2025 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:
William Shakespeare, directed by Rosa Joshi
Julius Caesar returns to the heart of Rome victorious from war. But as he ascends to power, Brutus and the conspiring Cassius join forces to murder Caesar and save the great city from a dangerous dictator. In Shakespeare’s famed political thriller, upheaval begets more upheaval, and traitorous actions threaten the very stability of Rome. Known for their dynamic, physical storytelling, upstart crow collective returns with a bold all-female and nonbinary cast, which, under the direction of Associate Artistic Director Rosa Joshi, illuminates this tale’s ancient themes of power, loyalty, and betrayal.
Karen Zacarias, adapted from the novel by Jack Scaefer, directed by Blake Robison
Ranchers, farmers, a looming range war, and a mysterious stranger with a violent past — for good reason, Shane is a classic Western. But when the novel debuted in 1947, what set it apart was its unusual moral center: a young boy seeing the tale through his own clear eyes. And now this culturally authentic adaptation by Karen Zacarías (Destiny of Desire, The Copper Children) holds on to the heart of its literary source while widening the lens to encompass the real Wyoming of 1889, challenging what we think we know about the American West—its people, values, myths, heroes—and our own perceptions of good and evil.
The Importance of Being Earnest
Oscar Wilde, directed by Desdemona Chiang
Director Desdemona Chiang transports Oscar Wilde’s classic comedy of manners to the British Malay Peninsula, a colonial melting pot of South Asian, Chinese, and English communities. Two rakish young men, Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, opt to navigate Victorian-era expectations of courtship simply by evading them. But when their personas and egos begin to collide, the pair get caught up in a wit-fueled whirlwind of mistaken identities and romantic snafus. This “trivial comedy for serious people” reveals the absurd lengths that humans will go to in pursuit of acceptance, love, and truth.
At the Thomas Theater:
As You Like ItWilliam Shakespeare, directed by Lisa Peterson
The Forest of Arden comes to life in the Thomas Theatre when Rosalind and her cousin Celia escape an oppressive uncle and take to the wilderness. Disguised as a man, Rosalind searches for her true love, Orlando—who doesn’t recognize her in her new persona. But anything can happen in the forest, including poems in the trees, star-crossed shepherds, and a band of exiles who become family. Identities are lost and true selves are found in Shakespeare’s beloved comedy, bringing its magic to our most intimate theatre in this song-filled, 1960s-infused production by director Lisa Peterson (Hamlet, 2016).
Octavio Solis, directed by Lisa Portes
TIn the fictional border town of La Plancha, Texas, a brilliant professor is battling dementia—but he won’t go into assisted living without a fight. Imagining himself as Don Quixote, he enlists a friend and sets out on a journey to find his long-lost love, tilting at border patrol drones as he uncovers the truth of his past. This modern comic adaptation by OSF favorite Octavio Solis (Mother Road and 2009’s Don Quixote, among others) infuses Tejano culture and vibrant music into a story that Broadway World described as “groundbreaking and new while still retaining the heart of the original” — a magical retelling that celebrates life, love, and human courage.
At the Allen Elizabethan Theater:
Please note the these plays are outside during the evening.
Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by James Lapine, directed by Amanda Dehnert, choreographed by Ellenore Scott
How far would you go to make your wish come true? Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack (of beanstalk fame), and a baker and his wife find out when they take a journey into the woods. It’s a magical, bewildering place full of witches, wolves, giants, and mysterious strangers where familiar fairy tales tangle and twist together. Wishes come true here, but at a price. Amanda Dehnert’s production of this smash-hit musical thrilled audiences in 2014, and we’re bringing its hilarity, menace, irreverence—and eminently singable score-back to our theatre under the stars, where it will delight audiences of all ages during this season’s celebration of our 90th anniversary.
William Shakespeare, directed by Terri McMahon
Sir John Falstaff—Prince Hal’s boisterous drinking buddy from the Henry IV plays—has come down in the world, out of money and stuck in the middle-class burg of Windsor. Hatching a plot to hit on two wealthy married women, he’s soon ensnared in love triangles and trickery, and he hasn’t even figured out that his prey are now deceiving him. Food, dancing, and dirty laundry are all part of the fun in Shakespeare’s most domestic comedy—and part of what makes this small town a home. OSF is delighted to welcome back longtime company member Terri McMahon, who directs this new production with a joyful, dance-filled flair.