Oregon Shakespeare Festival

Angus Bowmer Theater
The Angus Bowmer Theater is comfortable and brings the audience closer to the performers than the large, amphitheater style of the Elizabethan Stage. Classical and contemporary human stories come alive here.

Measure for Measure - Feb. 18 - Nov. 6
The Imaginary Invalid - Feb. 20 - Nov. 6
To Kill a Mockingbird - Feb. 19 - Jul. 3
August: Osage County - Apr. 20 - Nov. 5
The African Company
Presents Richard III- Jul. 20 - Nov. 5

New Theater
The New Theater's intimate and versatile space is perfect for performing new plays and innovative productions of more familiar works.

The Language Archive - Feb. 24 - Jun. 18
Julius Caesar - Mar. 23 - Nov. 6
Ghost Light - Jun. 28 - Nov. 5

Elizabethan Stage
The Elizabethan Stage is an open air theater modeled after the traditional period stage architecture where Shakespeare's plays were originally performed.

Henry IV, Part Two - May 31 - Oct. 7
The Pirates of Penzance - Jun. 1 - Oct. 8
Love's Labor's Lost - Jun. 2 - Oct. 9

Offstage Events
These are at nearby venues, either the Bill Patton Garden or
Carpenter Hall.

WillFul - Aug 7 - Oct. 9
The Green Show - May 31 - Oct. 9

OSF Website

There is more to see here than schedule and ticketing information. You can read brief descriptions of the plays, learn about the history of the OSF, and watch videos and podcasts. They also give some information about places to stay and things to do in and around Ashland. As mentioned earlier, the "Where are they now?" page in the people section has news about what current and former company members are doing.

Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed   Mounted

Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed   Mounted

During high school I begged Mom every year to go to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. I heard about it from my favorite teacher. Finally my senior year Mom said that we would go, but I had to plan it. Thrilled, I called right away to get the schedule and ticket information mailed to me. I was very excited to see two of the Shakespeare productions, Macbeth and Midsummer Night's Dream. There would be time to see one more play, so I carefully poured over the descriptions in the booklet. Finally I chose The Hostage, a black comedy by Irish playwright Brendan Behan.

I researched places to stay. I wanted it to be cozy and unique. All the bed and breakfasts were full for the weekend we wanted. We stayed at the historic landmark Mark Antony Hotel. This lovely building has been restored and is now called the Ashland Springs Hotel. We had easy access to everything because the hotel is in the middle of town.

Dad wasn't interested in going, so I went with Mom and Grandma. It was the only time that just the three of us traveled together. It was a special time of bonding between across three generations.

The plays were wonderfully done. We laughed so hard at Misdummer Night's Dream that our sides hurt. Macbeth was eerie and dark with modern black costumes. The Hostage was a delight and surprise. It combined farcical satire with political commentary and music.

We enjoyed learning about OSF history and all that goes into making everything happen on the backstage festival tour. Around the festival grounds, a group of wandering minstrals sang Elizabethan madrigals. I loved the music so much that I bought a cassette of a festival group singing madrigals. It was one of my favorite cassettes.

Just three days and two nights, this brief vacation stays vivid in my memories after all these years.

Share your expertise, hobbies, and passions by making your own Squidoo lenses. It's easy and fun. You can even make some money or donate a lens to your favorite charity. Get started here.