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Oregon Shakespeare Festival

June 6-9, 2008
Cost: $999 (See details below)
Download the brochure (pdf)

Join UW-Madison’s inaugural trip to the world-renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon. Situated in the beautiful Rogue River Valley in southern Oregon, this festival is a natural addition to our itinerary of performing arts destinations and we invite you to come along on our first visit.

Featuring the immortal works of William Shakespeare and other notable playwrights, this is live theatre at its very, very best.

Our program is scheduled to include the plays Othello and The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare, as well as the 20th century classic Our Town by Thornton Wilder and The Clay Cart by Sudraka. In addition to these plays, on Sunday you will have the option of attending another A Midsummer Night’s Dream, joining a day trip to Crater Lake National Park, or spending a free day exploring Ashland.

Also included in the program are our always popular educational seminars. Attend a morningtheater lecture with the group and join in other festival related educational seminars as you choose. We will stay at the elegant Ashland Springs Hotel (see below), mere footsteps away from the festival theaters, and enjoy daily breakfasts as a part of the package.

Sign up for this inaugural trip to the OSF and receive a $50 Gift Certificate good towards any of our trips!

Itinerary:

Download the brochure to view a complete and detailed itinerary.

Friday, June 6	Morning: Fly to Medford, Oregon and transfer by bus to Ashland and the beautiful Ashland Springs Hotel. Afternoon: This afternoon enjoy a ‘Welcome to Ashland’ orientation talk and get to know the rest of group over  a glass of regional wine. Evening: Tonight you’ll attend your first performance of the weekend, Shakespeare’s Othello, presented under the stars in the beautiful outdoor Elizabethan Theater.
Saturday, June 7	Morning: At 10:00am this morning join the group for the first of our educational opportunities with an after-play discussion of Othello.  We follow this at 11:30am with an informative pre-play Prologue of this afternoon’s play, The Clay Cart. Afternoon: At 2pm enjoy the classic Indian story of love, suspense and intrigue, The Clay Cart. Evening: Conclude your day with a wonderful evening of education and theater. At 7:00pm enjoy another pre-play Prologue before attending tonight’s performance of the Thornton Wilder masterpiece, Our Town.
Sunday, June 8	Morning Today is your day. Sleep late and enjoy a brunch at the hotel, or rise early and discover the offerings of this delightful town in the Rogue River Valley, or join the optional day-trip to Crater Lake National Park. Afternoon If you aren’t on the day-trip you may purchase an optional ticket to Shakespeare’s classic A Midsummer’s Night Dream, or enjoy an entirely unscheduled day to do as you please in beautiful Ashland, Oregon. Evening Tonight you will conclude your weekend of outstanding theatre with premier seating for one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, The Comedy of Errors.
Monday, June 9	This morning the bus will transfer you back to Medford, Oregon and your flight home.

          

General information:

Everyone is welcome on our trips. If you are traveling from outside the Midwest our travel agent will be happy to assist you in your plans to meet the group en route or to get you to Oregon and join the group there.

Cost: The Oregon Shakespeare Festival package costs $999 per person based on double occupancy; plus air. Price includes premier seating at all performances, lectures, lodging, transfers, daily breakfasts, and the "Welcome to Ashland" wine reception. Airfare is not included in this package price. Upon receipt of your deposit our travel agent will contact you to make your flight arrangements. If you plan to make your own air arrangements, please contact us first to confirm available space as well as ground arrangements.

As with all of our trips, you may choose to extend your stay in Ashland. Please let us know if we can assist you in your plans to arrive early or stay beyond our travel dates. Please understand, however, that due to high ticket demand at the festival we are unable to secure tickets for performances other than the ones we have listed here.

           

Your travel director:

Doug Whittle is entering his third year as UW-Madison's Director of Educational Travel after a decade as a fine arts professor in South Carolina. He served in the Peace Corps in Zaire and has traveled independently in Asia, Europe, Central and North America.

 

 

Accommodations:

The group will be lodged at the beautifully restored Ashland Springs Hotel, http://www.ashlandspringshotel.com. Daily breakfasts are included in the package prices and the hotel is within 3-minute walking distance of the festival theaters.

 

How to register:

There is a registration form in each program brochure. Please contact kim Seymour at (608) 262-3731 or kseymore@dcs.wisc.edu to request to receive the print brochure, or you may also download a copy of the brochure. To then sign up, just complete and return the registration panel along with the required deposit as directed.

Useful links:

• For information about the Ashland Springs Hotel: www.ashlandspringshotel.com
• For Ashland information: www.ashlandchamber.com
• For festival information: www.orshakes.org

 

Theatre photo by T Charles Erickson

 

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