I recently attended the world-class Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) in Ashland and thoroughly enjoyed this idyllic town with its Shakespeare-themed attractions. This was the first stop on my epic West Coast vacation.
The Festival is in its 83rd season; each year it presents 3-4 Shakespeare plays and additional adaptions and premieres. Plays run every day during a long season of February through October (except Mondays) in three different theaters. More than 400,000 people attend this event annually.
We decided to see Love Labor’s Lost in the Allen Elizabethan Theatre (an outdoor theatre) and learned that 1) one needs to dress for all types of weather and 2) the show will go on! In our case, it was storming in the hours before and still raining up to the 8pm showtime which made for a dramatic wait (while wondering will the show go on??). You can take wine and beer into your seats and even pre-order your drink for intermission. We also noticed this attracts a very serious audience, and no one moves an inch until intermission. And I was later told the outdoor theatre is the most “relaxed” of the three theaters!! These people are serious about their Shakespeare, and the production here is worthy of this level of respect.
I had not seen or even read this particular play before, so it was a bit hard to follow, but I greatly enjoyed the acting and humor. The character of Berowne especially made me laugh. And I was impressed by the diversity of the cast and how just enough modern touches were included in the production. It also included a catchy, modern score of music, including one song resembling something from Green Day.
Tickets for the plays range from $40 – $150ish. I settled on the “B” level and ended up very close to the front, to the side. I loved being that close. If this festival interests you, check out the OSF official website; it will give all the details I won’t get to in this post.
The fun thing about Ashland – for me – was the Shakespeare-themed everything. For example, a restaurant/bar near the theaters is Oberon’s which has the script of A Midsummer’s Night Dream carved into the bar top and a full menu of themed drinks. We stayed at The Bard’s Inn, 132 N. Main, which is walking distance to everything, and I highly recommend this hotel.
Ashland, Oregon is a beautiful setting for this event and has so much to offer even if you don’t attend a play. In this valley surrounded by mountains there are endless opportunities to enjoy food, drink, scenery, and various other activities.
The outside of Oberon’s.
The inviting Shakespeare-themed drink menu of Oberon’s.