- At OSF
Adjacent to the Elizabethan and Bowmer Theaters in Ashland is the lovely 93-acre Lithia Park. It belongs to the City of Ashland, not to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, although the Festival utilizes it for several of their annual activities and play-goers often think of it as an extension of the Festival grounds.
Lithia park was named for the spring waters discovered there in 1907 – waters which contained a high concentration of the mineral lithium which was thought to be greatly beneficial to one’s health. Over the years the park has become the centerpiece of the town with its open grassy areas, inviting tree-lined paths, and popular duck pond. We always find time for a quiet stroll along Lithia Creek and make sure to attend the Park Talks that take place directly behind the Elizabethan Theater.
Park Talks, like the Green Shows, are free but they only happen once or twice a week. If we have matinee tickets on a Park Talk Day we take a picnic lunch to eat as we listen to one of the OSF Company talk about their particular aspect of the Festival. Yesterday’s talk was given by Wardrobe Supervisor Ann Stephens. Like every Park Talk speaker I have ever heard, Ms. Stephens impressed me with the extent of her knowledge and experience, her ability to explain the technical aspects of her craft to a disparate group of lay people, and her enthusiasm and professionalism. Like the Backstage Tours, Park Talks give an understanding and appreciation to the OSF experience that just attending plays can not fully produce.
Yesterday we learned that the costume department (of which Wardrobe is a part) with 60 full-time employees is the second largest at OSF – the largest being the actors, themselves, which number 100. (Altogether, there are 500 full-time OSF employees which means that there are four ‘invisible’ workers for every actor seen on stage. That does not count the hundreds of volunteers who also contribute to this largest revolving repertory company in the United States.)
We always learn interesting bits of information at Park Talks. Yesterday there was some discussion about stage blood and we were told that there were three different kinds – who knew? – the kind that can be painted on a costume (if the action happens off-stage), the liquid type that an actor ‘bleeds’ in front of the audience, and the type that might splatter and get on an actor’s face near his mouth which, of course, must not contain anything toxic. Each type must be cleaned off costumes, props, and set pieces in different ways and in time for for the the next performance which, in some cases, is only hours away.
I always leave after a Park Talk with a that’s-what-I-want-to-do-when-I-grow-up feeling – a sure sign that the speaker has conveyed a love for the job and a love for being at OSF. With so many positive vibes, no wonder there is the feeling of magic in the air in Ashland!
Sydney – You’re making me want to go back to Ashland! When Dominique from the old Depot moved there, we went and visted several times per year, and saw a play once. Elliot even did a camp at SOU. We did the park and everything – love that town. Loved the nice weather, always found a quaint place to stay. When Elliot was there he tried the Lithia water from the fountain in town – nearly a disaster – he has sensitive taste and smell – almost lost it right there in the square! I will have to do some tours next time I’m there.