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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories City plans event for TAP line Signups underway for classes for older adults Airport, historic commissioners named; vacancies remain on other panels Boosters Club needs parents to volunteer Ashland makes nationwide 'Great Places' list Education Signups underway for classes for older adults They're back (and they've brought friends) Free TED talk simulcast in Ashland Schneider Children's Center branches out Getting a 'Fresh Start' Environment OR-7's pups true wolves Mt. Ashland Hill Climb Agency says hatcheries OK on Columbia Do you think foods containing GMOs should say so on the label? 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Not out of the woods yet Our View: Taking small steps to confront climate change Now's the time to taste the bounty Letters Letters to the Editor, Sept. 4 Letters to the Editor, Sept. 3 Letters to the Editor, Aug. 30 Letters to the Editor, Aug. 29 Letters to the Editor, Aug. 28 Guest opinions Two seemingly disparate moments in history Rauch replies: Frustrating, yes — yet there is method in't The summer of my discontent: An open letter to Bill Rauch Opportunities for civic involvement are plentiful in Ashland Hamas supporters spread anti-Semitism around the world Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Sheila Bender and Jonah Bornstein 'Freud's Last Session" at Ashland Contemporary Theatre CultureFest at Oregon Shakespeare Festival Community blog: Poet Willa Schneberg at Bloomsbury Books Community blog:Ashland Book and Author Festival Coming Soon Theater 'Freud's Last Session" at Ashland Contemporary Theatre Wise cracks and hot licks make for super show OSF adds 'Wrinkle in Time' Family Night Music The Jeff Stanley Trio at Lounge South Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies Movie listings: Sept. 5-11 Movie listings: Aug. 27-Sept. 4 'Calvary' is about darkness and dialogue Varsity Theatre, Ashland Street Cinemas movie listings: Aug. 22-26 'What If' hits the sweet spot Food and Drink World of Wine celebrates local varietals Lifestyle Latest Stories Mt. Ashland Hill Climb 'Spooky action': Peacemaking through synchronicity Community Blog: Communication is an Art Oregon Trail Card users can shop at farmers markets Learning from the dying what people should know about living Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs NEWS NOW OR-7's pups true wolves ... 10 things to know for Friday ... Best Bets: Sept. 4-11 ... OR-7's pups true wolves ... 10 things to know for Friday ... Best Bets: Sept. 4-11 ... THEATER 'Freud's Last Session" at Ashland Contemporary Theatre Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis spar in 'Freud's Last Session' The two men could not have been more dissimilar. Sigmund Freud was an outspoken atheist who lived to become an argumentative, cranky old man. C.S. Lewis was a romantic who rejected his own atheism at the age of 33. He became a devout Christian and a committed member of the Church of England and used his beliefs as themes in his writings. By Roberta Kent for Revels DailyTidings.com By Roberta Kent for Revels Posted Sep. 4, 2014 @ 2:00 am Updated Sep 4, 2014 at 10:55 AM By Roberta Kent for Revels Posted Sep. 4, 2014 @ 2:00 am Updated Sep 4, 2014 at 10:55 AM » Social News The two men could not have been more dissimilar. Sigmund Freud was an outspoken atheist who lived to become an argumentative, cranky old man. C.S. Lewis was a romantic who rejected his own atheism at the age of 33. He became a devout Christian and a committed member of the Church of England and used his beliefs as themes in his writings. What would a conversation between these two men, so widely different in philosophy and temperament, have been like? "Freud’s Last Session," a play by Mark St. Germain, imagines a meeting between Freud, then 83, with a 41-year-old Lewis on Sept. 1, 1939, the day that Nazi Germany invades Poland and inevitably brings England into World War II. Lewis is puzzled at the invitation to meet, thinking that Freud is angry at Lewis’ mocking portrayal of him in a book. Instead, Lewis finds a self-doubting Freud who wants to discover the source of Lewis' unshakeable faith. Freud, who recently escaped from the Nazis, is dying of a painful cancer in his jaw. Freud’s bitterness and despair contrasts with Lewis’ passionate optimism. The men find themselves debating whether God truly exists — and in the process wittily spar about sex, mortality, humor and music. Ashland Contemporary Theatre will present "Freud’s Last Session" at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept 5, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, and 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 7, and Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 13-14. Tickets cost $15 and can be purchased online at www.ashlandcontemporarytheatre.org,  at Paddington Station in Ashland, Grocery Outlet in Medford, by calling 541-646-2971, or at the door. ACT Artistic Director Emeritus Jeannine Grizzard directs "Freud’s Last Session." Joe Charter, a former Jackson County Circuit Court judge "pro tem" and current justice of the peace, plays Sigmund Freud. Grants Pass Barnstormer Theatre veteran Eric Epstein plays Lewis. Charter has acted in a number of productions at Camelot Theatre and ACT. "Last fall, Joe Charter gave a copy of the play to me and to Artistic Director Evalyn Hansen," Grizzard says. "It was originally to be a staged reading, but as we prepared, we realized it needed to be a full production." "I knew Joe was perfect to play Freud," Grizzard says. "And I knew I had my Lewis with Epstein, who is the perfect age and captures the temperament and the essence of the man." "There is tremendous chemistry between Joe and Eric," adds Grizzard. "They are finding the humor in the play and sparking off one another. The play is really a psychological portrait of Freud and Lewis. "I want the audience to take away from this play the importance of keeping an open mind," Grizzard says. "This play is about pursuing a dialogue with your ideological opposition." Grizzard says it has been a challenge to recreate Freud’s library on the small stage of the Ashland Community Center. "We’ve used historically accurate props and costumes, and minimal furniture," Grizzard says. "The library wall will be a projection onto a screen at the back of the stage." St. Germain based "Freud’s Last Session" on Armand M. Nicholi’s book, "The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex and the Meaning of Life." For years, Nicholi had been teaching a course at Harvard that compared and contrasted the beliefs and philosophical writings of the two men. In "The Question of God," Nicholi placed the writings and letters of each man side by side. The book was the inspiration for a four-hour PBS documentary series of the same name produced by Boston’s WGBH in 2004. "We’ve watched the documentary and read Nicholi’s book to prepare," Grizzard says. "The play’s dialogue actually uses quotes from the two men’s writings that appear in the book and the documentary." "Freud’s Last Session" ran for two years off-Broadway in New York City and has been produced in Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Washington, D.C., and at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis. Roberta Kent is a freelance writer living in Ashland. Reach her at [email protected]. By Roberta Kent for Revels DailyTidings.com By Roberta Kent for Revels Posted Sep. 4, 2014 @ 2:00 am Updated Sep 4, 2014 at 10:55 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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