Portland, OR. Impact NW’s Annual Power of One Luncheon was held on February 28th and drew over 400 supporters including Debi Saltzman, Ted Gilbert, Isabel Saltzman-Cordon, and Molly Mink Liston. This pivotal event gathers individuals, businesses, and organizations to share inspiring stories of transformation and recognize champions of change. This year’s event was the most successful ever, raising over $85,000. Supporters came together to invest in Impact NW’s critical programs and reinforced their commitment to building a prosperous and sustainable future for all. (Photo credit, Jim Garrison – PDX Event Photography)
Jerome Smith, a US Army Veteran, received a special award from KGW’s Laural Porter. Impact NW honored the US Army & Air Force veteran and single dad for his perseverance after a series of unexpected life events left him homelessness. Jerome’s persistence allowed him to move with his five children into transitional housing in East Portland and grow his career in tech support.
Also honored at the luncheon honored the Impact Kit Committee, a group that helped launch a unique initiative to create resource kits for homeless Portlanders and provide funding to support Impact NW’s long-term efforts to break the cycle of homelessness.
Emily Barrett of AWS Elemental (center) accepts the Power of One Award on behalf of the Impact Kits Committee. The award was presented by Bob Cook, from Bank of America, and Laural Porter from KGW News.
Front row: Sarah Burns, Kristin Kilshaw, Lisa Steenson, Michelle Gallardo, and Tanya Beeler. Back row: Regina Wheeler, Kate Carmack, Mariya Arodzero, Valerie Thompson, and Dione Bledsoe.
Propeller staff at the Power of One Luncheon. Seated: Kasia Wood, Amber Ervin, Stefanie Galen, Amy Gee, Jennifer Birk, and Kerri Evans. Back row: Geoff Hendricks, Josh Mathis, and Amy Weeden.
Miles Ellenby, Robyn Tennenbaum, David Forman, Jeff Cogen, Kenny Rait, and Lisa Pellegrino
Yvonne McClain (Impact NW Board Member), Kim Bria, and Barry Hendrix (Impact NW Board Chair)
Luncheon sponsors, including presenting sponsor Bank of America, joined over 350 guests, raising over $80,000 to help Impact NW build key programming geared toward promoting a prosperous and sustainable future for families like Jerome’s.
From Impact NW:
Founded in 1966, Impact NW engages a community of support to help over 30,000 people facing poverty each year. Our comprehensive services span the greater Portland region and include: Housing & Safety Net Services provides low-income households with utility and housing assistance. Early Childhood Services helps young children and their families with parenting support and education. Youth & Family Services connects at-risk youth to enrichment opportunities, job training, and academic support. Seniors & Adults with Disabilities Services promotes independence through evaluation, care coordination, money management, and activities.
Portland, OR. More than 150 people including family, friends, former students, professional peers, members of the Board of Directors and Edwards Center staff wished Dr. Jean Edwards a happy 75th birthday and thanked her for the 46 plus years of dedicated service to the field of Developmental Disabilities. At the party, Jean Edwards embraced Karen Gafney who attended with her family. The celebration on March 10th at Portland Hilton’s Skyline Room also raised $15,000 for the program. (Photo credit, Andie Petkus)
Jean Edwards and her husband, Bryan Gergen
Drew Snodgrass of Dennis’ 7 Dees and his wife, Edward Center Board member, Chris Monty-Snodgrass of ReMax
Debbie & Board Treasurer Ken Karalus with Edwards’ Executive Leader, Allen C. Cress and his family
Jean-Pierre & Aaron Meyer
The Sheth Family with Jean Edwards
The Blacks and The Hannums
The Parker family
Megan Iwami and Jim Parker
Allen C. Cress, Edwards’ Executive Leader, and his family
From Edwards Center:
We believe that people with Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, and other developmental disabilities have tremendous potential. That’s why we’ve created a lifelong plan of services to provide our participants with homes, jobs, and a chance to participate in the world around them. Since 1972 we’ve worked with our clients, their families, and their friends to ensure that adults with developmental disabilities have the opportunity to live and thrive in Oregon.
Portland, OR. Founded in 1979, the adidas Shamrock Run Portland is one of the largest running and walking event in Oregon and is the third largest running event in the western United States. On March 18th, an estimated 30,000 participants will celebrate the 40th edition of the event at Waterfront Park.
Route maps are available at the Shamrock Run website, but expect closures through noon on Naito Parkway, Southwest Barbur Boulevard, and on sections of Capitol Highway and Terwilliger Boulevard. All downtown bridges will remain open in both directions throughout the event. But the ramp from the west end of the Ross Island Bridge to Southwest Barbur Boulevard will be closed from 6 a.m.-1 p.m.
During the past 22 years, Shamrock Run Portland has made charitable gifts totaling more than $1.3 million. Doernbecher Children’s Hospital Foundation has been the principal beneficiary of the Shamrock Run for the past 21 years. Shamrock has donated more than $550,000 to Doernbecher during this time. The Foundation provides power, potential and promise for one of America’s leading pediatric health centers: Doernbecher Children’s Hospital at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland.
The St. Patrick’s Day themed Irish runs feature: 5k, 8k, 15k and half marathon running events, a 4-mile Shamrock Stride walk, and a 1k Leprechaun Lap for kids. Set on Portland’s downtown waterfront, the event brings live main stage music, a beer garden, hot soup, and a myriad of vendors.
There’s complimentary beer for finishers 21 and older. Widmer Brothers Brewing beer garden will feature: Russell Street IPA, Steel Bridge Porter, and Hefe.
The adidas Shamrock Run is sponsored by adidas, Widmer Brothers Brewing, Moda Health, Bob’s Red Mill, GEICO, nuun hydration, iHeart radio and KGW Newschannel 8. The primary beneficiary of the event is Doernbecher Children’s Hospital Foundation, which has been affiliated with Shamrock for the past 21 years.
Here’s a video from last years Shamrock Run:
Shamrock Weekend kicks-off with the adidas Shamrock Run Fitness Fair. This two-day event at the Oregon Convention Center on March 16th and 17th is in conjunction with Shamrock participant bib number and T-shirt pickup. The Fitness Fair features more than 80 running and fitness exhibitors, celebrities and mascots, contests and give-aways and a Leprechaun Lane area for kids. More than 25,000 people attend the Shamrock Fitness Fair, presented by Moda Health.
Portland, OR. More than 825 guests gathered on March 3rd at the Oregon Convention Center for the 34th annual Classic Wines Auction, raising nearly $3 million for five local nonprofits. Guests bid on distinctive auction items while enjoying gourmet cuisine presented by top local chefs and, of course, the gala’s signature fine wines. Proceeds support children and families in our community served by the beneficiaries, including: Metropolitan Family Service, YWCA Clark County, Friends of the Children, New Avenues for Youth and Unity Center for Behavioral Health. Classic Wines Auction events have raised more than $43 million since 1982. (Photo credit, John Valls Photography)
Event chairs and Honorary Wine Ambassadors: Peter Andrews (chair), Gilles de Larouziere (Maisons & Domaines Henriot), Jill Nelson (chair), Shari Staglin (Staglin Family Vineyard), Mike Etzel (Beaux Freres Winery), Garen Staglin (Staglin Family Vineyard), Tara Kinateder (chair) and Richard Moreau (Maisons & Domaines Henriot).
Danielle Lee served guests from a “champagne skirt.”
Cyndi Challacombe, representing Cristal Champagne, pours for guest Wes Mallard.
Leslie Durst celebrates her winning bid.
Michelle and Jim Fitzhenry show their support.
Participants from ‘Friends of the Children’ share their stories on stage.
Brian Garish bids big.
Martin Green bids high in the live auction.
Guests enjoy the party.
Jim Mark, CEO of Melvin Mark Companies, First Growth Sponsor of the 2018 Classic Wines Auction
Mark and Tricia Cooper make their move in the live auction.
Master of Ceremonies Stephanie Stricklen welcomes guests with the help of the Starella Sisters.
Chef Allan Wambaa prepared a gourmet five-course meal, paired with wine from the Wine Ambassadors.
Bubbly was provided by Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne.
Guests peruse the wine section of the silent auction.
Portland’s Starella Sisters welcome guests to the party
Taft Stricklin earns a moment in the spotlight.
Jason Zidell gets ready to bid
Matt Felton raises his paddle to support local nonprofits.
Guests danced to Hit Explosion at the NIGHTCAP after party.
From Classic Wines:
OUR 2018 NONPROFIT PARTNERS:
Working with multiple nonprofit partners to spread the wealth and maximize our impact in the community.
The Classic Wines Auction supports the good work of Oregon and Southwest Washington organizations by providing funds to pre-selected nonprofit partners benefiting children and families. This year, we are honored to partner with Metropolitan Family Service (MFS), New Avenues for Youth, Friends of the Children – Portland, YWCA Clark County and Unity Center for Behavioral Health. Proceeds from the 2017/2018 Classic Wines Auction series of events will benefit these five organizations.
Interested in becoming a Classic Wines Auction nonprofit partner? Learn more here.
METROPOLITAN FAMILY SERVICE (MFS) Portland, Oregon Nonprofit Partner Since 1982
Metropolitan Family Service (MFS) helps people move beyond the limitations of poverty, inequity and social isolation.
With a focus on prevention, MFS delivers proven programs and innovative solutions to help more than 30,000 people succeed at home, in school and in the greater Portland and SW Washington area each year. MFS is reaching out across the lifespan, creating opportunities that enable people of all ages and abilities to live with dignity and realize success.
New Avenues for Youth Portland, Oregon – Nonprofit Partner Since 2005
New Avenues for Youth works in partnership with the community to prevent youth homelessness and provide homeless and at-risk young people the resources and skills needed to lead healthy, productive lives.
Since 1997, New Avenues for Youth has offered programs and services that empower homeless youth to exit street life. With an increasing focus on homelessness prevention, New Avenues is building brighter futures for Portland’s most vulnerable youth and moving closer to its vision of a community in which all young people have a safe place to call home.
FRIENDS OF THE CHILDREN – PORTLAND, Portland, Oregon – Nonprofit Partner Since 2006
Friends of the Children breaks the cycle of generational poverty by giving children facing the highest-risks the ability to create a new story.
Children born into generational poverty believe they have no future, no potential, and their highest hope is merely to survive. These children are at high risk for teen parenting, incarceration, high dropout rates, and gang violence. Friends of the Children helps the highest-risk children dramatically change their story by providing each child with a salaried, professional mentor, or a Friend, from kindergarten through graduation. 12 ½ years. No matter what.
YWCA CLARK COUNTY Vancouver, Washington – Nonprofit Partner Since 2008
YWCA Clark County is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.
YWCA programs provide tools and support to heal, build self-esteem, foster positive life choices, and change lives. YWCA celebrates diversity, respects differences, and recognizes the dignity of each individual. Working as a team to achieve a shared vision, YWCA Clark County is a leader of high quality, innovative services offered in a caring and compassionate environment.
UNITY CENTER FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH Portland, Oregon – Nonprofit Partner Since 2016
The right care at the right time.
The Unity Center for Behavioral Health is a 24-hour behavioral and mental health services center providing immediate psychiatric care and a path to recovery for people experiencing a mental health crisis.
The Classic Wines Auction Non Profit Partner Selection Process:
The Classic Wines Auction, Inc. supports the good work of Oregon and Southwest Washington non‐profit organizations by raising money for nonprofit organizations benefiting children and families. The Classic Wines Auction seeks charitable partners that can effectively contribute to the success of auction events and exceed annual participation goals and expectations. Classic Wines Auction events have raised more than $43 million since 1982, and have benefited nearly one million individuals in the community.
The Classic Wines Auction has very limited opportunities to engage new nonprofit partners each year and does not currently have openings for 2018 events. We encourage local nonprofit organizations interested in discussing their interest for future involvement with the Classic Wines Auction to contact our Executive Director.
The Classic Wines Auction does not require formal applications, and all compatible nonprofit organizations expressing interest will be considered by the Classic Wines Auction Board and Executive Committee. If opportunities are available, the Executive Committee will select organizations with the following characteristics for further consideration: mission compatibility (must benefit children and families in the Portland or Southwest Washington communities), effective organizational management, sound financial practices, Board‐led fundraising, sustainability, and a solid volunteer network. In order to become involved, interested organizations must contact the Classic Wines Auction before April 1st to discuss potential participation in the next calendar year’s events.
Ashland, OR. Ticket sales are underway for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s (OSF) 83rd season, which begins with the first preview on Feb. 16 and continues through Oct. 28. The 2018 season features four plays by William Shakespeare, including Romeo and Juliet with Emily Ota (Juliet), William Thomas Hodgson (Romeo) which will open in the Allen Elizabethan Theatre in June.
Henry V, Oregon Shakespeare Festival 2012 Ashland, 2012
For 2018 there’s also a re-imagined classic musical, two West Coast premieres, one U.S. premiere and two world premieres—as well as a host of events and opportunities to further engage with the onstage works.
“Using humor, passion, poetry, heartbreak, music and much more, the playwrights, composers and other creative artists of this season give us stories that help us discover our hidden past, our present selves and our hopes for the future,” said Artistic Director Bill Rauch.
Tickets are for sale at osfashland.org or by calling the Box Office at 800-219-8161. High demand during Member Presale has already led to the addition of six bonus performances. In addition to the 11 plays, the 2018 season includes annual events and programming such as the Green Show—free outdoor entertainment, six nights a week in the summer and fall—a Juneteenth celebration on June 18, the Daedalus Project to raise funds for HIV/AIDS organizations on Aug. 20, an intensive Summer Seminar for High School Juniors, and the School Visit Program in fall and winter.
The 2018 season is sponsored by U.S. Bank, which has been supporting the Festival since 1978.
Here’s a complete list of the offerings:
In the Angus Bowmer Theatre
The 2018 season will open in February with OTHELLO, directed by Bill Rauch, marking the 11th time in OSF’s history that this tragedy has been produced. In addition to the title character, the play—which explores racism, religious bias, xenophobia and the more disturbing aspects of relationships—contains one of Shakespeare’s most memorable villains, Iago, as well as two of his most nuanced, compelling female characters, Desdemona and Emilia. This will be director Rauch’s first time helming the play, and he observes: “This is Shakespeare’s most intimate tragedy, and his searing indictment of a society negotiating with difference could not be a more urgent story for our times.”
Othello Chris Butler (Othello), Danforth Comins (Iago)
The cast includes Chris Butler as Othello, Alejandra Escalante as Desdemona, Danforth Comins as Iago and Amy Kim Waschke as Emilia. Full cast list and more information: osfashland.org/Othello
Running all season alongside Othello is a lively adaptation of Jane Austen’s enchanting romantic tale SENSE AND SENSIBILITY, directed byHana S. Sharifand adapted by Kate Hamill. This adaptation— full of comedic surprises and deliciously wicked social commentary—first debuted at Bedlam Theatre in New York City, directed by Eric Tucker (director of OSF’s 2017 production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast) in a widely praised and often-extended production that TheNew York Times praised as “a troupe’s triumphant joy in giving defiantly theatrical form to a literary narrative.” Director Hana S. Sharif is the associate artistic director at Baltimore Center Stage.
Sense and Sensibility Nancy Rodriguez (Elinor Dashwood)
The cast includes Nancy Rodriguez as Elinor Dashwood. Emily Ota as Marianne Dashwood, Kate Mulligan as Mrs. Dashwood, Kevin Kenerly as Col. Brandon, Armando McClain as Edward Ferrars and Nate Cheeseman as John Willoughby. Full cast list and more information: osfashland.org/SenseAndSensibility
Also opening at the top of the season, and playing through July 12, is the delicious and provocative comedy DESTINY OF DESIREby Karen Zacarías, directed by José Luis Valenzuela. Zacarías supercharges the standard telenovela genre in this smart, sizzling, music-filled romp that follows the adventures of two girls secretly switched at birth one stormy night in small-town Mexico. Love and betrayal overflow amid a vibrant cast of classic Mexican telenovela characters, with nods to Shakespeare’s comedies and Brecht’s epic theatre. The Los Angeles Timespraised Destiny of Desire as a “terrifically entertaining theatrical roller-coaster” that “shimmers…with majestic theatrical artistry.” Director Valenzuela is the artistic director of the Los Angeles Theatre Center, an award-winning theatre and film director and a tenured professor at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.
The cast includes Armando Durán as Armando Castillo, Vilma Silva as Fabiola Castillo, Adriana Sevahn Nichols as Hortencia del Rio, Esperanza America as Pilar Esperanza Castillo, Catherine Castellanos as Sister Sonia, Eddie Lopez as Ernesto Del Rio and Al Espinosa as Dr. Jorge Ramiro Mendoza. Full cast list and more information: osfashland.org/DestinyOfDesire
Opening April 22 and running through the end of the season is Rodgers and Hammerstein’s OKLAHOMA! directed by Bill Rauch. With the blessing of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization, the OSF production will celebrate this groundbreaking musical’s 75th anniversary by offering a uniquely 21st-century interpretation featuring same-sex couples and other LGBTQ2+ casting, while retaining the original 1906 Oklahoma territory setting. Rauch says, “Audiences will see beloved OSF acting company members in inspired casting that celebrates the original pioneering spirit of this musical.” When Oklahoma! first opened on Broadway in 1943, Brooks Atkinson wrote in The New York Times that the show’s opening number, “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’,” changed the history of musical theatre, saying, “After a verse like that, sung to a buoyant melody, the banalities of the old musical stage became intolerable.”
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! Royer Bockus (Laurey), Tatiana Wechsler (Curly)
The cast features Tatiana Wechsler as Curly, Royer Bockus as Laurey, Jordan Barbour as Will Parker, Jonathan Luke Stevens as Ado Andy, Michael Sharon as Jud Fry, Barzin Akhavan as Ali Hakim and Bobbi Charlton as Aunt Eller. Full cast list and more information: osfashland.org/Oklahoma
The final show to open in the Angus Bowmer Theatre on Aug. 5 is the U.S. premiere of SNOW IN MIDSUMMERby Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig. Debuting in Ashland after the play’s widely acclaimed world premiere at the Royal Shakespeare Company, Snow in Midsummeris a contemporary re-imagining of the 13th-century Chinese Yuan dynasty ghost story by Guan Hanqing called The Injustice to Dou E. InCowhig’s thrilling adaptation, a young woman named Dou Yi is sentenced to death for murder and swears vengeance before her execution, cursing her city from beyond the grave to a catastrophic drought and midsummer snow and forcing locals to face a past that no one wants to remember. TheEvening Standard praised the RSC production as “a beguiling and unexpected evening” that has “an unusual and most particular sense of grace and beauty.” Snow in Midsummerwill be directed by Justin Audibert, who also served as director of the RSC production.
Snow in Midsummer Jessica Ko (Dou Yi)
The cast features Jessica Ko as Dou Yi, Amy Kim Waschke as Tianyun, Daisuke Tsuji as Handsome Zhang, Will Dao as Rocket Wu, Cristofer Jean as Judge Wu and James Ryen as Master Zhang. Full cast list and more information: osfashland.org/SnowInMidsummer
In the more intimate Thomas Theatre
The first show to open in the Thomas Theatre will be Shakespeare’s HENRY V, opening Feb. 24 and running through Oct. 27. Audiences will see Daniel José Molina complete his immersive three-play journey in the title role following 2017’s productions of Henry IV, Parts One and Two. Henry V, one of Shakespeare’s most popular and oft-quoted history plays, will be directed by first-time OSF director Rosa Joshi, a Seattle-based director and co-founder of upstart crow collective. Joshi says “Shakespeare is my great passion. I’m always looking for what is relevant, fresh and immediate in the plays for a contemporary audience. As a director who loves classical work, I’m obsessive about asking ‘why this play, why now?’”
Henry V Daniel José Molina (Henry V)
Each actor plays a variety of roles, and the cast includes Daniel José Molina, Jessica Ko, Michele Mais, Rex Young, Moses Villarama, Robert Vincent Frank and Tyrone Wilson. Full cast list and more information: osfashland.org/HenryV
Opening April 1 and running through Oct. 27 is the world premiere of MANAHATTA by Mary Kathryn Nagle, directed by Laurie Woolery. Nagle is a playwright, attorney, activist and citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, as well as the executive director for the Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program. Woolery has previously directed The Language Archive and the world premieres of The Tenth Muse and The River Bride at OSF. Manahatta tells the story of Jane Snake, a brilliant young Native Lenape woman with a Stanford MBA. Jane reconnects with her ancestral homeland, known as Manahatta, when she moves from her home with the Delaware Nation in Anadarko, Oklahoma, to New York for a job at a major investment bank just before the financial crisis of 2008. Jane’s struggle to reconcile her new life with the expectations and traditions of the family she left behind is powerfully interwoven with the heartbreaking history of how the Lenape were forced from their land. Both old and new Manahatta converge in a brutal lesson about the dangers of living in a society where there’s no such thing as enough.
Manahatta Tanis Parenteau (Jane)
The cast features Tanis Parenteau as Jane/Le-le-wa’-you, Rainbow Dickerson as Debra/Toosh-ki-pa-kwis-i, Sheila Tousey as Mother/Bobbie, Steven Flores as Luke/Se-ket-tu-may-qua, Jeffrey King as Peter Minuit/Peter Stuyvesant/Dick, Danforth Comins as Joe/Jakob and David Kelly as Michael/Jonas Michaelius. Full cast list and more information: osfashland.org/Manahatta
The final show to open in the Thomas Theatre on July 14 will be the world premiere of THE WAY THE MOUNTAIN MOVEDby Idris Goodwin, commissioned by OSF’s American Revolutions: the United States History Cycle. This powerful journey into the genesis of the Transcontinental Railroad explores the often untold perspectives of an iconic chapter in American History and the events that shaped the country’s moral and environmental future. In a remote desert in the 1850s, four men—a U.S. Army lieutenant, a sharpshooter, a botanist and an artist—set out to survey a route for the new continent-spanning railroad. After being scattered on separate odysseys, they cross paths with lost pioneers, cautious Native Americans and an African-American Mormon couple unsure whether to befriend, fight or flee the newcomers. Whose dreams will prevail? The director of The Way the Mountain Moved is May Adrales, who directed the wildly popular Vietgone in OSF’s 2016 season.
The Way the Mountain Moved Christopher Salazar (Shippah), Christiana Clark (Martha), Sara Bruner (Phyllis Cooke), Al Espinosa (Luis Núñez Arista)
The cast includes Al Espinosa as Luis Núñez Arista, Rex Young as George Harris, Julian Remulla as Jonathan Handle, Michael Gabriel Goodfriend as Lt. Gerald Smith, Christopher Salazar as Shippah, Rodney Gardiner as Orson, Christiana Clark as Martha and Sara Bruner as Phyllis Cooke. Full cast list and more information: osfashland.org/TheWayTheMountainMoved
Allen Elizabethan Theatre
The open-air Allen Elizabethan Theatre season will begin with previews on June 5, and outdoor productions will run though Oct. 14. The official opening weekend is June 15-17.
Shakespeare’stragedyROMEO AND JULIET will open first in the Allen Elizabethan Theatre. Inspired by the natural mirror of the play’s progression from light to darkness, the production is directed by Dámaso Rodríguez, artistic director of Portland’s Artists Repertory Theatre.Rodríguez says,“Audiences will see a production steeped in lush period detail and historical context that considers the effects of the religious and social order of the time as the source of the ancient grudge between Montague and Capulet. This look to a century far in the past will echo our polarized present.” In addition to his four years leading Artists Rep, Rodríguez’s directing credits include work at Playwrights’ Center, Pasadena Playhouse, Intiman Theatre, South Coast Repertory, Laguna Playhouse, A Noise Within, The Theatre@Boston Court, Naked Angels and Furious Theatre, which he co-founded and co-artistic directed.
Playing the title roles are William Thomas Hodgson and Emily Ota. Others in the cast include Sara Bruner as Mercutio, Derek Garza as Tybalt, Robin Goodrin Nordli as Nurse, G. Valmont Thomas as Capulet, Kate Hurster as Lady Capulet, Richard Elmore as Montague and Monique Holt as Lady Montague, Michael J. Hume as Friar Laurence, Christiana Clark as Prince Escalus, Armando McClain as Paris and Julian Remulla as Benvolio. Full cast list and more information: osfashland.org/RomeoAndJuliet
Opening June 16 on the outdoor stage is THE BOOK OF WILL, playwright Lauren Gunderson’s lively, funny and poignant comedy about the creation of Shakespeare’s First Folio that feels tailor-made for the OSF acting company. The Book of Will, to be directed by Christopher Liam Moore, centers on the efforts of Henry Condell and John Heminges, two members of Shakespeare’s theatre company, to bring his plays to publication against seemingly insurmountable odds. The Boulder Weekly praised the 2017 world premiere of The Book of Willas a “thoughtful rumination on mortality, a touching ode to the power of love and a laugh-out-loud comedy,” adding “Shakespeare lovers will kick themselves, hard, if they don’t get to a performance of The Book of Will.” Lauren Gunderson will be the first female playwright with a completely original play on OSF’s Allen Elizabethan stage in its 83-year history. Director Christopher Liam Moore is in his eighth season as an actor and director with OSF and was the director of 2017’s Shakespeare in Love.
The Book of Will Kevin Kenerly (Richard Burbage), Jeffrey King (John Heminges), David Kelly (Henry Condell)
The cast features David Kelly as Henry Condell, Kevin Kenerly as Richard Burbage, Catherine Castellanos as Elizabeth Condell, Jeffrey King as John Heminges, Kate Mulligan as Rebecca Heminges, Cristofer Jean as Ralph Crane, Kate Hurster as Alice, Jordan Barbour as Ed Knight, Jonathan Luke Stevens as Marcus and Daniel T. Parker as Ben Jonson. Full cast list and more information: osfashland.org/TheBookOfWill
Shakespeare’sLOVE’S LABOR’S LOST, directed by Amanda Dehnert, opens June 17. Instinct does battle with intellect in this charming and linguistically nimble, music-filled comedy about a group of young male scholars, led by King Ferdinand of Navarre, who swear themselves to three years of chastity, contemplation and scholarship. That plan is quickly derailed when a group of lovely, witty and playful ladies arrive on the scene. Linguistic and physical hijinks abound in Shakespeare’s delicious comedy with a cast of indelible supporting characters and a surprising twist of an ending. Festival audiences have previously been treated to director Dehnert’s inventive and provocative stagings of My Fair Lady, Into the Woods and 2011’s Julius Caesar, among others.
Love’s Labor’s Lost Stephen Michael Spencer (Berowne), Jennie Greenberry (Rosaline)
The cast includes Daniel José Molina as King of Navarre, Alejandra Escalante as Princess of France, Stephen Michael Spencer as Berowne, Jennie Greenberry as Rosaline, Dan Poppen as Dumaine, Jeremy Gallardo as Longaville, Richard Howard as Don Armando, Vilma Silva as Boyet, Cedric Lamar as Costard and Robin Goodrin Nordli as Holofernes. Full cast list and more information: osfashland.org/LovesLaborsLost
2018 Dates to Remember
Season opening weekend: Feb. 23-25
Sign Interpreted Performance Weekends: May 25-27, July 6-8, Sept. 14-15
Allen Elizabethan Theatre opening weekend: June 15-17
Green Show performances: June 15-Oct. 14
Daedalus Project Variety Show and Play Reading: Monday, Aug. 20
Allen Elizabethan Theatre closing weekend: Oct. 12-14
Angus Bowmer Theatre and Thomas Theatre closing weekend: Oct. 27-28
ANGUS BOWMER THEATRE
Othelloby William Shakespeare February 16 – October 28 Opens February 23 Directed by Bill Rauch #OthelloOSF
Sense and Sensibilityby Kate Hamill February 17 – October 28 Opens February 24 Based on the novel by Jane Austen Directed by Hana S. Sharif West Coast Premiere #SenseandSensibilityOSF
Destiny of Desire by Karen Zacarías February 18 – July 12 Opens February 25 Directed by José Luis Valenzuela #DestinyOfDesireOSF
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! April 18 – October 27 Opens April 22 Music by Richard Rodgers, book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II Based on the play Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs Original dances by Agnes de Mille Directed by Bill Rauch #OklahomaOSF
Snow in Midsummerby Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig August 2 – October 27 Opens August 5 Directed by Justin Audibert U.S. Premiere #SnowInMidsummerIOSF
THOMAS THEATRE
Henry Vby William Shakespeare February 21 – October 27 Opens Feb. 24 Directed by Rosa Joshi #HenryVOSF
Manahatta by Mary Kathryn Nagle March 28 – October 27 Opens April 1 Directed by Laurie Woolery World Premiere #ManahattaOSF
The Way the Mountain Moved by Idris Goodwin July 10 – October 28 Opens July 14 Directed by May Adrales World Premiere/American Revolutions #WayTheMountainMovedOSF
ALLEN ELIZABETHAN THEATRE
Romeo and Julietby William Shakespeare June 5 – October 12 Opens June 15 Directed by Dámaso Rodríguez #RomeoAndJulietOSF
The Book of Willby Lauren Gunderson June 6 – October 13 Opens June 16 Directed by Christopher Liam Moore West Coast Premiere #BookofWillOSF
Love’s Labor’s Lost by William Shakespeare June 7 – October 14 Opens June 17 Directed by Amanda Dehnert #LovesLaborsLostOSF
Founded by Angus Bowmer in 1935, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) has grown from a three-day festival of two plays to a nationally renowned theatre arts organization that presents an eight-month season of up to 11 plays that include works by Shakespeare as well as a mix of classics, musicals, and world-premiere plays and musicals. OSF’s play commissioning programs, which include American Revolutions: the United States History Cycle, have generated works that have been produced on Broadway, throughout the American regional theatre, and in high schools and community theatres across the country. The Festival draws attendance of more than 400,000 to approximately 800 performances every year and employs approximately 575 theatre professionals.
OSF invites and welcomes everyone, and believes the inclusion of diverse people, ideas, cultures and traditions enriches both our insights into the work we present on stage and our relationships with each other. OSF is committed to equity and diversity in all areas of our work and in our audiences.
OSF’s mission statement: “Inspired by Shakespeare’s work and the cultural richness of the United States, we reveal our collective humanity through illuminating interpretations of new and classic plays, deepened by the kaleidoscope of rotating repertory.”
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s 2018 season runs from Feb. 16 through Oct. 28. For more information and to purchase tickets visit osfashland.org or call 1-800-219-8161.
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