Theatre in Ashland
Summer at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival!
Spend six nights in Ashland, Oregon and experience theatre first-hand at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Attend five different plays, engage in cast discussions and get a first-hand view of the relationship of the printed text to the stage performance.
Students and Community Members are welcome! Student Scholarships are available!
Dates : August 17 - August 24, 2023
Our 2023 Play Selection: Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, The Three Musketeers, Rent, Where We Belong
Experience: Professional actors and theater personnel will introduce us to the plays and lead our class discussions as we study the relationship of the printed text to the stage performance! Plenty of free-time scheduled to enjoy tourist attractions in Ashland, Oregon!
During our 2023 program you will attend the following 5 plays.
The Twelfth Night
By William Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s hilarious yet heartbreaking tale of unrequited love takes over the Allen Elizabethan stage! A ship is wrecked on the rocks: Viola is washed ashore but her twin brother Sebastian is lost. Determined to survive on her own, she steps out to explore a new land. In a production by Dawn Monique Williams (The Merry Wives of Windsor) inspired by early Blues and Jazz greats like Bessie Smith, music is the food of love and nobody is quite what they seem.
Romeo and Juliet
By William Shakespeare
One of the most famous stories of young love explodes with intense passion in this contemporary production—as two star-crossed lovers from two different families and backgrounds sacrifice all to be together. Artistic Director Nataki Garrett sets her first Shakespeare production at OSF on the West Coast and explores the financial and class divisions of our current time through this beloved tale.
The Three Musketeers
By Kirsten Childs, Inspired By Alexandre Dumas
An inspiring tale filled with laughter and adventure, The Three Musketeers is a reminder to all that courage, honesty, and valor can change the world. Kirsten Childs’s adaptation finds its inspiration in the oft-ignored fact that writer Alexandre Dumas was of French-Haitian heritage, and award-winning director Kent Gash (The Comedy of Errors) playfully mixes swagger and swashbuckle with his all-Black cast.
Rent
By Jonathan Larson
In this Pulitzer Prize–winning musical, a group of young artists fights for justice and visibility during the AIDS crisis, drawing strength from the beautiful bonds of friendship and chosen family. With its profound message of joy and hope in the face of uncertainty, this iconic musical reminds us to measure our lives with what truly matters—love.
Where We Belong
By Madeline Sayet
In 2015, Mohegan theatre-maker Madeline Sayet moves to England to pursue a PhD in Shakespeare, grappling with the question of what it means to remain or leave, as the Brexit vote threatens to further disengage the UK from the wider world. Moving between nations that have failed to reckon with their ongoing roles in colonialism, she finds comfort in the journeys of her Native ancestors who had to cross the ocean in the 1700s to help her people. In this intimate and exhilarating solo piece, Madeline asks us what it means to belong in an increasingly globalized world. This production marks the OSF directing debut of Associate Artistic Director and Director of New Work Mei Ann Teo.
Find out more about the plays and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival at www.osfashland.org.
When you participate in Theatre in Ashland, you will enroll in the following course:
English 135: From Page to Performance
In this course we view the relationship of the printed text to the stage performance of a variety of plays seen in Ashland. 1 unit non-transfer credit (Credit/no credit grading)
Enrollment
In order to participate, you must enroll in the following course:
English 135 (1 unit of non-transfer credit).
If you have already taken English 135, you must register for the class through the Extended Learning Center: Write a separate check payable to Pasadena City College (note on memo line: Extended Learning Center).
Fees
You can choose between the following lodging options:
- Double occupancy and shared bath: price TBD
- Single occupancy with shared bath, double occupancy with private bath, and single occupancy with private bath are also available. Please contact Professor Davis or Professor Kuroki about pricing and options.
Your Program fee includes:
- Accommodations
- All theatre tickets (5 plays)
- Discussions with actors and directors
- Lectures by theatre company members
- It does not include class enrollment fee, meals, transportation, or parking.
Registration
Register and pay early! The payment deadline for the Summer 2023 program is still TBD.
To register and pay, make your check or money order payable to PCC Ashland Fund. Mail your payment to Mikage Kuroki, English Division C245, Pasadena City College, 1570 East Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91106-2003.
John Davis teaches English composition and literature, at Pasadena City College.
Mikage Kuroki teaches English composition and literature at Pasadena City College.
For more information, please contact:
John Davis
(626) 585-7652 or jqdavis@pasadena.edu
Mikage Kuroki
(626) 585-3372 or mxkuroki@pasadena.edu