In Ashland, Oregon: The Play’s The Thing Shakespeare is big business and lots of fun

By Antoinette May

You can see five plays in four days. I did, and loved every minute. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival continues to be a feast for all the senses.

Tiny Ashland, a town of some 20, 000, is host each year to the largest repertory theater in the country. Imagine 75 actors playing multiple roles in 11 different plays, but that’s just the trip of the iceberg. Three to four maintenance people support each actor in an eighth-month season budgeted at $24,300,000 million. Great theater meets big business.

Who would have thought it back in 1935 when the town’s hard-pressed city fathers wracked their brains for something—anything—to bring in revenue. With the Depression at its height, no one thought much of Angus Bowmer’s suggestion. That crazy kid professor, wanted to put on a weekend Shakespeare festival! A grudging town granted the young idealist $400 to mount the production—but only with the caveat that the stage would also be used for boxing.

Bowmer, aware that in Shakespeare’s time boxing exhibitions preceded plays, surprised everyone by being delighted with the idea. As it turned out, his festival was not only an instant success, but actually subsidized the less popular afternoon boxing matches. Today the mini resort of Ashland encircles an elaborate entertainment complex that includes three state-of-the-art theaters in the town center. The Mecca that draws more than 100,000 people to the festival each year. What do they find?

A lot more than Shakespeare. True the town’s high cultural expression is exemplified in the Elizabethan Stage. Covered in luxuriant ivy and open to the western skies, this massive venue is the hub of both festival and town, yet this is only the beginning. The immortal bard gets nightly competition from a variety of young, edgy, contemporary and highly competitive playwrights.

Amy Richards, festival spokesperson, explains: “Our name can mislead people who don’t know yet what we are. If you’re thinking two weeks of Shakespeare in the summer, think again. Ours is a real festival experience with backstage tours, lectures, classes, music and dance.”

This year, the festival’s 74th, opened with previews in February and doesn’t conclude until Nov. 1. Only four of the 11 plays are Shakespeare’s.

Each year I also make a special point of doing a backstage tour and always learn something new—possibly an insight, perhaps a new technique, invariably a telling

anecdote. And, because of the egalitarian nature of the repertory company itself, the morning tour guide is very apt to be last night’s leading man.

Maureen Messier, a Sacramento English teacher who’s been taking her Sheldon High School students to Ashland for 25 years, shares my enthusiasm for backstage camaraderie. Hearing the actors’ “insider” perceptions has enabled her kids to profoundly understand what they see and to experience the world of theater up close and personal.

“It’s not easy in today’s educational climate to take field trips,” she says, “but Ashland is one that I will never give up on because of its impact on my students.” Messier’s favorite story is of a senior boy with reading challenges. A production of Hamlet so enthralled this young man that he went out and bought the play to read on his own.

Though the 2009 season is in full swing, plays have already been selected for 2010. Designs are on the drawing board for sets and costumes. Ashland, where the play is always the thing is gearing up for its 75rd season.

Membership in the theater company is highly competitive. Actors are well paid but work under year-to-year contracts. It keeps everyone on their toes. Conceivably, an actor can work for 10 years and not be rehired for the 11th. Graduate students are recruited for two or three year internships. At the end of that time they have the opportunity to audition for membership. Most try and try hard.

What’s Playing in Ashland

This year, with a thematic repertoire pervaded by “love” the theatrical smorgasbord is particularly rich. Lovers run rampant whether adulterous or steadfast, timid or fierce. Always—or it wouldn’t be drama—something blocks them.

Angus Bowmer Theater

Death and the King’s Horseman— Loin-centered love alters the destiny of an intended martyr in this drama based in colonial Africa. A riveting story with a strong cast. (Closes July 5)

Equivocation—The unrequited love of a daughter for her father is a strong theme in this political play. This is the world premiere of an important American drama. (My personal favorite of the season.) (Closes Oct. 31)

Macbeth—Who doesn’t love this classic! Robin Nordli and Peter Macon are well cast as Shakespeare sexiest couple. Theirs is a passionate union and they seem to read each others’ minds. Too bad they’re not listening as well to those scary witches. An exciting production. Don’t miss it! (Closes Nov. 1)

Paradise Lost—Considered a Depression-era masterpiece Clifford Odets’ is a true “let’s

face the music and dance” musical that’s only too timely today. A pair of married lovers grapple with the loss of their home. (Closes Oct. 31)

The Music Man—Though the truly splendid dramatic actress Gwendolyn Mulamba seems uncomfortable as Marian the librarian, Michael Elich radiates as smooth-talking Harold Hill. There may be trouble in River City, but the lively cast definitely knows its territory. (Closes Nov. 1)

New Theatre

All’s Well That Ends Well — An odd match to be sure: an arrogant young count and a girl down her luck. Both are determined to have what they want and totally at odds with one another. Sparks fly, tricks are played. As the curtain falls, they are a couple. But will there be an encore? (Closes Nov. 1)

The Servant of Two Masters—Well really! This play has three sets of couples to keep track of. It doesn’t help either that one character is a woman disguised as a man. Misunderstandings abound: mistaken identities, missed connections—a classic commedia dell-arte play. Audiences is love it. (Closes Nov. 1)

Elizabethan Theatre

Don Quixote—While struggling to be a knight errant searching for his own idealized Dulcinea, Don Quixote hears the sad tales of real lovers and becomes an accidental matchmaker. This is a rich, innovative take on a classic favorite that brings down the house. (Closes Oct. 10)

Henry VIII—This is the Wow! production of the season. Sets, costumes, and plot that reveals love at its naughtiest. What a fun way to brush up on history. Elijah Alexander’s Henry is truly mythic. (Closes Oct. 9)

Much Ado About Nothing—Beatrice can’t stand Benedick and considers marriage nothing more than “wooing, wedding and repenting.” Benedick, a confirmed bachelor, likes nothing better than to exchange insults with her. All that changes suddenly when tricksters intervene. A light story but “cute.” (Closes Oct. 11)

WHEN YOU GO

Tickets range from $17 to $72. Show dates and times vary, so check the website (www.oshfashland.org) or phone (510) 548-9666) for information.

Ashland, about 300 miles north of Sacramento, lies in the foothills of the Siskiyou mountain range. Responding to the success of the festival, the town has grown from a tiny logging town to a full fledged restort. Today there are more than 40 inns and B &Bs in the immediate area.

Personal favorites because of their charm and location are the Iris Inn (1-800 460-7650)--------- and the Ashland Springs Hotel (1-888-795-4545). For a stay of more than a weekend, you might consider renting a house from Vacation Rentals By Owner (www.VRBO.com)