Fannie
View Content with Credit

Fannie - The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer

July 1 – October 9, 2021 Allen Elizabethan Theatre
Reviews 2021 Reopening Cast Creative Team Suitability
Reviews 2021 Reopening Cast Creative Team Suitability

OSF roars back to life with Cheryl L. West’s Fannie: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer

This event has ended.

Approximate Running Time: 80 minutes, no intermission

Safety regulations:

  • All audience members 12 years and older must present proof of vaccination or a recent Covid test (a photocopy or digital photo is fine) at the door for entrance into the theatre.
  • Audience members 18 years and older must present a photo ID at the door.
  • All audience members must wear masks.
  • Seating will be assigned with social distancing.

For details, see our 2021 Reopening page.

 

This electrifying, immersive call to action is inspired by the life of famed civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer—whose grit, humor, and courage in the face of fire remind us that there’s hope in tomorrow and we all have a stake in our country. This passionate, song-filled rallying cry—part spiritual revival, part political call to action—defines what it means to be a true revolutionary.

Starting September 1, OSF’s own Greta Oglesby, an actress and singer of “earth-shaking vocal prowess” (Minneapolis Star-Tribune), will take on the role of Fannie through the end of the run.

“Fannie is a perfect show for us to reconvene in person. This music-filled play about a towering figure in the fight for civil rights is an inspiring call to action to continue Hamer’s work. With virtuosic singing, dynamic acting, and a rousing live score, Fannie is what we have been missing in the absence of live theatre. We are tremendously moved to have artists back onstage in the Elizabethan, performing work that speaks to the moment, and for our local communities and travelers to Ashland to join us in this joy.”

—Nataki Garrett, Artistic Director

View PDF calendar

Reviews

“Theater's collective experience...has returned to OSF.”
The Oregonian
"Powerful and life affirming. A tour de force."
The Siskiyou Daily News
“FANNIE is FANTASTIC!
If the Elizabethan Theatre had a roof it would have been BLOWN TO THE HEAVENS.”
Times-Standard
“An electrifying solo performance”
Herald and News
"Powerfully acted and excellently produced."
Herald and News

Immerse

Reopening OSF

“We couldn’t be more excited to open our beautiful Allen Elizabethan Theatre this summer. Our theatres closed on March 12th of 2020, and we have all been yearning for live theatre since then. As the vaccine circumstances in our country, state, and county have improved, we feel now is the time to welcome our audiences back to OSF.” —David Schmitz, Executive Director 

Indoor Season 
The reimagined 2021 season continues with It's Christmas, Carol!, our first-ever holiday-season special. Written by beloved OSF performers Mark Bedard, Brent Hinkley, and John Tufts and directed by Pirronne Yousefzadeh, It's Christmas, Carol! will run November 23, 2021 – January 2, 2022. (Tickets will go on sale in the fall.)

Safety Measures

• ALL AUDIENCE MEMBERS, including children, must present proof of vaccination or a recent Covid test (a photocopy or digital photo is fine) at the door for entrance into the theatre. Accepted Covid tests: negative PCR COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of the performance time, OR a negative rapid antigen test taken within 6 hours.

• Audience members 16 years and older must present a photo ID or student ID at the door. (Note that children under 6 years of age are not admitted to any ticketed event.)

• All audience members must wear masks.

• Seating will be assigned with social distancing.

• No concessions will be on sale, and we ask that patrons not bring in outside food or drink except for water bottles.

Please visit our 2021 Reopening page for details.

SUMMER CONCERTS
Starting July 21, OSF will present weekly outdoor concerts in the Elizabethan. This $15 ticketed event will feature many OSF fan favorites and runs through October 6.

Cast

 * Member of Actors' Equity Association (AEA)

Band

Creative Team

Christine Sumption
Dramaturg
* Member of Actors' Equity Association (AEA)

Understudy

* Member of Actors' Equity Association (AEA)
Suitability
Fannie contains some strong language and graphic descriptions of imprisonment during the civil rights movement. The show is suitable for well-prepared middle schoolers and up.
Questions?

Please visit our 2021 Reopening page for any general questions about attendance, safety, or the rest of the 2021 season.

Please email [email protected] for any questions about your personal account with OSF.

Partner Theatres
Fannie is a co-commission of the Goodman Theatre and Seattle Repertory Theatre. After the creative team hones the production at OSF, it will premiere at the Goodman in October and at Seattle Rep in early 2022.

The Rolling World Premiere is produced by Asolo Repertory Theatre, Goodman Theatre, and Seattle Rep.

Thank you to our 2020 and 2021 Sponsors