October and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival

This weekend I toasted the beginning of fall by…… going to see an outdoor Shakespeare production – in the rain.  

Let me explain.

When invited to see the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s rendition of Henry VIII last week, I recalled the warm, indoor theater of the OSF from the last play I attended there a few years ago, The Importance of Being Earnest.  However, I did not immediately connect that this play is staged authentically in the Elizabethan venue.  All other playgoers were equipped with at least three warm layers, ponchos, and blankets.  These were hardy and devoted Shakespeare fans.

Devoted – not just for braving the elements, but for choosing to attend this play.  Henry VIII is the last play that William Shakespeare wrote and one of his lesser performed works.  The plot chronicles Henry’s struggle to divorce his wife, Katherine, and his subsequent marriage to Anne Boleyn.  However,  the harsh realities of the time have often been glossed over or left out entirely because of Shakespeare’s disregard for portraying true historical accuracy.  Shakespeare needed to please the Tudors and portray royalty in a positive light. 

Reading reviews in which the plot of this play is described as “fragmented” and “episodic” with “no real plot” does not give the potential new attendee confidence that this play will be worth their while, especially in 40 degree weather.

Of course, there’s pleasure to be taken in the flights of language, the solid performances by the likes of company stalwarts Anthony Heald (as the understated villain Cardinal Wolsey) and Michael Elich (as the Duke of Buckingham), and — if you’re one of those Shakespeare canon completists — the chance to scratch a rare one off your list. And it’s a great one if you like hats. 

June 22, 2009, 10:05AM

Marty Hughley, The Oregonian

While in Ashland, I learned  how the Oregon Shakespeare Festival succeeds in marketing their season so successfully.  Patrons are encouraged to check off their list of attendance to the Shakespeare plays in the traditional “canon”.  By doing this, they earn a certificate of completion.   The Shakespeare canon includes the 36 plays found in the First Folio and Pericles, according to the OSF.  Henry VIII has only been performed one other time in the history of the festival and is therefore necessary for many to check off their canon lists.  Evidently, since opening in 1935, OSF has completed the canon three times: in 1958,1978, and 1997.

In the season’s programming, there are two other plays which complement Henry VIII as well.  These are: Macbeth and Equivocation.  These three productions are linked in ways that hard core Shakespeare fans can appreciate.  The choice of these plays was also partly derived from an audience survey to determine the popularity of Henry VIII. 

All this background is leading up to my point that the Oregon Shakespeare festival displays forward-thinking programming and marketing, founded on a strong history and providing a backbone for the future.  The festival has linked their branding, promotional material, and artistic image seamlessly.  The comprehensive website even provides links to the last 6 years of financial statements (somewhat unimportant except for nonprofit sleuths).  Additionally, I now have my very own “Bard Scorecard” and I am tempted to seriously and compulsively start checking off the list.

This weekend was a successful trip for supporting the arts and honing my skills of arts marketing detective-work.  Cheers to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s 2009 success!

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