2024 Play Briefs
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival has three theaters running plays; two indoors (the Bowmer and the Thomas) and one outdoors (the Allan Elizabethan). The three theaters are clustered around a common plaza with a small stage where the outside Green Shows before evening performances are presented. For accessibility information, please click HERE. There is also an option for taking a campus tour of the theaters on Saturday morning – please note, it does not include backstage areas.
At the Angus Bowmer Theater:
Liz Duffy Adams, directed by Rob Meirose
William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe are two of the greatest writers of their time. If only they’d stop bickering long enough to pick up a quill. In this razor-sharp imagined encounter by Liz Duffy Adams, the two men go head-to-head, fighting, flirting, and festering in the back room of a pub while attempting to collaborate on a play cycle. Set against the backdrop of an aging ruler, an oppressive police state, and constant threat of spies, Born with Teeth is a high-stakes dramatization of history that remarkably mirrors the present day.
William Shakespeare, directed by Evren Odciki
In this powerful exploration of fate, an unexpected prophecy sends Scottish general Macbeth on a feverish and murderous quest to become king. With startlingly beautiful language, Shakespeare’s revered tragedy reveals the underbelly of ambition in a world steeped in power mongering, war, and magic. This muscular, modern production — an ensemble-based showcase for OSF’s acting company — is directed by former OSF Associate Artistic Director Evren Odcikin (unseen, 2022).
At the Thomas Theater:
Created and performed by Barzin Akhavan
This one-man show tells a true story of the journey a young man takes to find belonging in two worlds divided. Using multilingual dialogue, traditional Iranian music, and American pop culture, OSF fan favorite Barzin Akhavan (Oklahoma!, Water by the Spoonful) brings his irrepressible energy back to OSF.
William Shakespeare, modern verse translation by Sean San José, directed by Rosa Joshi
When civil unrest wracks Rome as the famine-ravaged underclass battle the ruling elite, a war hero steps into the spotlight to serve his nation—only to turn on it and seek its overthrow. Shakespeare’s rarely produced tragedy comes to visceral life in the intimacy of OSF’s Thomas Theatre, helmed by visionary director and OSF Associate Artistic Director Rosa Joshi in a powerful, movement-focused production featuring a cast of female and non-binary actors. Sean San José’s modern translation brings the story to the forefront, illuminating Shakespeare’s themes of ambition and delicate democracy that will particularly resonate during an election year.
Book, music and lyrics by Justin Huertas, directed by Brandon Ivie
Trevor has become a myth in his hometown: a lonesome outsider whose skin turned green and scaly after a childhood encounter with a dragon. Now he leaves his house only once a year, on Monsterfest, the anniversary of the incident—and that’s tonight. Out on a first date with a new crush, Cary, he meets a fellow dragon survivor who fears the dragons have returned and begs Trevor to help fight them. Can Trevor accept who he is and save his city … and his first date? This funny, quirky, heartbreaking musical, winner of six San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards and fresh from its 2023 Off-Broadway run, will delight audiences in our intimate Thomas Theatre.
At the Allen Elizabethan Theater:
Please note the these plays are outside during the evening.
Adapted by Elizabeth Williamson from the novel by Charlotte Bronte, directed by Dawn Monique Williams
One of the most beloved heroines in literary history shines bright in this adaptation by Elizabeth Williamson. Orphaned as a child and raised by cruel relatives and cold schoolmasters, Jane Eyre embarks on a new life as an adult: working as a governess on a remote estate. But as she slowly falls in love with her moody employer, she discovers that he—and his home—are surrounded by dark secrets. With only her resilience and wits to guide her, how will Jane save her chance for happiness? This Gothic masterpiece is directed by Dawn Monique Williams, who helmed our lush 2023 staging of Twelfth Night.
William Shakespeare, directed by Miriam A. Laube
Romance, wit, and mistaken identities fuel this new staging of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy of tricks! Don Pedro’s army has just returned home victorious after the war. Love is in the air, even as two of history’s most tumultuous couples—Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero—volley hilarious quips and damning accusations back and forth. Will the truth win in this mischievous game of love? Find out in this dazzling, music-filled production directed by Miriam A. Laube, who brings her 17 seasons of OSF experience to this Shakespeare favorite, lighting up the Allen Elizabethan Theatre.