Travelogue

Stage of the Allen Elizabethan Theater before the perfomance of MacbethI was pretty excited about seeing Macbeth at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. It had been on my radar since moving West four years ago. Although we had taken the long way around to get here this trip, Ashland is only about 6 hours from home, so it’s something we could easily do on an annual basis. I’m not quite sure Herb is ready to buy into that plan yet.

For many, however, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival is an annual event, and it has been going strong since 1935 when Angus L. Bomer, an enthusiastic young teacher from what is now Southern Oregon University, proposed producing a festival of two Shakespeare plays as part of Ashland’s 4th of July celebration: Twelfth Night and the Merchant of Venice.

For that first performance, general admission tickets cost $0.50 for adults and $0.25 for children. At those prices, I would have a better chance of getting Herb to make this an annual event rather than the $95 per seat we paid.

We got to our motel in Ashland early enough to shower, have lunch, and nap before heading downtown to the historic district. Even without the Shakespeare Festival, Ashland’s historic downtown is worth a visit, with its many fine restaurants, shops, the Schneider Museum of Art, and Lithia Park, a 100-acre park alongside Ashland Creek, designed by John McLaren, the landscape architect of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.

Herb getting ready for the Macbeth performance at the Allen Elizabethan TheaterThe play began at 8:00, so we had some time to have a picnic dinner in Lithia Park before heading over to the theater.

There are actually three theaters in Ashland, each of which had performances tonight. We would be seeing Macbeth at the Allen Elizabethan Theater, where most of the Festival’s Shakespeare productions are put on. It was modeled after the 1600 Fortune Theater inLondon.

There is also the 600-seat Angus Bowmer theater and the smaller 150-seat New Theater, where modern works and experimental productions are put on.

Since we bought tickets last minute, our seats were in the very back row, which was actually fine. We could see and hear everything as well as those near the stage.

The performance was mesmerizing, even though I knew the plot and had seen several versions of Macbeth before. That’s what great about Shakespeare plays. Every director can takes his own approach to interpreting and utilizing the themes and motifs in the play. I thought this version put a heavy emphasis on the supernatural, and felt the presence and influence of the three witches throughout.

It was a wonderful performance and a great way to bring our exploration of Oregon to a close. We’ll be back!! Right Herb?

Description

The town of Ashland, Oregon, about 20 miles north of the California border on I5 is home to the annual Oregon Shakespeare festival, a regional repertory theater founded in 1935 by Angus Bower.

Each year, from March through October, the Festival offers matinee and evening performances in three theaters. The Allen Elizabethan Theater, where most of the Shakespeare productions are put on, was modeled after the 1600 Fortune Theater of London.

The other two theaters are the 600-seat Angus Bowmer theater and the smaller 150-seat New Theater, where modern works and experimental productions are put on.

Also of interest in Ashland are its historic downtown, with many fine restaurants, shops, and the Schneider Museum of Art, and the lovely Lithia Park. The 100-acre park, which is set along Ashland Creek, was designed by John McLaren, the landscape architect of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.