its cast and crew for life, but belts out an important message about staying true to yourself. Most of The Last Dragon’s original cast and crew will reunite at the Winningstad Theatre (1111 SW Broadway) for a three-night run Aug. 8–10. After recouping production costs, proceeds from The Last Dragon will be used as seed money for a new UO theater scholarship.

Damon Jones, founder of the Portland talent agency Actors in Action, was The Last Dragon’s first stage manager. Without spoiling its entire plot, Jones says The Last Dragon is a bedtime story-turned-dream from a young boy about an evil sorceress capturing rare mythic creatures like manticores and unicorns, and her quest to trap the titular creature. It’s a classic battle of good versus evil raging around a metaphor to celebrate what makes us unique. Jones was the musical’s first stage director, but now steps into the role of the Dragon.

“There’s a lot of really good themes involved of standing up and taking charge of your life,” he says. “You say your battles are over and you’ve given up, but there’s still a fire inside you. You’ve just got to find it.”

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