Production history of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Difference between revisions
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The Festival opened the 2020 season on February 28. On March 11, the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] forced the performances and remaining openings of all shows to be cancelled indefinitely.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Paulson|first=Michael|date=27 March 2020|title=Spring Culture Fell to Virus. In Oregon, Summer Theater Now Succumbs.|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/theater/oregon-shakespeare-festival-canceled-virus.html|access-date=10 May 2020}}</ref> By the end of March, the Festival was hoping to present a smaller season that would open [[Labor Day|Labor Day weekend]]. The plan was to present the four shows that had already opened with the addition of Shakespeare's ''The Tempest'' in the outdoor Allen Elizabethan Theatre. On May 8, it became apparent that ongoing [[Social distancing|social distancing restrictions]] in [[Oregon]] would prohibit a fall season and all shows for 2020 were cancelled.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Acker|first=Lizzy|date=8 May 2020|title=Oregon Shakespeare Festival cancels 2020 fall season due to coronavirus pandemic|work=The Oregonian|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/2020/05/oregon-shakespeare-festival-cancels-fall-season-due-to-coronavirus-pandemic.html|access-date=10 May 2020}}</ref> |
The Festival opened the 2020 season on February 28. On March 11, the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] forced the performances and remaining openings of all shows to be cancelled indefinitely.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Paulson|first=Michael|date=27 March 2020|title=Spring Culture Fell to Virus. In Oregon, Summer Theater Now Succumbs.|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/theater/oregon-shakespeare-festival-canceled-virus.html|access-date=10 May 2020}}</ref> By the end of March, the Festival was hoping to present a smaller season that would open [[Labor Day|Labor Day weekend]]. The plan was to present the four shows that had already opened with the addition of Shakespeare's ''The Tempest'' in the outdoor Allen Elizabethan Theatre. On May 8, it became apparent that ongoing [[Social distancing|social distancing restrictions]] in [[Oregon]] would prohibit a fall season and all shows for 2020 were cancelled.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Acker|first=Lizzy|date=8 May 2020|title=Oregon Shakespeare Festival cancels 2020 fall season due to coronavirus pandemic|work=The Oregonian|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/2020/05/oregon-shakespeare-festival-cancels-fall-season-due-to-coronavirus-pandemic.html|access-date=10 May 2020}}</ref> |
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In February 2021, the Festival announced a hybrid season that would allow for flexibility surrounding ongoing social distancing mandates<ref>{{Cite news|date=17 February 2021|title=Oregon Shakes to Combine Live, Digital Programming for 2021 Season|work=American Theatre|url=https://www.americantheatre.org/2021/02/17/oregon-shakes-to-combine-live-digital-programming-for-2021-season/|access-date=23 September 2021}}</ref>. The Festival offered month-long streaming access to archive videos of previous shows in the early part of the year on their newly-launched streaming platform, O!. The archive streams included ''Julius Caesar'' (2017 season), ''Manahatta'' (2018 season), and ''Snow in Midsummer'' (2018 season). Also announced were tentative plans for three fully-staged shows to open in the followed by OSF's first ever Christmas show. In later May 2021, the OSF announced they would be proceeding with only one play, ''Fannie: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer'', a one woman show opening July 1 and playing through mid-October in the outdoor Allen Elizabethan Theatre<ref>{{Cite news|last=Keefer|first=Bob|date=27 May 2021|title=Shakespeare Festival Seeks Comeback, Cuts Indoor Shows|work=Eugene Weekly|url=https://www.eugeneweekly.com/2021/05/27/shakespeare-festival-seeks-comeback-cuts-indoor-shows |
In February 2021, the Festival announced a hybrid season that would allow for flexibility surrounding ongoing social distancing mandates<ref>{{Cite news|date=17 February 2021|title=Oregon Shakes to Combine Live, Digital Programming for 2021 Season|work=American Theatre|url=https://www.americantheatre.org/2021/02/17/oregon-shakes-to-combine-live-digital-programming-for-2021-season/|access-date=23 September 2021}}</ref>. The Festival offered month-long streaming access to archive videos of previous shows in the early part of the year on their newly-launched streaming platform, O!. The archive streams included ''Julius Caesar'' (2017 season), ''Manahatta'' (2018 season), and ''Snow in Midsummer'' (2018 season). Also announced were tentative plans for three fully-staged shows to open in the followed by OSF's first ever Christmas show. In later May 2021, the OSF announced they would be proceeding with only one play, ''Fannie: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer'', a one woman show opening July 1 and playing through mid-October in the outdoor Allen Elizabethan Theatre<ref>{{Cite news|last=Keefer|first=Bob|date=27 May 2021|title=Shakespeare Festival Seeks Comeback, Cuts Indoor Shows|work=Eugene Weekly|url=https://www.eugeneweekly.com/2021/05/27/shakespeare-festival-seeks-comeback-cuts-indoor-shows/|access-date=23 September 2021}}</ref>. Concurrently, the outdoor theatre would also offer performances every Wednesday hosting performing groups typically featured in the [[Oregon Shakespeare Festival#Green Show|Green Show]]<ref>{{Cite news|last=Choy|first=Bill|date=28 May 2021|title=Oregon Shakespeare Festival is opening July 1. Here's what you need to know|work=The Siskiyou Daily News|url=https://www.siskiyoudaily.com/story/news/2021/05/28/oregon-shakespeare-festival-reopens-july-1-heres-what-you-need-know/7487549002/|access-date=23 September 2021}}</ref>. This press release also re-affirmed their plans for a Christmas show written by three members of their acting company titled ''It's Christmas, Carol!.'' |
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Revision as of 06:24, 24 September 2021
Production history of plays performed by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, as of September 2021[update].
The Early Years (1930s)
In the early years, OSF only produced works of Shakespeare.[1]
| Year | Play | Director | Theatre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | The Merchant of Venice | Angus L. Bowmer | Elizabethan Theatre |
| Twelfth Night | Angus L. Bowmer | ||
| 1936 | Romeo and Juliet | Angus L. Bowmer | Elizabethan Theatre |
| The Merchant of Venice | Angus L. Bowmer | ||
| Twelfth Night | Angus L. Bowmer | ||
| 1937 | Romeo and Juliet | Angus L. Bowmer | Elizabethan Theatre |
| The Taming of the Shrew | Angus L. Bowmer | ||
| Twelfth Night | Angus L. Bowmer | ||
| 1938 | Hamlet | Angus L. Bowmer | Elizabethan Theatre |
| The Taming of the Shrew | Angus L. Bowmer | ||
| Twelfth Night | Angus L. Bowmer | ||
| The Merchant of Venice | Angus L. Bowmer | ||
| 1939[2] | As You Like It | Angus L. Bowmer | Elizabethan Theatre |
| The Taming of the Shrew | Angus L. Bowmer | ||
| Hamlet | Angus L. Bowmer | ||
| The Comedy of Errors | Angus L. Bowmer | ||
| 1940[3] | As You Like It | William Cottrell | Elizabethan Theatre |
| The Comedy of Errors | William Cottrell | ||
| The Merry Wives of Windsor | William Cottrell | ||
| Much Ado About Nothing | William Cottrell |
In July 1939, OSF was invited to present their production of The Taming of the Shrew at the Golden Gate International Exposition. The performance was broadcast nationally over NBC Radio. The interest drawn up by the national broadcast may have been the necessary exposure that allowed the Festival to return following World War II.[4]
The Post-War Years (Late 1940s & 1950s)
The festival did not present any productions from 1941 to 1946. This was due to World War II and a fire that burned down the festival's original Elizabethan Theatre.[5]
In 1951, actors from the summer acting company formed the Vining Repertory. This "edition" of the festival was created to present plays in indoor venues that allowed the season to utilize more of the year when winter weather would prohibit outdoor performances. They performed for three seasons in a local venue known as the Lithia Theatre before a fire destroyed the stage, stock, and records. The name "Vining Repertory" was in honor of the brothers who founded the Lithia Theatre and who had died just before the creation of this "sub-company".[6][7]
| Year | Play | Director | Playwright | Theatre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Hamlet | Frank Lambrett-Smith | William Shakespeare | Elizabethan Theatre |
| Love's Labour's Lost | Angus L. Bowmer | William Shakespeare | ||
| Macbeth | Angus L. Bowmer | William Shakespeare | ||
| The Merchant of Venice | Angus L. Bowmer | William Shakespeare | ||
| 1948 | King John | Allen Fletcher | William Shakespeare | Elizabethan Theatre |
| Love's Labor's Lost | Angus L. Bowmer | William Shakespeare | ||
| Othello | Angus L. Bowmer | William Shakespeare | ||
| The Merchant of Venice | Angus L. Bowmer | William Shakespeare | ||
| 1949 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | James Sandoe | William Shakespeare | Elizabethan Theatre |
| Othello | Allen Fletcher | William Shakespeare | ||
| Richard II | James Sandoe | William Shakespeare | ||
| Romeo and Juliet | Richard Graham | William Shakespeare | ||
| The Taming of the Shrew | Allen Fletcher | William Shakespeare | ||
| 1950 | Antony and Cleopatra | James Sandoe | William Shakespeare | Elizabethan Theatre |
| As You Like It | Angus L. Bowmer | William Shakespeare | ||
| Henry IV, Part I | Allen Fletcher | William Shakespeare | ||
| The Comedy of Errors | Richard Graham | William Shakespeare | ||
| 1951 | King Lear | Angus L. Bowmer | William Shakespeare | Elizabethan Theatre |
| Measure for Measure | James Sandoe | William Shakespeare | ||
| Henry IV, Part II | Philip Hanson | William Shakespeare | ||
| Twelfth Night | Richard Graham | William Shakespeare | ||
| Fall 1951 | Antigone | William Oyler | Jean Anouilh
Adapted by |
Lithia Theatre
Vining Repertory |
| On Monday Next | Richard Graham | Philip King | ||
| Ten Little Indians | Philip Hanson | Agatha Christie | ||
| The Late Christopher Bean | H. Paul Kliss | Sidney Howard | ||
| Spring 1952 | Arsenic and Old Lace | Barbara Curtis | Joseph Kesselring | Lithia Theatre
Vining Repertory |
| Claudia | Philip Hanson | Rose Franken | ||
| Death of a Salesman | H. Paul Kliss | Arthur Miller | ||
| The Importance of Being Earnest | Richard Graham | Oscar Wilde | ||
| 1952 | Henry V | Philip Hanson | William Shakespeare | Elizabethan Theatre |
| Julius Caesar | Allen Fletcher | William Shakespeare | ||
| Much Ado About Nothing | Angus L. Bowmer | William Shakespeare | ||
| The Tempest | Richard Graham | William Shakespeare | ||
| Fall 1952 | Dracula | Philip Hanson | Hamilton Deane | Lithia Theatre
Vining Repertory |
| The Glass Menagerie | Richard Graham | Tennessee Williams | ||
| The Show-Off | John E. Taylor | George Kelly | ||
| The Vinegar Tree | H. Paul Kliss | Paul Osborn | ||
| 1953 | Coriolanus | Allen Fletcher | William Shakespeare | Elizabethan Theatre |
| Henry VI, Part I | James Sandoe | William Shakespeare | ||
| The Merchant of Venice | Richard Graham | William Shakespeare | ||
| The Taming of the Shrew | Philip Hanson | William Shakespeare | ||
| 1954 | Henry VI, Part II | James Sandoe | William Shakespeare | Elizabethan Theatre |
| Hamlet | Angus L. Bowmer | William Shakespeare | ||
| The Merry Wives of Windsor | Allen Fletcher | William Shakespeare | ||
| The Winter's Tale | H. Paul Kliss | William Shakespeare | ||
| 1955[7] | A Midsummer Night's Dream | James Sandoe | William Shakespeare | Elizabethan Theatre |
| All's Well That Ends Well | Robert B. Loper | William Shakespeare | ||
| Henry VI, Part III | James Sandoe | William Shakespeare | ||
| Macbeth | H. Paul Kliss | William Shakespeare | ||
| Timon of Athens | Robert B. Loper | William Shakespeare | ||
| 1956 | Cymbeline | B. Iden Payne | William Shakespeare | Elizabethan Theatre |
| Love's Labor's Lost | Allen Fletcher | William Shakespeare | ||
| Richard III | Allen Fletcher | William Shakespeare | ||
| Romeo and Juliet | Hal J. Todd | William Shakespeare | ||
| Titus Andronicus | Hal J. Todd | William Shakespeare | ||
| 1957 | As You Like It | Angus L. Bowmer | William Shakespeare | Elizabethan Theatre |
| Henry VIII | Robert B. Loper | William Shakespeare | ||
| Othello | James Sandoe | William Shakespeare | ||
| Pericles, Prince of Tyre | Robert B. Loper | William Shakespeare | ||
| The Two Gentlemen of Verona | James Sandoe | William Shakespeare | ||
| 1958 | King Lear | Robert B. Loper | William Shakespeare | Elizabethan Theatre |
| Much Ado About Nothing | Robert B. Loper | William Shakespeare | ||
| The Merchant of Venice | James Sandoe | William Shakespeare | ||
| Troilus and Cressida | James Sandoe | William Shakespeare | ||
| 1959 | Antony and Cleopatra | James Sandoe | William Shakespeare | Elizabethan Theatre |
| King John | Richard D. Risso | William Shakespeare | ||
| Measure for Measure | James Sandoe | William Shakespeare | ||
| The Maske of the New World[8]
First non-Shakespeare production in the Elizabethan Theatre |
Jerry Turner | Carl Ritchie | ||
| Twelfth Night | Angus L. Bowmer | William Shakespeare |
The 1960s
The 60s confirmed the demand for an indoor venue that permitted performances in colder months. Vining Rep continued for another year in a new venue: a local movie theatre called The Varsity Theatre with the dressing rooms in a trailer behind the venue.[9] Later in the decade, the festival used the Varsity for matinee performances of Ballad Operas, but were soon able to raise enough money to build a new indoor space: The Angus Bowmer Theatre.[10]
| Year | Play | Director | Playwright | Theatre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Julius Caesar | Jerry Turner | William Shakespeare | Elizabethan Theatre |
| Richard II | Richard D. Risso | William Shakespeare | ||
| The Taming of the Shrew | Robert B. Loper | William Shakespeare | ||
| The Tempest | James Sandoe | William Shakespeare | ||
| The Tragedy of the Duchess of Malfi | James Sandoe | John Webster | ||
| 1961 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | B. Iden Payne | William Shakespeare | Elizabethan Theatre |
| All's Well That Ends Well | Charles G. Taylor | William Shakespeare | ||
| Hamlet | Robert B. Loper | William Shakespeare | ||
| Henry IV, Part I | Richard D. Risso | William Shakespeare | ||
| The Alchemist | Edward S. Brubaker | Ben Jonson | ||
| Late 1961 | Night of the Auk | Carl Ritchie | Arch Oboler | Varsity Theatre
Vining Repertory |
| Rashomon | William Kinsolving | Michael Kanin | ||
| The Boy Friend | William Kinsolving | Sandy Wilson | ||
| The Miser | Dorothy Stolp | Molière | ||
| 1962 | As You Like It | Jerry Turner | William Shakespeare | Elizabethan Theatre |
| Coriolanus | J. H. Crouch | William Shakespeare | ||
| Henry IV, Part II | Edward S. Brubaker | William Shakespeare | ||
| The Comedy of Errors | Rod Alexander | William Shakespeare | ||
| A Thieves Ballad | Carl Ritchie | Carl Ritchie | ||
| 1963 | Henry V | Jerry Turner | William Shakespeare | Elizabethan Theatre |
| Love's Labor's Lost | Rod Alexander | William Shakespeare | ||
| Romeo and Juliet | Robert B. Loper | William Shakespeare | ||
| The Merry Wives of Windsor | Edward S. Brubaker | William Shakespeare | ||
| 1964 | Henry VI, Part I | Jerry Turner | William Shakespeare | Elizabethan Theatre |
| King Lear | Angus L. Bowmer | William Shakespeare | ||
| The Merchant of Venice | Rod Alexander | William Shakespeare | ||
| Twelfth Night | Robert B. Loper | William Shakespeare | ||
| The Knight of the Burning Pestle | Edward S. Brubaker | Francis Beaumont | ||
| Lovers Made Men | Carl Ritchie | Ben Jonson | Varsity Theatre | |
| 1965 | Henry VI, Part II | Edward S. Brubaker | William Shakespeare | Elizabethan Theatre |
| Macbeth | Richard D. Risso | William Shakespeare | ||
| Much Ado About Nothing | James Moll | William Shakespeare | ||
| The Winter's Tale | Hugh C. Evans | William Shakespeare | ||
| Volpone | Nagle Jackson | Ben Jonson | ||
| 1966 | Othello | Richard D. Risso | William Shakespeare | Elizabethan Theatre |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | Hugh C. Evans | William Shakespeare | ||
| The Two Gentlemen of Verona | Nagle Jackson | William Shakespeare | ||
| Henry VI, Part III | Jerry Turner | William Shakespeare | ||
| The Beggar's Opera | Carl Ritchie | John Gay | Varsity Theatre | |
| 1967 | Antony and Cleopatra | Jerry Turner | William Shakespeare | Elizabethan Theatre |
| Pericles, Prince of Tyre | Nagle Jackson | William Shakespeare | ||
| Richard III | Hugh C. Evans | William Shakespeare | ||
| The Taming of the Shrew | Richard D. Risso | William Shakespeare | ||
| The Maid of the Mill | Carl Ritchie | Samuel Arnold | Varsity Theatre | |
| 1968 | As You Like It | William Kinsolving | William Shakespeare | Elizabethan Theatre |
| Cymbeline | James Sandoe | William Shakespeare | ||
| Hamlet | Patrick Hines | William Shakespeare | ||
| Henry VIII | Richard D. Risso | William Shakespeare | ||
| Lock Up Your Daughters | Carl Ritchie | Henry Fielding | Varsity Theatre | |
| 1969 | King John | Edward S. Brubaker | William Shakespeare | Elizabethan Theatre |
| Romeo and Juliet | Patrick Hines | William Shakespeare | ||
| The Tempest | Richard D. Risso | William Shakespeare | ||
| Twelfth Night | Hugh C. Evans | William Shakespeare | ||
| Virtue in Danger | Carl Ritchie | Paul Dehn
James Bernard |
Varsity Theatre |
The 1970s
The 1970s began with the first season in the new Angus Bowmer Theatre.[12] In 1977, after being used for company-only play performances and staged readings, the Black Swan Theatre became another venue presenting shows as a part of the main OSF season. The Black Swan was used for more experimental or intimate productions.[13]
| Year | Play | Playwright | Director | Theatre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead | Tom Stoppard | Angus L. Bowmer | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Antigone | Jean Anouilh | Larry Oliver | ||
| The Fantasticks | Tom Jones
Harvey Schmidt |
Peter Nyberg | ||
| The Imaginary Invalid | Molière | Raye Birk | ||
| The Merchant of Venice | William Shakespeare | Angus L. Bowmer | ||
| You Can't Take It with You | George S. Kaufman
Moss Hart |
Pat Patton | ||
| The Glass Menagerie | Tennessee Williams | Larry Oliver | ||
| Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare | Larry Oliver | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Richard II | William Shakespeare | Jackson Nagle | ||
| The Comedy of Errors | William Shakespeare | Jackson Nagle | ||
| 1971 | A Man for All Seasons | Robert Bolt | Pat Patton | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Arsenic and Old Lace | Joseph Kesselring | Philip Davidson | ||
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | William Shakespeare | Raye Birk | ||
| Under Milk Wood | Dylan Thomas | Larry Oliver | ||
| The Glass Menagerie | Tennessee Williams | Larry Oliver | ||
| U.S.A. | John Dos Passos
Paul Shyre |
Jerry Turner | ||
| Henry IV, Part I | William Shakespeare | Pat Patton | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Macbeth | William Shakespeare | Philip Davidson | ||
| Much Ado About Nothing | William Shakespeare | Larry Oliver | ||
| 1972 | Room Service | Allen Boretz
John Murray |
Laird Williamson | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| The Crucible | Arthur Miller | Pat Patton | ||
| The Playboy of the Western World | J.M. Synge | Jerry Turner | ||
| Uncle Vanya | Anton Chekhov | Larry Oliver | ||
| Troilus and Cressida | William Shakespeare | Jerry Turner | ||
| Our Town | Thornton Wilder | Pat Patton | ||
| Love's Labor's Lost | William Shakespeare | Laird Williamson | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| The Taming of the Shrew | William Shakespeare | Robert Benedetti | ||
| Henry IV, Part II | William Shakespeare | William Roberts | ||
| 1973 | Othello | William Shakespeare | Jerry Turner | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| The Alchemist | Ben Jonson | Laird Williamson | ||
| The Dance of Death | August Strindberg | Jerry Turner | ||
| The Importance of Being Earnest | Oscar Wilde | James Edmondson | ||
| Our Town | Thornton Wilder | Pat Patton | ||
| Waiting for Godot | Samuel Beckett | Andrew J. Traister | ||
| As You Like It | William Shakespeare | Pat Patton | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Henry V | William Shakespeare | Laird Williamson | ||
| The Merry Wives of Windsor | William Shakespeare | Thomas B. Markus | ||
| O Rare Ben Jonson | David McPherson | Thomas B. Markus | Christian Science Church | |
| 1974 | The Two Gentlemen of Verona | William Shakespeare | Laird Williamson | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Hedda Gabler | Henrik Ibsen | Margaret Booker | ||
| A Funny Thing Happened | Bert Shevelove | Jerry Turner | ||
| The Time of Your Life | William Saroyan | Pat Patton | ||
| Waiting for Godot | Samuel Beckett | Andrew J. Traister | ||
| Hamlet | William Shakespeare | Jerry Turner | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Twelfth Night | William Shakespeare | James Edmondson | ||
| Titus Andronicus | William Shakespeare | Laird Williamson | ||
| 1975 | Charley's Aunt | Thomas Brandon | Pat Patton | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Long Day's Journey Into Night | Eugene O'Neil | Jerry Turner | ||
| Oedipus the King | Sophocles | Robert B. Loper | ||
| The Petrified Forest | Robert E. Sherwood | Jerry Turner | ||
| The Winter's Tale | William Shakespeare | Audrey Stanley | ||
| All's Well That Ends Well | William Shakespeare | Jon Jory | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Romeo and Juliet | William Shakespeare | James Edmondson | ||
| Henry VI, Part I | William Shakespeare | Will Huddleston | ||
| 1976 | Brand | Henrik Ibsen | Jerry Turner | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| The Devil's Disciple | George Bernard Shaw | Michael Leibert | ||
| The Little Foxes | Lillian Hellman | James Moll | ||
| The Tavern | George M. Cohan | Pat Patton | ||
| The Comedy of Errors | William Shakespeare | Will Huddleston | ||
| Much Ado About Nothing | William Shakespeare | James Edmondson | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| King Lear | William Shakespeare | Pat Patton | ||
| Henry VI, Part II | William Shakespeare | Jerry Turner | ||
| 1977 | A Streetcar Named Desire | Tennessee Williams | Elizabeth Huddle | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Angel Street | Patrick Hamilton | Pat Patton | ||
| The Rivals | Richard Brinsley Sheridan | William Glover | ||
| Measure for Measure | William Shakespeare | Jerry Turner | ||
| A Taste of Honey | Shelagh Delaney | James Edmondson | Black Swan Theatre | |
| A Moon for the Misbegotten | Eugene O'Neil | Jerry Turner | ||
| The Merchant of Venice | William Shakespeare | Michael Addison | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Henry VI, Part III | William Shakespeare | Pat Patton | ||
| Antony and Cleopatra | William Shakespeare | Robert B. Loper | ||
| A Moon for the Misbegotten | Eugene O'Neil | Jerry Turner | Tao House | |
| 1978 | Mother Courage and Her Children | Bertolt Brecht | Jerry Turner | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Private Lives | Noël Coward | Dennis Bigelow | ||
| Tartuffe | Molière | Sabin Epstein | ||
| Miss Julie | August Strindberg | Elizabeth Huddle | ||
| Timon of Athens | William Shakespeare | Jerry Turner | ||
| Night of the Tribades | Per Olav Enquist | Jerry Turner | Black Swan Theatre | |
| The Effect of Gamma Rays on | Paul Zindel | Willam Glover | ||
| Richard III | William Shakespeare | Pat Patton | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| The Taming of the Shrew | William Shakespeare | Judd Parkin | ||
| The Tempest | William Shakespeare | Michael Addison | ||
| 1979 | Born Yesterday | Garson Kanin | James Moll | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| The Play's the Thing | Ferenc Molnár | Dennis Bigelow | ||
| The Wild Duck | Henrik Ibsen | |||
| Macbeth | William Shakespeare | Pat Patton | ||
| Miss Julie | August Strindberg | |||
| Indulgences in the Louisville Harem | John Orlock | Michael Kevin | Black Swan Theatre | |
| Root of the Mandrake | Niccolò Machiavelli | Judd Parkin | ||
| Who's Happy Now? | Oliver Hailey
Tennessee Williams |
Michael Leibert | ||
| As You Like It | William Shakespeare | Audrey Stanley | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | William Shakespeare | Dennis Bigelow | ||
| The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus | Christopher Marlowe | Jerry Turner |
The 1980s
 | This section relies largely or entirely upon a single source. (September 2015) |
| Year | Play | Theatre |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | As You Like It | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Coriolanus | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Juno and the Paycock | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Laundry and Bourbon | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Lone Star | Black Swan Theatre | |
| Love's Labor's Lost | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Of Mice and Men | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Richard II | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Ring Round the Moon | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Seascape | Black Swan Theatre | |
| Sizwe Bansi Is Dead | Black Swan Theatre | |
| The Merry Wives of Windsor | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| The Merry Wives of Windsor | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| The Philadelphia Story | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| 1981 | 'Tis Pity She's a Whore | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Artichoke | Black Swan | |
| Death of a Salesman | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Henry IV, Part One | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Othello | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| The Birthday Party | Black Swan | |
| The Island | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Two Gentlemen of Verona | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Twelfth Night | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Twelfth Night | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Wild Oats | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| 1982 | Blithe Spirit | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Henry V | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Hold Me! | Black Swan | |
| Inherit the Wind | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Julius Caesar | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Othello | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Romeo and Juliet | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Spokesong | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Comedy of Errors | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| The Father | Black Swan | |
| The Matchmaker | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Wings | Black Swan | |
| 1983 | Ah, Wilderness! | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Cymbeline | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Don Juan in Hell | Black Swan | |
| Dracula | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Dreamhouse | Black Swan | |
| Hamlet | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Man and Superman | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Much Ado about Nothing | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Richard III | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| The Entertainer | Black Swan | |
| The Matchmaker | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| What the Butler Saw | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| 1984 | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Dracula | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Hay Fever | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Henry VIII | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| London Assurance | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Seascape with Sharks and Dancer | Black Swan | |
| The Revenger's Tragedy | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Taming of the Shrew | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Winter's Tale | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Translations | Black Swan | |
| Troilus and Cressida | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| 1985 | All's Well That Ends Well | Black Swan |
| An Enemy of the People | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Crimes of the Heart | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| King John | Elizabethan | |
| King Lear | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Light up the Sky | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Lizzie Borden in the Late Afternoon | Black Swan | |
| Strange Snow | Black Swan | |
| The Majestic Kid | Black Swan | |
| Merchant of Venice | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Trelawny of the "Wells" | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| 1986 | An Enemy of the People | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| As You Like It | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Broadway | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Measure for Measure | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| On the Verge | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Sea Marks | Black Swan Theatre | |
| Strange Snow | Black Swan Theatre | |
| The Tempest | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Threepenny Opera | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Three Sisters | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Titus Andronicus | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| 1987 | "Master Harold"...and the Boys | Black Swan Theatre |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Ballerina | Black Swn Theatre | |
| Curse of the Starving Class | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Macbeth | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Richard II | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| She Stoops to Conquer | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Taking Steps | Black Swan Theatre | |
| The Hostage | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Member of the Wedding | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Shoemakers' Holiday | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| 1988 | A Penny for a Song | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Boy Meets Girl | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Enrico IV | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Ghosts | Black Swan Theatre | |
| Henry IV, Part One | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Love's Labor's Lost | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Orphans | Black Swan Theatre | |
| Romeo and Juliet | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| The Iceman Cometh | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| The Marriage of Bette and Boo | Black Swan Theatre | |
| Twelfth Night | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| 1989 | All My Sons | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| And a Nightingale Sang... | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Breaking the Silence | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Cyrano de Bergerac | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| Henry IV, Part II | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Hunting Cockroaches | Black Swan Theatre | |
| Much Ado About Nothing | Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Not About Heroes | Black Swan Theatre | |
| Pericles, Prince of Tyre | Angus Bowmer Theatre | |
| The Road to Mecca | Black Swan Theatre | |
| Two Gentlemen of Verona | Elizabethan Theatre |
The 1990s
| This section relies largely or entirely upon a single source. (September 2015) |
| Year | Play | Theatre |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | God's Country | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Peer Gynt | ||
| The Merry Wives of Windsor | ||
| The House of Blue Leaves | ||
| Aristocrats | ||
| At Long Last Leo | Black Swan Theatre | |
| The Second Man | ||
| The Voice of the Prairie | ||
| Henry V | Elizabethan Stage | |
| The Winter's Tale | ||
| The Comedy of Errors | ||
| 1991 | Major Barbara | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Other People's Money | ||
| Our Town | ||
| The Merchant of Venice | ||
| Some Americans Abroad | Black Swan Theatre | |
| Two Rooms | ||
| Woman in Mind | ||
| Julius Caesar | Elizabethan Stage | |
| The First Part of Henry VI | ||
| The Taming of the Shrew | ||
| 1992 | All's Well That Ends Well | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| La Bete | ||
| The Ladies of the Camellias | ||
| The Playboy of the Western World | ||
| Toys in the Attic | ||
| Heathen Valley | Black Swan Theatre | |
| Restoration | ||
| The Firebugs | ||
| As You Like It | Elizabethan Stage | |
| Othello | ||
| The Conclusion of Henry VI | ||
| 1993 | A Flea in Her Ear | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Joe Turner's Come and Gone | ||
| Lips Together, Teeth Apart | ||
| Richard III | ||
| The Illusion | ||
| Cymbeline | Black Swan Theatre | |
| Light in the Village | ||
| The Baltimore Waltz | ||
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | Elizabethan Stage | |
| Antony and Cleopatra | ||
| The White Devil | ||
| 1994 | Fifth of July | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Hamlet | ||
| You Can't Take It With You | ||
| The Pool of Bethesda | ||
| The Rehearsal | ||
| Tales of the Lost Formicans | Black Swan Theatre | |
| Oleanna | ||
| The Colored Museum | ||
| Much Ado About Nothing | Elizabethan Stage | |
| The Tempest | ||
| The Two Noble Kinsmen | ||
| 1995 | Pravda | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| The Skin of Our Teeth | ||
| This Day and Age | ||
| Twelfth Night | ||
| Blood Wedding | ||
| Emma's Child | Black Swan Theatre | |
| From the Mississippi Delta | ||
| The Cure at Troy | ||
| Macbeth | Elizabethan Stage | |
| Richard II | ||
| The Merry Wives of Windsor | ||
| 1996 | Arcadia | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Awake and Sing! | ||
| Molière Plays Paris | ||
| The Winter's Tale | ||
| This Day and Age | ||
| The Darker Face of the Earth | ||
| A Pair of Threes: Three Viewings and Three Hotels | Black Swan Theatre | |
| Cabaret Verboten | ||
| Strindberg in Hollywood | ||
| Coriolanus | Elizabethan Stage | |
| Love's Labor's Lost | ||
| Romeo and Juliet | ||
| 1997 | Death of a Salesman | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| King Lear | ||
| Pentecost | ||
| Rough Crossing | ||
| The Magic Fire | ||
| Blues for an Alabama Sky | Black Swan Theatre | |
| The Turn of the Screw | ||
| Nora | ||
| The Two Gentlemen of Verona | Elizabethan Stage | |
| Timon of Athens | ||
| As You Like It | ||
| 1998 | A Touch of the Poet | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Les Blancs | ||
| Midsummer Night's Dream | ||
| The School for Scandal | ||
| Uncle Vanya | ||
| Sailing to Byzantium | Black Swan Theatre | |
| Vilna's Got a Golem | ||
| Measure for Measure | ||
| Cymbeline | Elizabethan Stage | |
| Henry IV, Part One | ||
| The Comedy of Errors | ||
| 1999 | Chicago | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Good Person of Szechuan | ||
| Othello | ||
| Pericles | ||
| Seven Guitars | ||
| El Paso Blue | Black Swan Theatre | |
| Rosmersholm | ||
| Tongue of a Bird | ||
| Three Musketeers | Elizabethan Stage | |
| Henry IV, Part Two | ||
| Much Ado About Nothing |
The 2000s
The early 2000s saw the decommissioning of the Black Swan Theatre as a venue for the regular season and the construction and opening of the New Theatre that would later be renamed as the Thomas Theatre in 2013. The Black Swan closed at the end of the 2001 season on October 28, and the New Theatre started performances in March 2002.[16]
The decade also saw a change in leadership. In 2007, Libby Appel's ended her tenure as the Artistic Director. The 2008 season was the first for Bill Rauch, who became the fifth person to assume the role.[17]
| Year | Play | Playwright | Director | Theatre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000[18] | Henry V | William Shakespeare | Libby Appel | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| The Man Who Came to Dinner | George S. Kaufman | Warner Shook | ||
| The Night of the Iguana | Tennessee Williams | Penny Metropulos | ||
| Force of Nature | Steven Dietz | James Edmondson | ||
| The Trojan Women | Euripides | Liz Diamond | ||
| Wit | Margaret Edison | John Dillon | Black Swan Theatre | |
| Crumbs from the Table of Joy | Lynn Nottage | Seret Scott | ||
| Stop Kiss | Diana Son | Loretta Greco | ||
| Hamlet | William Shakespeare | Libby Appel | Elizabethan Stage | |
| Twelfth Night | William Shakespeare | Timothy Bond | ||
| The Taming of the Shrew | William Shakespeare | Kenneth Albers | ||
| 2001[19] | The Tempest | William Shakespeare | Penny Metropulos | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Enter the Guardsman | Scott Wentworth
Marion Alder |
Peter Amster | ||
| Life is a Dream | Pedro Calderón de la Barca | Laird Williamson | ||
| Oo-Bla-Dee | Regina Taylor | Timothy Bond | ||
| Three Sisters | Anton Chekhov | Libby Appel | ||
| The Trip to Bountiful | Horton Foote | Libby Appel | Black Swan Theatre
final season | |
| Fuddy Meers | David Lindsay-Abaire | James Edmondson | ||
| Two Sisters and a Piano | Nilo Cruz | Andrea Frye | ||
| The Merchant of Venice | William Shakespeare | Michael Donald Edwards | Elizabethan Stage | |
| Troilus and Cressida | William Shakespeare | Kenneth Albers | ||
| The Merry Wives of Windsor | William Shakespeare | Lillian Groag | ||
| 2002[20] | Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare | Laird Williamson | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Noises Off | Michael Frayn | Kenneth Albers | ||
| Idiot's Delight | Robert E. Sherwood | Peter Amster | ||
| Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | Edward Albee | Timothy Bond | ||
| Saturday, Sunday, Monday | Eduardo De Filippo | Libby Appel | ||
| Macbeth | William Shakespeare | Libby Appel | New Theatre
debut season | |
| Handler | Robert Schenkkan | Bill Rauch | ||
| Playboy of the West Indies | Mustapha Matura | Kenny Leon | ||
| The Winter's Tale | William Shakespeare | Michael Donald Edwards | Elizabethan Stage | |
| Titus Andronicus | William Shakespeare | James Edmondson | ||
| As You Like It | William Shakespeare | Penny Metropulos | ||
| 2003[21] | Romeo and Juliet | William Shakespeare | Loretta Greco | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Daughters of the Revolution
Continental Divide, Part 2 |
David Edgar | Tony Taccone | ||
| Present Laughter | Noël Coward | Peter Amster | ||
| Hedda Gabler | Henrik Ibsen | Bill Rauch | ||
| The Piano Lesson | August Wilson | Timothy Bond | ||
| Mothers Against
Continental Divide, Part 1 |
David Edgar | Tony Taccone | New Theatre | |
| Antony and Cleopatra | William Shakespeare | Penny Metropulos | ||
| Lorca in a Green Dress | Nilo Cruz | Penny Metropulos | ||
| Richard II | William Shakespeare | Libby Appel | Elizabethan Stage | |
| Wild Oats | John O'Keeffe | James Edmondson | ||
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | William Shakespeare | Kenneth Albers | ||
| 2004[22] | The Comedy of Errors[23] | William Shakespeare | Bill Rauch | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| The Royal Family | Edna Ferber
George S. Kaufman |
Peter Amster | ||
| The Visit | Friedrich Dürrenmatt | Kenneth Albers | ||
| A Raisin in the Sun | Lorraine Hansberry | Andrea Frye | ||
| Oedipus Complex[24] | Frank Galati | Frank Galati | ||
| Topdog/Underdog | Suzan-Lori Parks | Timothy Bond | New Theatre | |
| Henry VI
Part One: Talbot & Joan |
William Shakespeare | Libby Appel
Scott Kaiser | ||
| Humble Boy | Charlotte Jones | Penny Metropulos | ||
| King Lear | William Shakespeare | James Edmondson | Elizabethan Stage[25] | |
| Henry VI | William Shakespeare | Libby Appel
Scott Kaiser | ||
| Much Ado About Nothing | William Shakespeare | Laird Williamson | ||
| 2005[26] | Richard III | William Shakespeare | Libby Appel | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| The Philanderer | George Bernard Shaw | Penny Metropulos | ||
| Room Service | John Murray | J.R. Sullivan | ||
| Napoli Milionaria! (Napes Millionaires!) | Eduardo De Filippo | Libby Appel | ||
| The Belle's Stratagem | Hannah Cowley | Davis McCallum | ||
| By the Waters of Babylon | Robert Schenkkan | Bill Rauch | New Theatre | |
| Ma Rainey's Black Bottom | August Wilson | Timothy Bond | ||
| Gibraltar | Octavio Solis | Liz Diamond | ||
| Twelfth Night | William Shakespeare | Peter Amster | Elizabethan Stage | |
| The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus | Christopher Marlowe | James Edmondson | ||
| Love's Labor's Lost | William Shakespeare | Kenneth Albers | ||
| 2006[27] | The Winter's Tale | William Shakespeare | Libby Appel | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| The Diary of Anne Frank | Frances Goodrich | James Edmondson | ||
| The Importance of Being Earnest | Oscar Wilde | Peter Amster | ||
| Intimate Apparel | Lynn Nottage | Timothy Bond | ||
| Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | David Edgar | Penny Metropulos | ||
| UP | Bridget Carpenter | Michael Barakiva | New Theatre | |
| Bus Stop | William Inge | Libby Appel | ||
| King John | William Shakespeare | John Sipes | ||
| The Merry Wives of Windsor | William Shakespeare | Andrew Tsao | Elizabethan Stage | |
| Cyrano de Bergerac | Edmond Rostand | Laird Williamson | ||
| The Two Gentlemen of Verona | William Shakespeare | Bill Rauch | ||
| 2007[28] | As You Like It | William Shakespeare | J.R. Sullivan | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| The Cherry Orchard | Anton Chekhov | Libby Appel | ||
| On The Razzle | Tom Stoppard | Laird Williamson | ||
| Gem of the Ocean | August Wilson | Timothy Bond | ||
| Tartuffe | Molière
adapted and translated by |
Peter Amster | ||
| Rabbit Hole | David Lindsay-Abaire | James Edmondson | New Theatre | |
| Tracy's Tiger | Linda Alper
Douglas Langworthy Penny Metropulos Sterling Tinsley |
Penny Metropulos | ||
| Distracted | Lisa Loomer | Liz Diamond | ||
| The Tempest | William Shakespeare | Libby Appel
Final show as Artistic Director |
Elizabethan Stage | |
| The Taming of the Shrew | William Shakespeare | Kate Buckley | ||
| Romeo and Juliet | William Shakespeare | Bill Rauch | ||
| 2008 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | William Shakespeare | Mark Rucker | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| The Clay Cart | Sudraka | Bill Rauch | ||
| Fences | August Wilson | Leah C. Gardiner | ||
| A View From the Bridge | Arthur Miller | Libby Appel | ||
| The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler | Jeff Whitty | Bill Rauch | ||
| Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter | Julie Myatt | Jessica Thebus | New Theatre | |
| Coriolanus | William Shakespeare | Laird Williamson | ||
| Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner | Luis Alfaro | Tracy Young | ||
| Othello | William Shakespeare | Lisa Peterson | Elizabethan Stage | |
| Our Town | Thornton Wilder | Chay Yew | ||
| The Comedy of Errors | William Shakespeare | Penny Metropulos | ||
| 2009[29] | Macbeth | William Shakespeare | Gale Edwards | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Death and the King's Horseman | Wole Soyinka | Chuck Smith | ||
| The Music Man | Meredith Wilson | Bill Rauch | ||
| Equivocation | Bill Cain | Bill Rauch | ||
| Paradise Lost | Clifford Odets | Libby Appel | ||
| Dead Man's Cell Phone | Sarah Ruhl | Christopher Liam Moore | New Theatre | |
| Servant of Two Masters | Carlo Goldoni | Tracy Young | ||
| All's Well That Ends Well | William Shakespeare | Amanda Dehnert | ||
| Henry VIII | William Shakespeare | John Sipes | Elizabethan Stage | |
| Don Quixote | Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra | Laird Williamson | ||
| Much Ado About Nothing | William Shakespeare | Kate Buckley |
The 2010s
Several theaters underwent name changes for the 2013 season. The New Theatre finally gained a formal name as the Thomas Theatre.[30] The Elizabethan Stage and Allen Pavillion were united under one name as the Allen Elizabethan Theatre, thanks to a $3 Million grant from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.[31]
In 2014, the Festival announced their Canon in a Decade initiative. In the next ten years, from 2015 to 2024, the Festival would be producing the complete Shakespeare Canon to honor the 80th anniversary of the festival.[32] This project is in progress, and may have been affected by shut downs due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
In August 2019, Bill Rauch left the position of Artistic Director. Nataki Garrett is his successor, and she is the sixth person to hold the position.[33]
| Year | Play | Playwright | Director | Theatre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Hamlet | William Shakespeare | Bill Rauch | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Pride and Prejudice | Jane Austen
Joseph Hanreddy (adapter) J. R. Sullivan (adapter) |
Libby Appel | ||
| Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | Tennessee Williams | Christopher Liam Moore | ||
| She Loves Me | Joe Masteroff | Rebecca Bayla Taichman | ||
| Throne of Blood | Akira Kurasawa | Ping Chong
director and adaptor | ||
| Well | Lisa Kron | James Edmondson | New Theatre | |
| Ruined | Lynn Nottage | Liesl Tommy | ||
| American Night: The Ballad of Juan José | Richard Montoya, | Jo Bonney | ||
| Twelfth Night | William Shakespeare | Darko Tresnjak | Elizabethan Stage | |
| Henry IV, Part One | William Shakespeare | Penny Metropulos | ||
| The Merchant of Venice | William Shakespeare | Bill Rauch | ||
| 2011 | Measure for Measure | William Shakespeare | Bill Rauch | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| The Imaginary Invalid | Molière
adapted by Oded Gross & Tracy Young |
Tracy Young | ||
| To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee
adapted by Christopher Sergel |
Marion McClinton | ||
| August: Osage County | Tracy Letts | Christopher Liam Moore | ||
| The African Company Presents Richard III | Carlyle Brown | Seret Scott | ||
| The Language Archive | Julia Cho | Laurie Woolery | New Theatre | |
| Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare | Amanda Dehnert | ||
| Ghost Light | Tony Taccone | Johnathan Moscone | ||
| Love's Labor's Lost | William Shakespeare | Shana Cooper | Elizabethan Stage | |
| Henry IV, Part Two | William Shakespeare | Lisa Peterson | ||
| The Pirates of Penzance | Arthur Sullivan | Bill Rauch | ||
| 2012 | Romeo and Juliet | William Shakespeare | Laird Williamson | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| All the Way | Robert Schenkkan | Bill Rauch | ||
| The White Snake | adapted by | Mary Zimmerman | ||
| Animal Crackers | George S. Kaufman
adapted by Henry Wishcamper |
Allison Narver | ||
| Medea/Macbeth/Cinderella | Euripedes
William Shakespeare |
Bill Rauch
Tracy Young directors and adaptors | ||
| Party People | UNIVERSES | Liesl Tommy | New Theatre | |
| Seagull | Anton Chekhov
adapted by |
Libby Appel
Rob Melrose | ||
| Troilus and Cressida | William Shakespeare | Rob Melrose | ||
| Henry V | William Shakespeare | Joseph Haj | Elizabethan Stage | |
| As You Like it | William Shakespeare | Jessica Thebus | ||
| The Very Merry Wives of Windsor, Iowa | William Shakespeare | Christopher Liam Moore | ||
| 2013 | The Taming of the Shrew | William Shakespeare | David Ivers | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| My Fair Lady | George Bernard Shaw | Amanda Dehnert | ||
| Two Trains Running | August Wilson | Lou Bellamy | ||
| A Streetcar Named Desire | Tennessee Williams | Christopher Liam Moore | ||
| The Tenth Muse | Tanya Saracho | Laurie Woolery | ||
| King Lear | William Shakespeare | Bill Rauch | Thomas Theatre
formerly "New Theatre" | |
| The Unfortunates | Jon Beavers
Casey Hurt Ian Merrican Ramiz Monsef |
Shana Cooper | ||
| The Liquid Plain | Naomi Wallace | Kwame Kwei-Armah | ||
| Cymbeline | William Shakespeare | Bill Rauch | Elizabethan Stage | |
| The Heart of Robin Hood | David Farr | Joel Sass | ||
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | William Shakespeare | Christopher Liam Moore | ||
| 2014 | The Tempest | William Shakespeare | Tony Taccone | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| The Cocoanuts | Irving Berlin
George S. Kaufman Mark Bedard (adapter) |
David Ivers | ||
| The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window | Lorraine Hansberry | Juliette Carillo | ||
| A Wrinkle in Time | Madeleine L'Engle (author)
Tracy Young (adapter) |
Tracy Young | ||
| The Great Society | Robert Schenkkan | Bill Rauch | ||
| The Comedy of Errors | William Shakespeare | Kent Gash | Thomas Theatre | |
| Water by the Spoonful | Quiara Alegría Hudes | Shishir Kurup | ||
| Family Album | Stew
Joanna Settle Heidi Rodewald |
Joanna Settle | ||
| Richard III | William Shakespeare | James Bundy | Allen Elizabethan Theatre
formerly "Elizabethan Stage" | |
| Into the Woods | James LaPine | Amanda Dehnert | ||
| The Two Gentlemen of Verona | William Shakespeare | Sarah Rasmussen | ||
| 2015 | Much Ado About Nothing | William Shakespeare | Lileana Blain-Cruz | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Guys and Dolls | Frank Loesser | Mary Zimmerman | ||
| Fingersmith | Alexa Junge | Bill Rauch | ||
| Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land | Stan Lai | Stan Lai | ||
| Sweat | Lynn Nottage | Kate Whoriskey | ||
| Pericles | William Shakespeare | Joseph Haj | Thomas Theatre | |
| Long Day's Journey into Night | Eugene O'Neill | Christopher Liam Moore | ||
| The Happiest Song Plays Last | Quiara Alegría Hudes | Shishir Kurup | ||
| Antony and Cleopatra | William Shakespeare | Bill Rauch | Allen Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Head over Heels | Jeff Whitty | Ed Sylvanus Iskandar | ||
| The Count of Monte Cristo | Alexandre Dumas | Marcela Lorca | ||
| 2016[35] | Twelfth Night | William Shakespeare | Christopher Liam Moore | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Great Expectations | Penny Metropulos (adapter)
Linda Alper (adapter) Charles Dickens (author) |
Penny Metropulos | ||
| The River Bride | Marisela Treviño Orta | Laurie Woolery | ||
| Roe | Lisa Loomer | Bill Rauch | ||
| Timon of Athens | William Shakespeare | Amanda Dehnert | ||
| Yeoman of the Guard | Arthur Sullivan & W. S. Gilbert | Sean Graney | Thomas Theatre | |
| Vietgone | Qui Nguyen | May Adrales | ||
| Richard II | William Shakespeare | Bill Rauch | ||
| Hamlet | William Shakespeare | Lisa Peterson | Allen Elizabethan Theatre | |
| The Wiz | William F. Brown | Robert O'Hara | ||
| The Winter's Tale | William Shakespeare | Desdemona Chiang | ||
| 2017[36] | Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare | Shana Cooper | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Shakespeare in Love | Marc Norman | Christopher Liam Moore | ||
| Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles | Luis Alfaro | Juliette Carillo | ||
| UniSon | UNIVERSES | Robert O'Hara | ||
| Off the Rails | Randy Reinholz | Bill Rauch | ||
| Henry IV, Part One | William Shakespeare | Lileana Blain-Cruz | Thomas Theatre | |
| Hannah and the Dread Gazebo | Jiehae Park | Chay Yew | ||
| Henry IV, Part Two | William Shakespeare | Carl Cofield | ||
| The Merry Wives of Windsor | William Shakespeare | Dawn Monique Williams | Allen Elizabethan Theatre | |
| The Odyssey | Homer
Mary Zimmerman (adapter) |
Mary Zimmerman | ||
| Disney's Beauty and the Beast | Alan Menken | Eric Tucker | ||
| 2018[37] | Othello | William Shakespeare | Bill Rauch | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Sense and Sensibility | Jane Austen
Kate Hamill (adapter) |
Hana Sharif | ||
| Destiny of Desire | Karen Zacarias | José Luis Valenzuela | ||
| Oklahoma! | Richard Rodgers | Bill Rauch | ||
| Snow in Midsummer[38] | Francis Ya-Chu Cowhig | Justin Audibert | ||
| Henry V | William Shakespeare | Rosa Joshi | Thomas Theatre | |
| Manahatta | Mary Kathryn Nagle | Laurie Woolery | ||
| The Way the Mountain Moved | Idris Goodwin | May Adrales | ||
| Romeo and Juliet | William Shakespeare | Dámaso Rodríguez | Allen Elizabethan Theatre | |
| The Book of Will | Lauren Gunderson | Christopher Liam Moore | ||
| Love's Labor's Lost | William Shakespeare | Amanda Dehnert | ||
| 2019[39] | As You Like It | William Shakespeare | Rosa Joshi | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| Hairspray | Marc Shaiman | Christopher Liam Moore | ||
| Mother Road | Octavio Solis | Bill Rauch | ||
| Indecent | Paula Vogel | Shana Cooper | ||
| Cambodian Rock Band | Lauren Yee | Chay Yew | Thomas Theatre | |
| Between Two Knees | 1491s | Eric Ting | ||
| How to Catch Creation[40] | Christina Anderson | Nataki Garrett | ||
| Macbeth | William Shakespeare | José Luis Valenzuela | Allen Elizabethan Theatre | |
| Alice In Wonderland | Eva Le Gallienne | Sara Bruner | ||
| All's Well That Ends Well | William Shakespeare | Tracy Young | ||
| La Comedy of Errors
A bilingual English & Spanish version of Comedy of Errors. |
William Shakespeare
adapted and translated by Luis Alfaro |
Bill Rauch | Community Visit Project |
The 2020s
The Festival opened the 2020 season on February 28. On March 11, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the performances and remaining openings of all shows to be cancelled indefinitely.[41] By the end of March, the Festival was hoping to present a smaller season that would open Labor Day weekend. The plan was to present the four shows that had already opened with the addition of Shakespeare's The Tempest in the outdoor Allen Elizabethan Theatre. On May 8, it became apparent that ongoing social distancing restrictions in Oregon would prohibit a fall season and all shows for 2020 were cancelled.[42]
In February 2021, the Festival announced a hybrid season that would allow for flexibility surrounding ongoing social distancing mandates[43]. The Festival offered month-long streaming access to archive videos of previous shows in the early part of the year on their newly-launched streaming platform, O!. The archive streams included Julius Caesar (2017 season), Manahatta (2018 season), and Snow in Midsummer (2018 season). Also announced were tentative plans for three fully-staged shows to open in the followed by OSF's first ever Christmas show. In later May 2021, the OSF announced they would be proceeding with only one play, Fannie: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer, a one woman show opening July 1 and playing through mid-October in the outdoor Allen Elizabethan Theatre[44]. Concurrently, the outdoor theatre would also offer performances every Wednesday hosting performing groups typically featured in the Green Show[45]. This press release also re-affirmed their plans for a Christmas show written by three members of their acting company titled It's Christmas, Carol!.
| Year | Play | Playwright | Director | Theatre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020[46] | A Midsummer Night's Dream | William Shakespeare | Joseph Haj | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
| The Copper Children | Karen Zacarías | Shariffa Ali | ||
| Peter and the Starcatcher | Rick Elice
Wayne Barker |
Lavina Jadhwani | ||
| Bring Down the House (Parts 1 & 2)
A two-part adaptation of Shakespeare's three Henry VI plays. |
William Shakespeare
Rosa Joshi (adapter) Kate Wisniewski (adapter) & Upstart Crow Collective |
Rosa Joshi | Thomas Theatre | |
| 2021[41] | Fannie: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer | Cheryl L. West | Henry Godinez | Allen Elizabethan Theatre |
| It’s Christmas, Carol! | Mark Bedard
Brett Hinkley John Tufts |
Pirrone Yousefzadeh | Angus Bowmer Theatre |
Cumulative Shakespeare Canon Productions
A list of the number of times the Oregon Shakespeare Festival has produced each of Shakespeare's plays is available below. It counts only main stage productions produced in Ashland and at OSF Portland.[2]
The Festival has completed the canon of the first folio four times: the first time with Troilus and Cressida in 1958, and the remaining times with Timon of Athens in 1978, 1997, and 2016.[2]
| Play | Number | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Twelfth Night | 17 | 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1951, 1959, 1964, 1969, 1974, 1981, 1988, 1993, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2016 |
| As You Like It | 16 | 1939, 1940, 1950, 1957, 1962, 1968, 1973, 1979, 1980, 1986, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007, 2012, 2019 |
| The Comedy of Errors | 14 | 1939, 1940, 1950, 1962, 1970, 1976, 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2004, 2008, 2014, 2019 |
| Romeo and Juliet | 14 | 1936, 1937, 1949, 1956, 1963, 1969, 1975, 1982, 1988, 1996, 2003, 2007, 2012, 2018 |
| The Taming of the Shrew | 14 | 1937, 1938, 1939, 1949, 1953, 1960, 1967, 1972, 1978, 1984, 1991, 2000, 2007, 2013 |
| The Merchant of Venice | 14 | 1935, 1936, 1938, 1947, 1948, 1953, 1958, 1964, 1970, 1977, 1985, 1991, 2001, 2010 |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | 13 | 1949, 1955, 1961, 1966, 1971, 1979, 1987, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013, 2020 |
| Much Ado About Nothing | 13 | 1940, 1952, 1958, 1965, 1971, 1976, 1983, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2015 |
| Hamlet | 12 | 1938, 1939, 1947, 1954, 1961, 1968, 1974, 1983, 1994, 2000, 2010, 2016 |
| Othello | 11 | 1948, 1949, 1957, 1966, 1973, 1981, 1982, 1992, 1999, 2008, 2018 |
| Love's Labour's Lost | 11 | 1947, 1948, 1956, 1963, 1972, 1980, 1988, 1996, 2005, 2011, 2018 |
| Macbeth | 10 | 1947, 1955, 1965, 1971, 1979, 1987, 1995, 2002, 2009, 2019 |
| The Merry Wives of Windsor | 10 | 1940, 1954, 1963, 1973, 1980, 1990, 1995, 2001, 2006, 2017 |
| The Tempest | 10 | 1952, 1960, 1969, 1978, 1986, 1991, 1994, 2001, 2007, 2014 |
| The Winter's Tale | 9 | 1954, 1965, 1975, 1984, 1990, 1996, 2002, 2006, 2016 |
| King Lear | 9 | 1951, 1958, 1964, 1976, 1985, 1992, 1997, 2004, 2013 |
| Henry V | 8 | 1952, 1963, 1973, 1982, 1990, 2000, 2012, 2018 |
| Julius Caesar | 8 | 1952, 1960, 1970, 1982, 1991, 2002, 2011, 2017 |
| Henry IV, Part 1 | 8 | 1950, 1961, 1971, 1981, 1988, 1998, 2010, 2017 |
| Richard II | 8 | 1949, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1987, 1995, 2003, 2016 |
| The Two Gentlemen of Verona | 8 | 1957, 1966, 1974, 1981, 1989, 1997, 2006, 2014 |
| All's Well That Ends Well | 7 | 1955, 1961, 1975, 1985, 1992, 2009, 2019 |
| Henry IV, Part 2 | 7 | 1951, 1962, 1972, 1989, 1999, 2011, 2017 |
| Antony and Cleopatra | 7 | 1950, 1959, 1967, 1977, 1993, 2003, 2015 |
| Richard III | 7 | 1956, 1967, 1978, 1983, 1993, 2005, 2014 |
| Henry VI, Part 1 | 6 | 1953, 1964, 1975, 1991, 2004, 2020 |
| Henry VI, Part 2 | 6 | 1954, 1965, 1976, 1991 & 92, 2004, 2020 |
| Henry VI, Part 3 | 6 | 1955, 1966, 1977, 1992, 2004, 2020 |
| Cymbeline | 6 | 1956, 1968, 1983, 1993, 1998, 2013 |
| Measure for Measure | 6 | 1951, 1959, 1977, 1986, 1998, 2011 |
| Pericles, Prince of Tyre* | 5 | 1957, 1967, 1989, 1999, 2015 |
| Troilus and Cressida | 5 | 1958, 1972, 1984, 2001, 2012 |
| Coriolanus | 5 | 1953, 1962, 1980, 1996, 2008 |
| King John | 5 | 1948, 1959, 1969, 1985, 2006 |
| Timon of Athens | 4 | 1955, 1978, 1997, 2016 |
| Henry VIII | 4 | 1957, 1968, 1984, 2009 |
| Titus Andronicus | 4 | 1956, 1974, 1986, 2002 |
| The Two Noble Kinsmen* | 1 | 1994 |
*indicates shows not part of the First Folio canon.
Venues
- Allen Elizabethan Theatre (Elizabethan Theatre, Elizabethan Stage)
- Angus Bowmer Theatre
- Black Swan Theatre
- Thomas Theatre (The New Theatre)
- Lithia Theatre
- Varsity Theatre
- Tao House (Danville, California)
- Portland Center Stage (OSF Portland)
- Kennedy Center
References
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- ^ a b c d "Production History of Shakespeare Plays". Oregon Shakespeare Festival 2014 Season Press Kit. 2014.
- ^ a b "Oregon Shakespeare Festival Production History = 1940s". Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ "History of OSF". Ashland Shakespeare Review. 20 July 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- ^ "A brief history of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival". The Oregonian. 20 February 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- ^ Leary, Kathleen F.; Richard, Amy E. (2009). Images of America: Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Google Books: Arcadia Publishing. pp. 40–41. ISBN 978-0-7385-7086-0.
- ^ a b c "Oregon Shakespeare Festival Production History = 1950s". Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ "Carl Ritchie: Other Works". IMDb. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ Varble, Bill (16 January 2011). "Patton's passion — a life in theater". Medford Mail Tribune. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ Engle, Ron; Londré, Felicia Hardinson; Watermeier, Daniel J. (1995). Shakespeare Companies and Festivals: An International Guide. Greenwood Press. p. 279. ISBN 0-313-27434-7.
- ^ "Oregon Shakespeare Festival Production History = 1960s". Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Oregon Shakespeare Festival Production History = 1970s". Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ "Black Swan Theatre". Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ "Oregon Shakespeare Festival Production History = 1980s". Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ "Oregon Shakespeare Festival Production History = 1990s". Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Oregon Shakespeare Festival Production History = 2000s". Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
- ^ "Oregon Shakespeare Festival prepares to open 2008 season". Napa Valley Register. 12 February 2008. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- ^ Jones, Kenneth (25 February 2000). "Oregon Shakes Fest Opens 2000 Season Feb. 25–27, Starting w/ Henry V". Playbill. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ Jones, Kenneth (16 February 2001). "OR Shakes Begins 2001 Season With Tempest Preview Feb. 16". Playbill. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ Winn, Steven (6 March 2002). "Ashland's about acting / Opening plays offer jewels of performance". SFGate. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ Churchill, Scott. "Oregon Shakespeare Festival – Ashland – Southern Oregon Travel". BootsnAll. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ Schiffman, Jean (23 March 2004). "Oregon Shakes Wakes in 2004". Backstage.com. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ Armstrong, Alan (Spring 2005). "The Comedy of Errors: presented by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival at the Angus Bowmer Theatre, Ashland, Oregon". Gale Academic Onefile. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ Jones, Kenneth (19 November 2003). "Galati Creates and Directs Oedipus Complex, a World Premiere, for Oregon Shakespeare in 2004". Playbill. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ Hurwitt, Robert (22 June 2004). "REVIEW / Merry 'Much Ado' at Ashland festival matches balmy weather; traditional, studied 'King Lear' comes off more pitiable than tragic". SFGate. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ Avery, David; Butler, Phyllis (8 September 2005). "Oregon Shakespeare Festival – 2005". Curtain Up. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ Jones, Kenneth (10 February 2006). "A Sad Tale's Best for Winter: 2006 Oregon Shakespeare Fest Begins Feb. 17". Playbill. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ "Oregon Shakespeare Festival opens the 2007 season". Napa Valley Register. 27 February 2007. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ Berson, Misha (7 March 2008). "Lineup set for Oregon Shakespeare Festival's 2009 season". Seattle Times. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ "OSF Receives Donation that Secures Naming Right of New Theatre". Oregon Shakespeare Festival. 16 March 2012. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ "The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation Awards OSF $3,000,000 Grant". Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 2014-03-13.
- ^ "OSF's 2015 Season Set". Oregon Shakespeare Festival. 14 March 2014. Archived from the original on 11 June 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ "OSF Announces Sixth Artistic Director". Oregon Shakespeare Festival. 19 March 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ "Oregon Shakespeare Festival Production History = 2010s". Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ "Oregon Shakespeare Festival Announces 2016 Season". American Theatre. 24 March 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ "OSF announces its 11-play 2017 season". Ashland Tidings. 20 March 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ "Oregon Shakespeare Festival Announces 2018 Season". American Theatre. 17 March 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ Battistella, Maureen Flanagan (16 August 2018). "REVIEW: Worlds collide in OSF's 'Snow in Midsummer'". Medford Mail Tribune. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ Parfitt, Jamie (4 April 2018). "OREGON SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2019 LINEUP". KDRV TV. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ Choy, Bill (6 August 2019). "OSF Play Review: 'How to Catch Creation' is full of insight into the human condition". Siskiyou Daily. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ a b Paulson, Michael (27 March 2020). "Spring Culture Fell to Virus. In Oregon, Summer Theater Now Succumbs". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ Acker, Lizzy (8 May 2020). "Oregon Shakespeare Festival cancels 2020 fall season due to coronavirus pandemic". The Oregonian. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ "Oregon Shakes to Combine Live, Digital Programming for 2021 Season". American Theatre. 17 February 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
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- ^ "Production History". Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Retrieved 12 May 2020.