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[an error occurred while processing this directive] (none) The Black Swan By Myles Murphy Ashland Daily Tidings The 2001 Oregon Shakespeare Festival season will be the last chance people have to experience the Festival's small theater, the Black Swan, which is being replaced by a larger theater now under construction. For 24 years, the Black Swan has provided a venue for many of the Festival's less mainstream plays. The space, which seats 138, has been described by some as intimate and by others as cramped. The building in which the theater is housed was originally a car dealership. The Festival bought the building in 1968, and it was used for about 10 years as a rehearsal space and for storage. During that same period, OSF actors began to put on small unofficial after-hours productions and readings of plays just for the joy of it. "They used it as a way to stretch their theatrical muscles," OSF Archivist Kit Leary said. In 1977, the theater became an official venue, part of the Festival's constant growth through the years, despite many deficiencies. Leary has been archivist for the Festival for 15 years, documenting the history of the organization through photographs, news clippings and other documents. She has seen the Black Swan continue year after year even though it was only meant as a temporary venue. "It had only been intended to be used for a few years before being updated," Leary said. "It ended up being more 20 years." In an open letter to the audience written by Producing Director Jerry Turner in 1977, he described the apt naming of the Black Swan: "It's an odd bird, the wrong color; it has a fierce, independent manner and a pesky temper." In the late 1970s, the Black Swan was featuring shows like "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds" and "Indulgences in the Louisville Harem," while in the Angus Bowmer and Elizabethan theaters, patrons were treated to classics such as "The Tempest" and "A Streetcar Named Desire." That spirit has continued through the years, and one of the final shows is a frenetic production of "Fuddy Meers," the story of an amnesiac trying to understand her bizarre family. Despite its long history, there are parts of the Black Swan that will not be too sorely missed, according to OSF Executive Director Paul Nicholson. "It has cramped dressing rooms, no showers, the roof leaks, it has an inadequate heating and air conditioning system, and low ceiling," Nicholson said. "The lights are so low we've even had actors get wrapped up in them while on stage. " The low lighting causes an artistic problem, as well. Ideally, light should hit the actors' faces at a 45-degree angle for best effect, according to Nicholson, which is difficult when the lights are so low. "You really need a ceiling at least 17 or 18 feet high," Nicholson said. Another major flaw is a large pillar in the center of the building. Set near the back of the stage, the pillar supports the roof where - in the building's previous incarnation - cars would park. "In every single production there, the column has to be worked around," Nicholson said. "We felt it was time the Festival had a space designed for theater rather than for selling cars." As the Festival has matured, what was once acceptable and even charming has become a detriment, Nicholson said. "Ultimately, it comes down to artistic quality. As we strive to create theater of the highest quality, it has become clear that we can't do that in the Black Swan." The size has also become limiting. Many people have been unable to attend sold-out shows. Especially hard-hit are large gatherings such as school groups, which find it next to impossible to reserve seats. "We have consistently 100 percent attendance at the Black Swan and we've had to turn away thousands of people over the years," Nicholson said. "That means they have missed some of our most challenging and provocative productions." Actors' Theatre Alexs Restaurant Ali Ross/ Real Estate Agent Allyson's of Ashland Aphrodite's Salon Asante Health Ashland Community Food Store Ashland Community Hospital Ashland Homes Real Estate Ashland Springs Spa Associates for Oral & Maxillo Beasy's On The Creek Big Kahuna in the Park Bloomsbury Books Bookwagon New & Used Books Charter Communications Chateaulin Restaurant Conversations With God Center Cycle Sport Denny's Restaurant Earthly Goods Womens' Apparel Enchanted Attic Energy Outfitters Gateway Real Estate Grants Pass Visitor's Bureau Greenleaf Restaurant Hellgate Excursions Hot Spring Spas Jacksonville Inn John L. 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