The beautiful and humourous trials and tribulations of a black man in America.
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival has does it, yet again, with the outstanding production of August Wilson’s How I Learned What I Learned. Directed by Tim
Laugh hard, think harder. Co-produced with the McCarter Theater, The Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the Yale Repertory Theatre, Seattle Rep
OSF is experiencing one of its toughest years. Smokey air from Northwest fires has clouded the Ashland skies for a good deal of the summer. The weekend I was there the company had to move their large outdoor productions into a much smaller high school auditorium. Nearly half the population was walking around with facemasks; the smoke enshrouded town seemingly overrun with bank robbers. The Festival estimates that they will lose 2 million dollars when all is said and done. And yet…the shows, the fantastic shows are still there! Forecasts are indicating clearing skies, so if you have a spare few days between now and October 28, you still have a knockout treat awaiting you in Southern Oregon.
Whenever I think of OSF’s location in tiny Ashland, at the very bottom of Oregon, I shake my head in
We’ve been visiting Ashland and its Oregon Shakespeare Festival for over twenty-five years now and are consistently impressed with both its quality and desire to continually improve its product. The workmanship, focus and sheer pizzazz of its current productions are remarkable. Yes, it is a long drive from the Puget Sound, but if you enjoy live theatre and have the time and resources, we urge you to head south for this year’s offerings from OSF. Here are a few of the shows we were able to catch on our visit.
When considering the OSF seasonal offerings one must finally answer the question: Are they worth the schlep to southern Oregon, nearly California? Is there a reward to be found at the end of that long commuting rainbow? The 80 year old Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s opening weekend ensured all that there is indeed gold in them Ashland hills. I was able to catch three of the four plays now showing. Each offered a solid and rewarding theatrical experience. OSF continues to provide top of the line productions, featuring outstanding staging and stellar jobs of acting. Here are the great shows I caught on premiere weekend.
