"I love this group; they give me hope for the human race."
-Ruby LaMoyne Gallagher
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The 2019 Season
Photo by Tiffany Gilly
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**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
Press Contact: Jen Lanier; jen@opsfest.org Original Practice Shakespeare Festival: 2019 Season, WIL Festival, and Midsommer on Mt. Tabor Portland, Oregon – May 31, 2019: Season Eleven is upon us! Original Practice Shakespeare Festival (OPS Fest) announces their 2019 season, the annual arrival of faeries, lovers, and rude mechanicals to the summit of Mt. Tabor, and the marathon of 17 plays that is WIL Festival. About WIL Festival: In three weekends in July and one in August, OPS Fest performs all 17 shows in its repertory. WIL Fest will take place over four weekends at three Portland parks: Willamette Park, (SW Macadam Ave); Irving Park, (NE Fremont & NE 7th Ave.); and Laurelhurst Park, where it all began, (SE Cesar E Chavez Blvd. & Stark St.). The OPS Fest company of talented, flexible actors will perform it all over 15 days. Children, picnics, and leashed pups are always welcome! About Midsummer Midsommer: On Friday, June 21nd, OPS Fest kicks off their season with the popular “A Midsommer Nights Dreame” at the summit of Mt. Tabor. The actors have no idea what character they will play until the AUDIENCE CASTS THE SHOW one hour prior to curtain! As one of the most popular performances of the season, people flock to cast the show on-site at 8PM and watch their creation take shape at 9PM. This performance will NOT be suitable for children. Picnics are welcome. About the 2019 Season: Each Summer, OPS Fest is proud to bring no-cost Shakespeare to the Portland Public Parks. “The Life of Henry the Fifth” and “Love’s Labours Lost” are the new plays on the roster this season, premiering June 28th and June 30th respectively. August 9th and 10th, the company travels to Nehalem Bay State Park to perform Shakespeare at the beach. To close out the season, OPS Fest continues the tradition of an All Gender/Identifying weekend, this year at Mt. Tabor. An all male-identifying/non-binary “Merry Wives of Windsor” will be performed on Aug 23rd and an all female-identifying/non-binary “Hamlet” on Aug 24th. About Original Practice Shakespeare Festival: OPSFest brings no-cost repertory Shakespeare to parks and venues all over the Portland Metro area. The company uses the original practice techniques of Elizabethan England: limited rehearsal, scrolls in hand, audience interaction, and an onstage prompter. OPSFest is a proud partner of the OUTWright Festival, Portland’s premier LGBTQ theatre festival, performing the classic story of status, deception, and 2 women in love in “Othello”, June 23rd at 2PM at the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center. Learn more at opsfest.org and opsfest.org/tour-calendar |
Photo by Tiffany Gilly
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See the original practice FOR FREE!
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In Shakespeare's Era, the audience knew the actors had not rehearsed and that the only context each had of the play was their own role on a scroll. The play was as fresh to the actors as the audience.
In our company, you'll NEVER see the same cast do the same play in the same way. We're dangerous like that. Original Practice Shakespeare players have a great talent for improv, making the Bard’s words not just relevant, but also bringing out the best lighter qualities of the script... this allows the audience and cast to work together, and the words to stand, as they can, on their own." |
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Photo by Tiffany Gilly
Every little bit helps, friends! We thank you right now for being an OPS Superhero and helping bring our 10th Anniversary season to a park near you!
Sincerely,
The artists, staff, and board of
Original Practice Shakespeare
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