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[an error occurred while processing this directive] (none) Pew Grant for a new play By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings Playwright Octavio Solis will find a temporary home with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival thanks to a $100,000 grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts. Hopes are running high that Solis, working in an experimental setting with company actors, will write a new play that could be performed at the Festival in the future. "The centerpiece of this residency will be Octavio creating a play here," said Douglas Langworthy, director of literary development and dramaturgy for the Festival. "He'll be coming with nothing on paper. He'll have a cast of six to eight actors to work with him in a laboratory setting where they'll play around with ideas. He'll coalesce that into a script." Solis will arrive in June to do preparatory work, but will do the bulk of the work in September and October of 2001. Langworthy said several Festival actors already have expressed an interest in working with Solis. Langworthy said it is unusual for an institution the size of the Festival to be involved in this type of experimentation. "This arrangement helps us push our boundaries. At every level, we want to create new models," Langworthy said. The Pew grants, awarded nation-wide, have been used by playwrights, composers and other artists to create new plays, musicals and other works. Solis will receive $60,000 of the grant, while the Festival receives the remaining $40,000 to support the residency. "The idea is to free up the artists' time so they don't have to hold down other little jobs," Langworthy said. When Solis comes to Ashland, he already will be familiar with the city and the Festival. A few years ago, he did a play reading of his work "El Paso Blue." Last year, the Festival staged a production of the play. Langworthy said in many ways, Solis fits into the culture of the Festival, which in addition to staging Shakespearean works, strives to put on plays relevant to modern life using the plays of Shakespeare as a standard for excellence. "He was here for almost two months during the rehearsal period of "El Paso Blue," helping the actors and director understand the play. He's a really exciting writer. One of his role models as a writer is Shakespeare," Langworthy said. "He uses pretty visceral language. There's a real connection. That's why his plays work so well here. He has big themes and big language." The Festival also is trying to draw in a more diverse audience, and Solis' new play will touch on issues of race and modern relationships. "He's interested in exploring issues of relationships, particularly marriage in contemporary America in a context of violence and interracial conflict," said Langwor-thy. Additionally, Langworthy said Solis jumped right into the more down-to-earth work of the Festival during his previous visit. For example, he met on his own with box office staff to help them understand "El Paso Blue," so they in turn could explain it better to patrons interested in seeing the play. Solis also reached out to the community with a public reading at Bloomsbury Books in Ashland, and appeared on cable access television. Theater patrons and residents shouldn't be surprised if they see Solis in Ashland, Langworthy said. "People around town should keep their eyes open for Octavio. He's a friendly guy who makes an impact wherever he goes. That's one of the things we love about him," he said. [an error occurred while processing this directive] (none) [an error occurred while processing this directive] (none) [an error occurred while processing this directive] (none) Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2000 Lee Northwest Publishing