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May 19 , 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels March 19, 2004 Downtown OSF makes Ashland what it is Andrew Scot Bolsinger It takes a lot of bananas to feed an 800-pound gorilla. But when that gorilla lies at the center of most of everything that is your town, it's worth getting those bananas any chance you get. Recently the National Endowment for the Arts awarded 55 thousand bananas to The Oregon Shakespeare Festival to help fund the premiere production of "Oedipus Complex," by writer-director Frank Galati. Fame and fortune The grant is critical to the festival for two reasons. First, it's ongoing validation on a national level of the festival's excellence and reputation. "We're very pleased to have received this level of funding, which recognizes OSF as one of the premier theaters in America," OSF Executive Director Paul Nicholson said. "The grant enables us to develop what we think will be a major new work with one of this country's great theater artists." Galati, who won a Tony award in 1990 for Best Play and Best Director, adds more heft to the festival's credentials. "I am extremely excited, and feel very fortunate that OSF has the opportunity to bring Frank Galati to create this highly challenging theatrical adventure for us," said Libby Appel, artistic director for OSF. The grant is important for a second, more basic reason. It's $55,000 in financial support for a play that will open on July 31. The festival is one of the many arts organizations feeling the financial squeeze of Oregon's ever-tightening belt. So, any help is important help. State funding has cut tens of thousands of dollars to the festival the past few years, a shift that every business that makes its prime profits during the "tourist season" - i.e., when OSF is open - should be concerned about. But to the festival's credit, it works extremely hard at getting grants like the NEA grant, or sponsorships, to financially back its productions. The NEA grant was an 18-month process where the festival made a request based on the merits of a specific play, according to the festival's director of institutional giving, Deb Small. With the exception of 2002, the NEA has awarded a grant to the festival every year since 1992. It's a great success to consistently awarded this financial backing. With the size and scope of the festival, winning grants and gaining sponsorship is absolutely essential to the festival's ongoing success. It's something they do very well, which can draw both the envy and the ire of other organizations with similar needs. It is what it is Sticking with the wild kingdom motif, we have to talk about the elephant in the room. It's like the big whisper around town, that nobody is really whispering anymore. We love the festival, but for some, it's in fashion to bash the festival. For so many people, the festival is what makes Ashland Ashland. Attend any newcomers' meeting and people more often than not start by saying, "We often came here for the plays, and just fell in love with Ashland. So we decided to move here." Reasons people first visit here: 1. The festival, 2. The beautiful scenery, 3. The festival. The reason we have so many great restaurants, hotels, local theaters, a vital downtown, and artistic, intelligent and interesting people is due in large part to the festival. And that is the basic definition of an 800-pound gorilla. In Portland, Paul Allen's Trail Blazer's are often described as the 800-pound gorilla. It's descriptive, not derogatory. Also part of the definition is the awareness that people will resent that success, which is also the case when speaking of the festival. Detractors often complain that OSF gets favored treatment by the city (which is probably true, or at least has been in the past), believe they are more important than they are (which is probably not, because it's hard to overstate their importance) and are kind of an exclusive community that doesn't mix into the fabric of the city (which is probably somewhat true just because of the demanding work hours and the transient nature of the job). It is what it is. That is to say, OSF is like the river that brings life to our community, but like all things close to home, we tend to take it for granted. No, the festival is not perfect, but its pretty darn good and it's worth it once in a while to take the time to be appreciative that this wonderful regional theater is our gorilla, one we should always take the time to feed. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams