James Ryen, left, as Caliban and Kevin Kenerly as Prospero in a scene from the Oregon Shakespear Festival production of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” See listings. Photo by Jenny Graham for OSF
Ashland New Plays Festival: For tickets and more information, see ashlandnewplays.org or call 541-488-7995. See website or call for current COVID-19 requirements.
‘stains’: Ashland New Plays Festival will host playwright Sarah Cho her autobiographical play “stains”—a comedic, coming-of-age story about growing up poor, female, and Korean American in Los Angeles. The play follows 14-year-old Christine Park, played by SOU alum Nina Pamintuan, whose family sees her first period as a burden. She is helped in her struggles by an imaginary friend who happens to resemble a wisecracking witch from a popular ‘90s sitcom. Seattle-based actor Annie Yim will play Soo-Hyun Park, Christine’s hardworking mother, and Los Angeles-based Janet Song, who has appeared in television series such as “Little Fires Everywhere,” “Euphoria,” “The Good Place,” and “Modern Family,” will play Christine’s grandmother, Halmoni Cho, with stage directions read by Nicole Villavicencio Gonzalez. Directed by Lava Alapai. Performances are scheduled for 7:30 pm Saturday, July 9, and at 1:30 pm Sunday, July 10, in the Music Recital Hall, 450 S. Mountain Ave., on the Southern Oregon University campus in Ashland. Tickets are $25, available online and at the door, with a $15 option for students and those in need of lower pricing.
Camelot Theatre: 101 Talent Ave., Talent. Tickets and information available at camelottheatre.org or 541-535-5250. Group and discounted season packages, as well as special rate performances are available. Box Office hours are noon to 5 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays. See website or call box office for current COVID-19 requirements.
‘Honeymoon In Vegas’: A romantic romp from New York to Vegas to Hawaii, this musical about saying “I Do” is a non-stop, laugh-out-loud show. Based on the hit 1992 film, “Honeymoon in Vegas” is a hilarious new musical that centers on an unusual love triangle, featuring a new score by Tony-winning composer, Jason Robert Brown. Mild-mannered Brooklynite, Jack, promised his dying mother that he would never get married, but that was before he met his sweet and beautiful girlfriend, Betsy. Haunted by a fear of Mom’s retribution, Jack avoids proposing but, when he finally summons the nerve to whisk oh-so-patient Betsy off to Las Vegas to get hitched, a dashing gambler named Tommy threatens to sweep his fiancée away to a life of luxury in Hawaii. Realizing what he’s about to lose, Jack is determined to do anything to give his love story a happy ending. Performances are scheduled for 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays through July 10. Tickets are $20-$38.
‘Spotlight on Joni Mitchell’: Among the singer-songwriters who emerged in the 1960s, none were as adventurous, incisive, or influential as Joni Mitchell. Her melodious tunes support her poetic and often very personal lyrics to make her one of the most authentic artists of her time. As a performer, she is widely hailed for her unique style of playing guitar. Mitchell’s unflinching struggle for her own artistic independence has made her a role model for many other musicians. She first became famous for penning “Both Sides Now”, a song that helped launch the career of Judy Collins. Her first album appeared in 1968, which featured her voice and her acoustic guitar with virtually no other accompaniment on most songs. This performance features her hit songs including “Big Yellow Taxi,” “Both Sides Now,” “Chelsea Morning,” “Free Man in Paris,” and more. Julia Holden-Hunkins stars as Mitchell, directed by Karl Iverson. Performances are scheduled for 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays, Aug. 4-28. Tickets are $20-$38.
Oregon Cabaret Theatre: 241 Hargadine St, on the corner of First and Hargadine streets, Ashland. Tickets and information are available at oregoncabaret.com or by calling 541-488-2902. Reservations are required for pre-show dinner and brunch. Appetizers, beverages and desserts are available without reservations. See website or call box office for current COVID-19 requirements. Student rush tickets are $15 and can be purchased 30 minutes before curtain with valid ID, subject to availability. Group discounts available.
‘In the Heights’: Before “Hamilton,” Broadway wunderkind Lin-Manuel Miranda created “In the Heights,” the 2008 Tony Award Best Musical winner. The musical takes place in a vibrant community in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood — a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It’s a community on the brink of change, where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you and which ones you leave behind. Bodega owner Usnavi is dating Vanessa, who works in a beauty salon. He dreams of opening a bar in his home country, the Dominican Republic. Nina loves Benny, a shy young man who has worked for Nina’s parents for years, but her father opposes their union because he wants Nina to finish her education at Stanford University. She doesn’t want her father to bankrupt himself paying for the expensive school, but her father is prepared to sell his car-service business. The show features big, show-stopping musical numbers like “96,000,” “Blackout,” and “In the Heights.” Performances are set for 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, Mondays and select Wednesdays, and 1 p.m. Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays through June 19. Were it movie, “In the Heights” would be rated PG-13 for coarse language, adult situations, and alcohol use. Tickets are $43, $39 or $29.
‘The Full Monty’: While spying on their wives at a “Girls’ Night Out,” a group of unemployed steelworkers from Buffalo see how much the women enjoy watching male strippers. Jealous, out of work, and feeling emasculated, the men come up with a bold and unclothed way to make some quick cash — a strip show of their own. Based on the cult hit film of the same name, “The Full Monty,” a ten-time Tony Award nominee, is filled with honest affection, engaging melodies and the most highly anticipated closing number of any show. Performances are set for 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, Mondays and select Wednesdays, and 1 p.m. Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays June 30-Sept. 4. Were it movie, “The Full Monty” would be rated R for coarse language, adult situations. Tickets are $43, $39 or $29.
Oregon Shakespeare Festival: 15 S. Pioneer St., Ashland. Showtimes, ticket prices and information available at osfashland.org or at 800-219-8161. Masks are required for all performances. See website or call box office for current COVID-19 requirements. Group discounts available.
O! digital: OSF’s interactive and immersive digital content platform, O!, can be accessed for free at osfashland.org/digital. Some content will be accessed for a fee, including streaming plays.
‘Dr. G’s Bingo Extravaganza’: A social bingo event that evolves into a fantastical world of performance, “Dr. G’s Bingo Extravaganza” invites attendees to meet new friends, compete for spectacular prizes, and pay tribute to a remarkable local elder — Dr. Geneva Craig, a civil rights leader, frontline nurse, and action movie lover with a penchant for Vegas glitz. OSF will convert Carpenter Hall into a temporary bingo hall, Wednesday through Sunday, July 20-24, with walls adorned with ornaments created by AfroScoutz, a Black youth group in Southern Oregon organized by BASE. Special guests from the community will join as bingo callers and surprise performers. In tandem with the in-person performance in Carpenter Hall, you can access an interactive website Dr. G’s Fan Club. The site takes the form of an infinitely scrolling Christmas tree with ornaments by Afroscoutz members that open up to a webpage containing special Dr. G trivia and special messages from local community members. It can be accessed through OSF’s ticketing platform. Dr. Craig is a registered nurse who holds a Ph.D. in Nursing from the University of Walden. She volunteers with AARP Oregon and for three years chaired its Diversity Advisory Committee. Born in Selma, Ala., she marched with MLK in the Selma-to-Montogomery marches.
Live Productions:
‘Once on This Island’: Once on a golden and verdant Caribbean island, a little girl is rescued from a disastrous storm by four gods — Asaka, Mother of the Earth; Agwé, god of Water; Erzulie, goddess of Love; and Papa Ge, demon of Death. So starts the myth told in this breathtaking story of Black joy and sorrow, the aftermath of colonization and isolation, and the triumph of love against all forces. Told with Caribbean rhythms and instruments, this Tony Award-winning musical is a testament that a beautiful story simply told has the power to inspire and heal all. Directed by Lili-Anne Brown. Tickets are $35 to $75. The show runs through Oct. 30 in the Angus Bowmer Theatre.
‘unseen’: Mia, an American conflict photographer, wakes up at the site of a massacre in Syria, not sure how she got there. With her Turkish girlfriend, Derya, and her Californian mother, Jane, Mia must slowly piece together the details of her past to find out what happened. Mona Mansour’s beautifully human and surprisingly humorous play asks what it would mean for our souls — personally and as a nation — if we were to truly see the impact of our actions. Directed by Evren Odcikin. Tickets are $35 to $75. The show runs through July 31 in the Thomas Theatre.
‘How I Learned What I Learned’: Originally performed by August Wilson himself, “How I Learned What I Learned” is a heartfelt theatrical memoir charting one man’s journey of self-discovery through adversity, and what it means to be a Black artist in America. Directed by Tim Bond. Tickets are $35 to $75. The show runs through July 30 in the Angus Bowmer Theatre.
‘The Tempest’: For 12 years, banished Prospero has been living on a mystical island and using magic to subjugate its native inhabitants. With vengeance weighing heavily on his mind, he conjures a storm to bring ashore a passing ship carrying his enemies, who find themselves at the mercy of his supernatural machinations. This classic Shakespeare play explores the good, the bad, and the gray areas of human nature. Directed by Nicholas C. Avila. Tickets are $35 to $75. The show runs June 1-Oct. 15, in the Allen Elizabethan Theatre.
‘Revenge Song —A Vampire Cowboys Creation’: Buckle up for a musical story about Julie d’Aubigny — a queer 17th-century rule-breaking, sword fighting, opera-singing transgressor of boundaries. It’ll be loud, it’ll be rowdy and hilarious! Qui Nguyen (OSF’s “Vietgone” and Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon”) sets this irreverent take on French history somewhere between the realms of superheroes and comic books and asks what it means to bust through your prescribed roles into who you truly are. Music by Shane Rettig, with lyrics by Qui Nguyen and Robert Ross Parker. Directed by Robert Ross Parker. Tickets are $35 to $75. The show runs through Oct. 14 in the Allen Elizabethan Theatre.
‘King John’: A corrupt monarch faces an unruly court and fights to hold onto the crown at all costs through political intrigue and warmongering. “King John” features a cast of 12 female and non-gender-binary performers — speaking directly to our current fractured political moment and bringing new meaning to Shakespeare’s powerful play about power itself. Directed by Rosa Joshi. Tickets are $35 to $75. The show runs Aug. 17-Oct. 28, in the Angus Bowmer Theatre.
‘Confederates’: An enslaved woman turned Union spy and a brilliant professor in a modern-day private university are facing similar struggles, though they live over a century apart. This play by MacArthur genius award-winner Dominique Morisseau leaps through time to trace the identities of two brilliant Black women and explores the reins that racial and gender bias still hold on American systems today. Directed by Nataki Garrett; an American Revolutions Commission West Coast Premiere. Tickets are $35 to $75. The show runs Aug. 23-Oct. 29, in the Thomas Theatre.
Rogue Theater Company: See roguetheatercompany.com or call 541-205-9190 for showtimes, tickets and further information. See website or call box office for current COVID-19 requirements.
Shakespeare Studies: Oregon Shakespeare Festival actor and dramaturg Barry Kraft will lead a six-part series on select Shakespeare plays from 10 to 11:30 a.m. The final play to be studied will be “The Tempest,” June 18-19. Participation can be In-person, via Zoom, or you can receive recorded videos of the sessions. Tickets are $40. The outdoor Ashland location will be confirmed at time of booking. Further information and tickets are available online through the theater company’s website or by phone.
Rogue Valley Shakespeare Company: See roguevalleyshakespeare.com or email at rvshakespeare@gmail.com for showtimes, tickets and further information. See website for current COVID-19 requirements.
‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’: The Rogue Valley Shakespeare Company will bring Shakespeare to the park with“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on the lawn at the Harry & David Shelter at Reinhart Volunteer Park, 1690 S.W. Webster Road, Grants Pass. The inaugural event will feature a classical production of the Bard’s most famous comedy featuring frolicking winged fairies, hilarious rustic mechanicals, and enchanted lovers traipsing about beneath the stars. The performance is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 17. Lawn seating spaces, which accommodate up to four guests are $60; bring your own blankets, towels, and/or low-backed lounge chairs (back height limit of 24 inches). Limited table seating is also available with a table for four for $80. Seating will begin at 6:30 p.m. Picnics of your own food and beverage are encouraged. There will be some minor concession items available for purchase at select performances. Alcoholic beverages are not permitted.
RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment