Connecting you to the City and the Festival.

Scenes of Ashland

Welcome to Ashland Link

My partner and I have been going to Ashland for five years. I absolutely love it down there; I love the food, the people, the scenery, most of the weather, and of course the Festival itself. Every year I’d tell her that I wanted to see every play and to be in Ashland more often. If I lived there, no doubt I’d be a volunteer of some kind.

Cut to a couple months ago. During a brainstorming session that led to a completely different blog, I had an idea for another website (ooooo, John, we can’t imagine what this is all leading up to…) (Shaddup, it’s my story). I decided to do the other website first, because it had an easier “hook” to it and I’d be able to share the experience with my friends. Still, I couldn’t shake the other idea. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival puts on 27 shows a week in the high season, a few less when the Elizabethan is closed, and it does that from February through November. That’s a lot of people seeing a lot of plays. Surely I’m not the only one of them in love with the Festival and the city?

OSF 2009 Plays

Membership

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OSF 2008 Plays

The Clay Cart (2008)

Written by John
Tuesday, 04 November 2008 08:06
Written deep in the mists of time by Sudraka, translated by J.A.B. van Buitenen, and directed by Bill Rauch. It plays February 17 - November 2 in the Angus Bowmer Theatre. Another belated review is up, and it's also not the rosiest picture ever painted. The Clay Cart is a puzzle, especially since so much clearly was expected from the production going into the 2008 season. Read our review here and let us know what you think.
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 05 November 2008 08:47 )

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner (2008)

Written by John
Sunday, 02 November 2008 09:12
by Luis Alfaro, directed by Tracy Young. It plays July 1 - November 2 in the New Theatre. Our review is belatedly up, for posterity's sake at least. A production that must have appealed to the cast tremendously (they bust their tails in service to it) simply doesn't pay off for the audience. At all. Read more here, and tell us if you disagree or think we didn't go far enough.
Last Updated ( Monday, 03 November 2008 19:13 )

A View From the Bridge (2008)

Written by John
Friday, 15 August 2008 09:08
Written by Arthur Miller and directed by Libby Appel, it plays July 23 - November 1 in the Angus Bowmer Theatre. A 20th century treasure, by a playwright that Libby Appel has been waiting 40 years to direct. Does it come through? "Yes" doesn't begin to cover it. Read the Editor's Review that's now available, and/or write your own!
Last Updated ( Monday, 03 November 2008 19:11 )

Our Town (2008)

Written by John
Friday, 15 August 2008 09:14
Our Editor's Review is now available for this year's production of Our Town. Written by by Thornton Wilder and directed by Chay Yew, it plays June 4 - October 11 in the Elizabethan Stage/Allen Pavilion. For the inaugural 20th Century play on the outdoor stage I think it was a fine choice. Click here to read more; you can also reach it at any time using the production navigation menu on the left at any time. I welcome your comments, or you can even write your own review!

A Midsummer Night's Dream (2008)

Written by John
Friday, 15 August 2008 09:03
Our Editor's Review is now available for this year's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Written by William Shakespeare and directed by Mark Rucker, it plays February 15 - November 2nd in the Angus Bowmer Theatre. I believe that this production and The Clay Cart are talking-points #1 and #1A in the blooming conversation (it's not a debate yet... is it?) about Bill Rauch's tenure at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. My opinion? Short version: Midsummer is transcendant, bizarre, and wonderful. Click here to read more; you can also reach it at any time using the production navigation menu on the left at any time. I welcome your comments, or you can even write your own review!

Othello (2008)

Written by John
Friday, 15 August 2008 09:13
Our Editor's Review is now available for this year's production of Othello. Written by William Shakespeare (ahem) and directed by Lisa Peterson, it plays June 3 - October 10 in the Elizabethan Stage/Allen Pavilion. The individual performances are outstanding but I have concerns about the production. Click here to read more; you can also reach it at any time using the production navigation menu on the left at any time. I welcome your comments, or you can even write your own review!

Latest in Ashland Blog

News from Ashland for October 9th, 2008

Bill Rauch has a guest opinion column in yesterday's Oregonian. It's a fine piece about the nature of the arts as it relates to the community. I'm pretty sure that, a year from now, a search of this site for "Bill Rauch + community" will run to several pages. Stay tuned.

The Mail Tribune had a really nice piece about volunteerism in Ashland, where there are so many organizations (not just the 800lb gorilla in tights) that rely on the efforts of passionate people

Here's a completely positive review of The Clay Cart. They do exist.

Latest in Developer's Blog

Merrily We Roll Along...

There isn't a lot of "big news" these days around Ashland Link, just your humble editor trying to put the pieces in place for next year. The nice thing is that the infrastructure of the site is falling into place, to the point where I can point to the site and say "this! This is what it's going to look like!" There are still a myriad of improvements to make, but I'm learning not to let those stand between me and accomplishing bigger things.

Take, for example, the reviews on the site. It was a big deal for me to get the framework of the reviews in place. Those cool stars don't just line themselves up. And while nobody has used it yet, I think having the ability for users to post their own reviews is really nifty. Here's the thing, though - I'm not entirely happy with how the reviews work.