Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Day 1: Lithia Park, The Clay Cart, and Food

In late April, I wanted to travel somewhere. At the last minute, I jaunted to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon. I went in a previous year and had a blast. This year, due to my spontaneous planning, I didn't bring anyone with me. (I figure, with more advanced planning, I can return with people to see more plays.)

Because United was having a sale, rather than driving the six-ish hours each way to Ashland, I flew to Medford, a nearby town, on Saturday morning and rented a car. Soon after, I took my first picture from the trip. Here's all the pictures from this day's adventures.

I had lots of time to kill. The first play I was to see was a matinee. Because I didn't want to risk missing it due to a delayed flight, I took the earliest flight in the morning. Thus, I found myself in Oregon at nine am with about four hours idle away.

After driving to Ashland and picking up my tickets, I decided to hike Lithia Park, to explore it in more depth than I did last time. It was a beautiful, clear day. (Everyone at the airport commented on how much nicer this day was than every day the previous week.) I hiked, listened to my ipod, lay in the sun, and read. Eventually, it was time for lunch.

For lunch, I headed to Lela's Cafe, a cafe/bistro that I sent my friends to last time--I couldn't go myself--and they returned with raves. I knew I had to go. I'm glad I did: it was terrific. It might've been reason enough to fly to Oregon. Here's my review.

I saw The Clay Cart by Śūdraka, as translated by J. A. B. van Buitenen. I had a great seat in the center of fairly small amphitheater with a clear view down to the stage. Looking around, it appears there are no bad seats in the theater.

Here's my reaction to the play:

A good, complex drama about star-crossed lovers. The story, which includes many characters, may be bit foreign to American audiences: a married man, known for his honorable and noble behavior, falls in love with a courtesan (high-class prostitute), and she him. This is considered perfectly acceptable.

The acting is very good all around. Some characters are actually one-dimensional, stock characters, but the acting often adds most of another dimension to them. The characters are dressed in colorful Indian costumes which often show lots of skin. Some costumes are notable: for instance, at one point the courtesan’s skirt unrolls into a sheet long enough to stretch almost across the stage.

The play occasionally included dancing. The big dance numbers look good due to the vibrant, flowing costumes and the coordination between the moves. The small numbers are often seductive: e.g., as the courtesan takes off her jewels. Obviously, the skimpy costumes helped fuel this effect.

The story is optimistic: things all work out in the end, thieves can be redeemed, and people with truly bad intentions will get public censure of their bad motives. Another underlying theme is that character is more important than caste or wealth.

The circular stage, probably a dozen meters across, was nearly empty. Pillows were often used to indicate setting: they represented walls, couches, buildings, etc. A multitude of Indian statues surrounded the stage. Above it hung many lanterns, all different styles, that added atmosphere. The performance did great things with colored lighting for mood. For instance, during a thunderstorm, the stage was lit in green and the lanterns swayed as if in the wind. Behind the stage, three musicians played Indian instruments.

The play, an English translation of an old Indian play, uses modern language. Sometimes the way things are phrased is funny—those parts are rightly played for laughs.

For dinner, I tried a Mexican fusion restaurant, Tabu. Here's my review.

After dinner I checked into the same passable hotel, the Ashland Motel, that I used on my previous trip. I couldn't be bothered to find a nicer one.