Oregon Shakespeare Festival

MisterStitches and I just got back from Ashland,

Oregon. That's where the Oregon Shakespeare Festival is held. We love going to Ashland, as it's a very nice town, with lots of good places to eat and good places to shop.

(And Oregon doesn't have state sales tax, so I save a lot of money when I shop there!!!)

One of my first stops is always the wonderful Fabric of Vision store. It's a cut above your average quilt shop, and carries some really cool fabrics. (One year I bought some great Japanese linen fabric--still haven't used it.....) The tall exposed brick walls of the store are decorated with a changing gallery of beautiful quilts. The owner, Sandi Globus, is great, always ready to show her newest fabric acquisitions and help choose fabric.

Here are the fabrics I bought this time at Fabric of Vision. Aren't they beautiful!!! Can't wait to get them washed and use them.

Then, of course, we did see a few plays while we were in Ashland. The first night there we saw Twelfth Night at the outdoor Elizabethan Theatre. It rained during the play, but it didn't bother us at all. We both had parkas with hoods, and we had a blanket over our laps. The rain was very light, with no wind, so I was hardly even aware of it. The did have to squeegee off the stage during intermission, though.

Day Two we saw Hamlet in the afternoon and Henry IV, Part 1 in the evening. The evening play was outside again and, again, it rained, but still was not bothersome.

On the third day we saw Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in the afternoon and The Merchant of Venice in the evening. This evening it didn't rain during our play! However, it rained quite hard just before the play, while we were eating dinner. It was very, very cold that night, though, and my ankles got chilled!

Yes, I know that Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was not written by Shakespeare!!! There are always a few non-Shakespeare plays on the schedule. All of the plays were excellent, and we had a great time.

Seeing Shakespeare performed, versus reading the play, just brings the words to life. My personal opinion is that one should always have read a Shakespeare play before seeing it performed, as it is easier to follow the plot. Then there are the little nuances and extra bits that the actors put into the play, to further the meaning, add humor, and personalize it. That's when it's really great.