Oregon Shakespeare Festival - Ashland, OR
N 42° 11.779 W 122° 42.890
10T E 523544 N 4671612
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival has the distinction of being America's first Elizabethan Theatre, founded in 1935.
Waymark Code: WMN0HE
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 12/02/2014
Views: 2
The following verbiage comes from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival website to describe its rich history:
Our History
Founded in 1935 by Angus L. Bowmer, the Tony Award-winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) is among the oldest and largest professional non-profit theatres in the nation.
FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival traces its roots back to the Chautauqua movement, which brought culture and entertainment to rural areas of the country in the late 19th century. Ashland's first Chautauqua building was erected in 1893, and in 1905, the building was enlarged to accommodate an audience of 1,500. Families traveled from all over Southern Oregon and Northern California to see such performers as John Phillip Sousa and William Jennings Bryan during the Ashland Chautauqua's 10-day seasons.
In 1917 a round, dome-covered structure was erected in the place of the original Chautauqua building. The structure fell into disuse, however, when the Chautauqua movement died out in the early 1920s. The dome was torn down in 1933, but the cement walls remain standing today, surrounding the Elizabethan Stage (renamed the Allen Elizabethan Theatre in 2013).
Angus L. Bowmer, an enthusiastic young teacher from Southern Oregon Normal School (now Southern Oregon University), was struck by the resemblance between the Chautauqua walls and some sketches he had seen of Elizabethan theatres. He proposed producing a "festival" of two plays within the walls, in conjunction with the City of Ashland's Fourth of July celebration. The City cautiously advanced Bowmer a sum "not to exceed $400" for the project. SERA (State Emergency Relief Administration) funds provided a construction crew to build the stage and improve the grounds.
The Oregon Shakespearean Festival was officially born on July 2, 1935 with a production of Twelfth Night. The Festival presented The Merchant of Venice on the 3rd and Twelfth Night again on the 4th. Reserved seats cost $1, with general admission of $.50 for adults and $.25 for children. Even at these prices, the Festival covered its own expenses. The Festival also absorbed the losses of the daytime boxing match that the City — which feared that the plays would lose money — held onstage.
The following Shakespeare plays have been performed at this theater over the years as listed on placards that hang in front of the Allen Elizabethan Theatre:
1935 |
1936 |
1937 |
1938 |
Twelfth Night |
The Merchant of Venice |
Twelfth Night |
Twelfth Night |
The Merchant of Venice |
Twelfth Night |
The Taming of the Shrew |
The Merchant of Venice |
|
Romeo and Juliet |
Romeo and Juliet |
The Taming of the Shrew |
|
|
|
Hamlet |
1939 |
1940 |
1947 |
1948 |
Hamlet |
Much Ado About Nothing |
Hamlet |
Othello |
The Taming of the Shrew |
The Merry Wives of Windsor |
Love's Labor's Lost |
The Merchant of Venice |
The Comedy of Errors |
As You Like It |
Macbeth |
Love's Labor's Lost |
As You Like It |
The Comedy of Errors |
The Merchant of Venice |
King John |
1949 |
1950 |
1951 |
1952 |
Romeo and Juliet |
Henry IV, Part I |
Twelfth Night |
The Tempest |
A Midsummer Night's Dream |
As You Like It |
Measure For Measure |
Julius Caesar |
The Taming of the Shrew |
Antony & Cleopatra |
King Lear |
Henry V |
Richard II |
The Comedy of Errors |
Henry IV, Part II |
Much Ado About Nothing |
Othello |
|
|
|
1953 |
1954 |
1955 |
1956 |
Coriolanus |
The Winter's Tale |
Timon of Athens |
Richard III |
The Merchant of Venice |
The Merry Wives of Windsor |
Henry VI, Part III |
Love's Labor's Lost |
Henry VI, Part I |
Henry VI, Part II |
A Midsummer Night's Dream |
Titus Andronicus |
The Taming of the Shrew |
Hamlet |
All's Well That Ends Well |
Romeo and Juliet |
|
|
Macbeth |
Cymbeline |
1957 |
1958 |
1959 |
1960 |
The Two Gentlemen of Verona |
Much Ado About Nothing |
Measure For Measure |
The Taming of the Shrew |
Pericles, Prince of Tyre |
Troilus & Cressida |
Antony & Cleopatra |
Julius Caesar |
As You Like It |
The Merchant of Venice |
The Mask of the New World |
The Tempest |
Henry VIII |
King Lear |
Twelfth Night |
Richard II |
Othello |
|
King John |
The Tragedy of the Duchess of Malfi* |
1961 |
1962 |
1963 |
1964 |
A Midsummer Night's Dream |
As You Like It |
The Merry Wives of Windsor |
The Merchant of Venice |
All's Well That Ends Well |
A Comedy of Errors |
Romeo and Juliet |
King Lear |
Henry IV, Part I |
Henry IV, Part II |
Love's Labor's Lost |
Twelfth Night |
The Alchemist* |
Coriolanus |
Henry V |
Henry VI, Part I |
Hamlet |
A Thieves Ballad* |
|
Knight of the Burning Pestle* |
1965 |
1966 |
1967 |
1968 |
Much Ado About Nothing |
A Midsummer Night's Dream |
Pericles, Prince of Tyre |
Cymbeline |
Macbeth |
Othello |
Antony and Cleopatra |
Hamlet |
The Winter's Tale |
The Two Gentlemen of Verona |
The Taming of the Shrew |
As You Like It |
Henry VI, Part II |
Henry VI, Part III |
Richard III |
Henry VIII |
Volpone* |
|
|
|
1969 |
1970 |
1971 |
1972 |
The Tempest |
The Merchant of Venice |
A Midsummer Night's Dream |
Troilus & Cressida |
Romeo and Juliet |
The Comedy of Errors |
Much Ado About Nothing |
Henry IV, Part II |
Twelfth Night |
Julius Caesar |
Henry IV, Part I |
The Taming of the Shrew |
King John |
Richard II |
Macbeth |
Love's Labor's Lost |
1973 |
1974 |
1975 |
1976 |
The Merry Wives of Windsor |
Titus Andronicus |
The Winter's Tale |
Henry VI, Part II |
As You Like It |
The Two Gentlemen of Verona |
Romeo and Juliet |
Much Ado About Nothing |
Othello |
Twelfth Night |
Henry VI, Part I |
The Comedy of Errors |
Henry V |
Hamlet |
All's Well That Ends Well |
King Lear |
1977 |
1978 |
1979 |
1980 |
Measure For Measure |
Timon of Athens |
The Tragical Hist. of Dr. Faustus* |
The Merry Wives of Windsor |
Antony and Cleopatra |
Richard II |
As You Like It |
As You Like It |
Henry VI, Part III |
The Tempest |
A Midsummer Night's Dream |
Coriolanus |
The Merchant of Venice |
The Taming of the Shrew |
Macbeth |
Richard II |
|
|
|
Love's Labor's Lost |
1981 |
1982 |
1983 |
1984 |
The Two Gentlemen of Verona |
The Comedy of Errors |
Much Ado About Nothing |
Troilus & Cressida |
Henry IV, Part I |
Romeo and Juliet |
Richard III |
The Winter's Tale |
Twelfth Night |
Julius Caesar |
Cymbeline |
The Winter's Tale |
Othello |
Othello |
Hamlet |
The Taming of the Shrew |
|
Henry V |
|
|
1985 |
1986 |
1987 |
1988 |
All's Well That Ends Well |
Titus Andronicus |
The Shoemaker's Holiday* |
Romeo and Juliet |
King John |
Measure For Measure |
A Midsummer Night's Dream |
Henry IV, Part I |
The Merchant of Venice |
As You Like It |
Macbeth |
Twelfth Night |
King Lear |
The Tempest |
Richard II |
Love's Labor's Lost |
1989 |
1990 |
1991 |
1992 |
The Two Gentlemen of Verona |
The Merry Wives of Windsor |
The First Part of Henry VI |
The Conclusion of Henry VI |
Much Ado About Nothing |
The Winter's Tale |
Julius Caesar |
All's Well That Ends Well |
Henry IV, Part II |
The Comedy of Errors |
The Merchant of Venice |
As You Like It |
Pericles, Prince of Tyre |
Henry V |
The Taming of the Shrew |
Othello |
1993 |
1994 |
1995 |
1996 |
A Midsummer Night's Dream |
Much Ado About Nothing |
The Merry Wives of Windsor |
Love's Labor's Lost |
Antony and Cleopatra |
The Two Noble Kensmen |
Twelfth Night |
The Winter's Tale |
Richard III |
The Tempest |
Richard II |
Romeo and Juliut |
Cymbeline |
Hamlet |
Macbeth |
Coriolanus |
The White Devil* |
|
|
|
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
The Two Gentlemen of Verona |
Measure For Measure |
Henry IV, Part II |
Henry V |
Timon of Athens |
The Comedy of Errors |
Othello |
Hamlet |
As You Like It |
A Midsummer Night's Dream |
Much Ado About Nothing |
Twelfth Night |
King Lear |
Henry IV, Part I |
The Three Musketeers* |
The Taming of the Shrew |
|
Cymbeline |
Pericles |
|
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
Troilus and Cressida |
The Winter's Tale |
A Midsummer Night's Dream |
The Comedy of Errors |
The Merry Wives of Windsor |
Titus Andronicus |
Antony and Cleopatra |
Henry VI, Part I |
The Merchant of Venice |
Julius Caesar |
Romeo and Juliet |
King Lear |
The Tempest |
As You Like It |
Richard II |
Henry VI, Parts II & III |
|
Macbeth |
Wild Oats* |
Much Ado About Nothing |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
The Tragical Hist. of Dr. Faustus* |
The Two Gentlemen of Verona |
Romeo and Juliet |
The Comedy of Errors |
Love's Labor's Lost |
Cyrano De Bergerac* |
As You Like It |
A Midsummer Night's Dream |
Twelfth Night |
The Winter's Tale |
The Taming of the Shrew |
Coriolanus |
Richard III |
The Merry Wives of Windsor |
The Tempest |
Othello |
|
King John |
|
Our Town* |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
Much Ado About Nothing |
Twelfth Night |
Love's Labor's Lost |
Troilus and Cressida |
All's Well That Ends Well |
Henry IV, Part I |
Measure For Measure |
The Merry Wives of Windsor, Iowa |
Henry VIII |
The Merchant of Venice |
Henry IV, Part II |
Romeo and Juliet |
Macbeth |
Hamlet |
Julius Caesar |
As You Like It |
Don Quixote* |
|
Pirates of Penzance* |
Henry V |
2013 |
2014 |
A Midsummer Night's Dream |
The Comedy of Errors |
The Taming of the Shrew |
The Two Gentlemen of Verona |
The Heart of Robin Hood* |
The Tempest |
Cymbeline |
Richard III |
King Lear |
Into the Woods* |
*Not Shakespeare Plays
Location Type: Theater
Property Type:: Public
Date of event:: July 2, 1935
Location notes:: Please visit the Oregon Shakespeare Festival website link below to get the latest schedule of plays and ticket prices.
URL for Additional Information:: [Web Link]
If other, please explain:: Not listed
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