Ashland

Usually every second summer Ian Fenwick, Theatre Director at Fraser Valley University College - Chilliwack Campus, leads a tour group to Ashland Oregon for the purpose of taking in many plays over a period of a week.

Heidi and I and 31 other folk traveled by bus from Chilliwack to Ashland where we spent 6 days and watched 8 plays! Of course each day was filled with many activities besides play watching and here is our story along with a few pictures to back it up.

I can't say enough good about the trip to Ashland.... a very neat, together place. If you've never been... go... buy tickets in advance to guarantee seating for your plays, try the great restaurants and pubs. There are THREE fantastic theatres (New Theatre, Bowmer, Elizabethan) each showing several plays and they can do this because they break down the set at the end of a show and install another set for the next show.... then repeat the process over and over. They call it rotating repertory theatre.

EIGHT VERY BUSY DAYS: MON-20jun05 bus ride to Ashland, 12.5 hours, fun and a video. TUES-21jun05 morning debriefing with all 33 in our group, backstage tour, park talk on costumes, hosted group dinner at the Standing Stone Brewery, Love's Labour's Lost (8:30pm Elizabethan) WED-22jun morning debriefing, lecture Love's Labour's Lost by Kenneth Albers, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2pm New Theatre), Twelfth Night (8:30pm Elizabethan). THURS-23jun debriefing, lecture on Dr. Faustus by dramaturg Barry Kraft, park talk scenic carpentry by Joe Porto, Room Service (8:30pm Bowmer). FRI-24jun debriefing, lecture in Carpenter Hall by Jamie Newcomb (Richard III), Napoli Milionara (2pm Bowmer), Richard III (8:30pm Bowmer). SAT-25jun debriefing, folio viewing, park talk by Kenneth Albers, The Philanderer (8:30pm Bowmer). SUN-26jun debriefing, Tapestry Cabaret, park talk by Laura Morache, hosted group dinner at Park Plaza Restaurant, Doctor Faustus (8:30pm Elizabethan). MON-27jun bus ride home, more fun and a video. And a HUGE thank you to our driver, Chris!

IMPRESSIONS: In short I went through cultural uplifting as one with little prior exposure to theatre. I am sure that for anyone, the effect of experiencing the above 6 day theatre agenda would be overwhelming to say the least. For myself, and I think I can safely say for almost all in our group, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) fully lived up to its VISION STATEMENT: "We envision the Oregon Shakespeare Festival as a creative environment where artists and audiences from around the world know they can explore opportunities for transformational experiences through the power of theatre."

STORIES--- NOT IN ANY PARTICULAR ORDER: We enjoyed the lovely town of Ashland. It is fabulous: the drinking water, the shops, restaurants, theatre.... just about as close to heaven (for the tourist) as one can get. Most enjoyable and enlightening were our group's morning debriefing sessions where we discussed our impressions of the prior evening's play. Here was a chance to get to know each other a little better. Heidi and I enjoyed shopping and sampling the fare at many of the eateries/pubs. The actors I met were James Newcomb (Richard III), Laura Morache (Lady Anne in R-III), and Abdul Salaam El Razzac (Toledo in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom). I met a chap named Steve at the Starbucks patio. He's be in his forties and has a Harrison Ford look about him. We fell into a great conversation. He wouldn't say just what he did around town, but he was well visited by actors and OSF folk, as we conversed. Said he billeted actors over the years and that's why he got lotsa "hellos". At one bookstore I found a nifty old book on wood refinishing. It now sits next to others in my fusty library and will aid me in my hobby of restoring old radios from the 1920's, 30's and 40's. You have to go to Ashland's Chocolate Factory and try their chocolate dipped cheesecake wedge... be hungry when you start. I was not really thrilled with one of the plays and I learned what to do if one finds oneself in the position of being done with the play after the first 15 minutes---- and facing the prospect of being on the wife's "list" if one stays in the lobby for the second half. One simply turns a bit sideways and studies the audience. In this case there was a lot to learn. My seatmates were all squirming in their chairs, much arm and hand movement from lap to face all over the 602 seat theatre. Much slouching and straightening up from slouching to the extent I began to realize that I too was slouching and straightening. I got a kick out of all the school kids staying at the Southern Oregon University campus (where our group stayed in a dormitory). It was funny on the first morning in the campus cafeteria to see the food service area swarming with kids, each with a food tray jutting out in front... all like little members of a Borg ship... doing their food dance... spinning and turning like automatons.

AN AGENDA: For the past two winters I have been working in an advisory board for the purpose of building a Performing Arts Center in Chilliwack so I had an agenda on this trip..... and that was to learn as much about theatre and the way a town supports it as I could. On this trip I was as much a student of building a theatre as one of theatre itself. The Ashland mayor was off on the day I dropped into city hall but he has subsequently called and invited me to call back, which I shall do when I have better digested the experience and analyzed data I was given by the OSF Executive Director, Mr. Nicholson. It was my good luck and honour to have an interview with him, given both our busy schedules. I was thankful that he had the interest and a bit of time to indulge a visitor's questions about the business of operating theatre on this scale. My background as a scenic carpenter in the movie industry made me curious to see the OSF carpentry shop..... a personally guided tour was arranged for the next day. Ian joined us. He and Paul hit it off from the start as they both did a marvelous bit of street theatre presenting each other with their business cards, in Japanese style. They had a great chat during the tour. Discussions with Mr. Nicholson were a trip highlight and an inspiration in our work towards expanding Chilliwack's performing arts facilities. We plan to share our information with our board soon.

Special thanks to Ian Fenwick and Lynne Wells for organizing the trip. A tip of the hat to Mr. Paul Nicholson and the OSF folk who have crafted a truly exalting experience through theatre. Finally a warm thanks to the great people who comprised this year's group. You were much fun!

A Trip to The Shakespeare Festival in Ashland Oregon 2005