Ashland, Ore.--The Oregon Shakespeare Festival's new Green Show offers an ambitious and diverse line-up of artists performing June 3 - October 12 on the OSF bricks. The mix of acts range from Judy Kennedy and the original Green Show Renaissance dancers to Metal Shakespeare Company showcasing Shakespeare scenes adapted for heavy metal music performed in full costume.
More than 50 different acts will perform on the bricks during the Green Show season. Local favorites include Rutendo! Marimba, Siskiyou Violins, Rogue Valley Peace Choir, Rogue Opera, and the return of past OSF favorites Sue Carney and the Terra Nova Consort.
OSF artistic director Bill Rauch announced his desire to redesign the Green Show when he first assumed the reins at OSF. Indiana's Dance Kaleidoscope had been the resident Green Show artists, along with a corps of musicians, for ten years prior to Rauch's arrival. Dance Kaleidoscope will return this summer for a week-long residence August 19-24.
The Green Show is curated by OSF's associate producer for community Claudia Alick. "My goal was to say YES in this first year," she noted. "YES to the great suggestions we have received from the staff, public, and community; YES to the groups that have made the Green Show excellent in the past, such as Dance Kaleidoscope and Terra Nova Consort; and YES to what will make the Green Show great in the future, by opening up our stage to the rich talent in our local, national and international communities."
Alick's extensive experience in the world of hip-hop theater and spoken word performance connects her to top artists such as Playback NYC, who will be performing hip-hop-influenced commedia works; Rickerby Hinds's Buckworld One, mixing Krump dancing and spoken word poetry; and Stone Forest, who perform world music/hip-hop fusion with classical instrumentation. Rickerby Hinds and Baba Israel of Playback NYC participated in OSF's first Hip-Hop Boot Camp this past October, and their return marks an important step forward in OSF's continued exploration of the form.
Links to these artists' websites are available on the Green Show page of the OSF website.
The theme of collaboration resonates throughout the season. Judy Kennedy and original Green Show dancers will dance to the music of the Terra Nova Consort; In Black, a youth jazz ensemble, will join Sue Carney and local jazz quintet Opus 4; dub group's Disco Organica and Medium Troy will remix music from OSF plays; and the Cherry Blossom Visual Music artists will team with Portland's Agnieszka Dancers, among other collaborations.
During OSF's Festival Latino July 24-27, the Green Show stage will be bursting with the sights and sounds of Hispanic and Latino culture. Artists performing over these four days include Estudiantina de la Universidad de Guanajuato, a student music ensemble from Ashland's sister city Guanajuato, Mexico; Son de Madera, performing song and dance from Veracruz, Mexico; Ballet Folklorico; local salsa band Mambo Rico; and guitarist Grant Ruiz and friends performing flamenco song and dance.
Green Show performances take place in the Festival courtyard (on the bricks) before evening theatre performances, every night of the week but Monday. Start times are 7:15 p.m., June 3 - August 10, and 6:45 p.m., August 12 - October 12. The Green Show performances last approximately 35 minutes.
More information, including the full Green Show schedule, can be viewed online.
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