![\"ElizabethanHenryVIII_09\"](\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2009\/11\/ElizabethanHenryVIII_091.jpg\")
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On my way to browse the intimate Bloomsbury Books on Main Street in Ashland, Oregon recently, I happened to spot Lewis the Dauphin, Son of the King of France, eating a large sandwich at a sidewalk restaurant.<\/p>\n
Coincidentally, the next afternoon, in search of a good cup of coffee, I espied Constance\u2014 widow of King John of England\u2019s elder brother Geoffrey, and mother of young Arthur (who, before being kidnapped, aspired to the throne to which Lewis the Dauphin eventually ascended!)\u2014 sipping espresso in a pastry shop.<\/p>\n
Add to these the information that I received from a local businessman who swears<\/span> that he saw Hamlet working out on the Stairmaster next to him at the gym, and you can\u2019t help but wonder: is<\/span> something, in fact, rotten in Denmark?\u00a0 Or at the very least, is something strange going on in Ashland?<\/p>\n Au contraire, I say (with feeling, and a French accent, before exiting stage left).\u00a0 In addition to its charms as an eclectic island of arts, culture, and counter-culture halfway between Portland and San Francisco, Ashland is also home to the world-renowned, Tony Award-winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival<\/a>.\u00a0 Founded in 1935, this nine-month extravaganza annually presents nearly 800 performances of nine shows in three theaters including a replica Elizabethan venue.\u00a0 This year, OSF\u2019s offerings include such examples of the Bard\u2019s work as Hamlet<\/em> and Twlfth Night<\/em>, as well as fresh, bold interpretations of more modern fare including\u00a0Cat on a Hot Tin Roof<\/em> and \u00a0American Night<\/em>.\u00a0 OSF is among the oldest and largest non-profit theater companies in the U.S.\u00a0 And not only for that reason, Ashland itself is, quite literally, full of characters.<\/p>\n Many visitors to OSF fill their schedules to bursting with theater, seeing two shows per day and participating in other play-related events in between.\u00a0 Preface programs before certain performances introduce audiences to plots and characters; lectures provide actors and directors an opportunity to discuss a plays\u2019 symbolism, context, or history; and classes, workshops, backstage tours, and other programs orbiting around actual performances create an atmosphere that is all about drama\u2014or comedy, as the case may be.<\/p>\n At some point, most patrons stumble out of a darkened theater and need to take five.\u00a0 Ashland is a welcoming locale for a variety of activities or even just for napping in a fine, sun-lit European-style boutique hostelry such as the Ashland Springs Hotel, originally built in 1925 but recently renovated from basement to parapets.\u00a0 The old-world luxury mixed with a naturalist theme is both hip and cozy.\u00a0 Sit by the fire in the lobby and mull such age-old questions as: \u201cWere Romeo and Juliet really star-crossed?\u201d\u00a0 And \u201cWhat should I have for dinner?\u201d\u00a0 (The answer to the latter: anything at the French-inspired Amuse Restaurant<\/a>, close-by to both the hotel and theaters.)<\/p>\n If you crave shopping after seeing The Merchant of Venice<\/em>, downtown presents a collage of galleries, shops, and boutiques.\u00a0 And as long as there\u2019s no Tempest<\/em> raging outside, walk off your torpor amidst the wooded paths and burbling streams of 93-acre Lithia Park, or through leafy neighborhoods of Victorian and Craftsman homes (including genuine Greene and Greene designs).\u00a0 But beware: B&Bs threaten to charm you to death on every corner.<\/p>\n With a bit more time, go hiking, biking, rafting, kayaking, skiing, or climbing in the surrounding Siskyou and Cascade Mountains.\u00a0 Situated at 2,000 feet and with only 19 inches of annual rainfall, Ashland\u2019s climate is, well, lovely as a summer\u2019s day.\u00a0 Or drive ten miles to Medford to play John Fought\u2019s links-style Centennial Golf Club<\/a>, which does not lend itself to a single Shakespearean reference. \u00a0But make sure to get thee back to Ashland for the evening curtain.<\/p>\n For further info: 800-219-8161, www.osfashland.org<\/a>.\u00a0 If, for you, the play\u2019s the thing, following are a handful of other great American theater festivals.<\/p>\n A leather-clad, modern-day Macbeth.<\/p><\/div>\n \n A Sidebar in Ten Acts:<\/p>\n Contemporary American Theater Festival<\/span>, Shepherdstown, WV, July 6-29.\u00a0 In it\u2019s 17th<\/sup> season CATF describes itself as \u201cthe ultimate new play festival in America.\u201d\u00a0 Each year audiences view four new works by such homegrown playwrights as Sam Shepard, Richard Dresser, and Joyce Carol Oates.\u00a0 The plays, about contemporary issues, are meant to both challenge and entertain.\u00a0 800-999-CATF, www.catf.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Shaw Festival<\/span>, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, April 3-Oct. 28.\u00a0 This non-profit company produces plays (such as 2007\u2019s Saint Joan<\/em>) by George Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries (Ibsen, Inge, Wilde, etc.) or about his era (1856-1950).\u00a0 In its 45th<\/sup> year, the Shaw is known for reviving plays that other companies are unable or unwilling to produce.\u00a0 800-511-SHAW, www.shawfest.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Vancouver Fringe Festival, Vancouver<\/span>, British Columbia, Sept.\u00a0 Part of a global theater network based on the original Edinburgh Fringe Festival, VFF promises uncensored performances from 100 international troupes.\u00a0 Eleven days of events take place in theaters, garages, even on a water taxi.\u00a0 604-257-0350, www.vancouverfringe.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Spoleto Festival USA<\/span>, Charleston, SC, May 25-June 10.\u00a0 The largest festival of its kind in the Americas, Spoleto features well-known masters and up-and-comers performing opera, dance, and plays in historic theaters, churches, and outdoor spaces.\u00a0 Since 1977, festival goers have applauded the works of artists ranging from Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller to Phillip Glass and Laurie Anderson, and performances by the likes of Yo Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax.\u00a0 843-579-3100, www.spoletousa.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n In the Street Theater Festival<\/span>, San Francisco, CA, Oct.\u00a0 Likely back for its 12th<\/sup> season after a year off, the only street theater festival in the US offers irreverent, intimate, and interactive entertainment featuring 200 acrobats, clowns, puppets, dancers, and other performance artists on neighborhood streets.\u00a0\u00a0 415-255-5971, www.zeitgeist.net<\/a>.<\/p>\n Williamstown Theater Festival<\/span>, Williamstown, MA, July-Aug.\u00a0 This award-winning summer theater program in the Berkshires is celebrating its 45th<\/sup> year.\u00a0 WTF offers performances of new and classic plays\u2014 many of which have gone on to Broadway\u2014 as well as workshops for kids.\u00a0 413-597-3400, www.wtfestival.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Great Lakes Theater Festival<\/span>, Cleveland, OH, Sept.\u2013April.\u00a0 Founded in 1962, GLTF currently pairs two alternating productions in several mini-seasons that correspond with school calendars.\u00a0 Next up: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum<\/em> and Love\u2019s Labour\u2019s Lost<\/em>.\u00a0 216-241-5490, www.greatlakestheater.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n New York Shakespeare Festival in the Park<\/span>, New York City, Summer. Shakespeare has been performed outdoors at the Delacorte Theater for five decades since James Earl Jones and George C. Scott appeared in The Merchant of Venice<\/em>.\u00a0 Every year New Yorkers get free theater including at least one Shakespeare play, often starring actors such as Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline.\u00a0 212-539-8500, www.publictheater.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n One Act Theater Festival<\/span>, De Pere, WI, Feb. 9-March 17.\u00a0 In only its second year, this small festival outside Green Bay features approximately a dozen plays each lasting between one and fifteen minutes for a total of under two hours.\u00a0 920-983-0966, www.venturetheateronline.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Utah Shakespearean Festival<\/span>, Cedar City, Utah, June-Oct.\u00a0 For more than forty years this Tony award-winning festival has produced both Shakespearean and modern shows in two main venues, including one patterned after a 16th<\/sup> century theater much like The Globe.\u00a0 This year\u2019s offerings include King Lear<\/em> and Agatha Christie\u2019s The Mousetrap<\/em>.\u00a0 800-PLAYTIX, www.bard.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"Macbeth_1_jg_5075\"](\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2009\/11\/Macbeth_1_jg_5075.jpg\")