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SHAKESPEARE IN ASHLAND OSF leaders discuss future plans, diversity Comment By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 28, 2016 at 8:30 PM Updated Jan 28, 2016 at 10:11 PM By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 28, 2016 at 8:30 PM Updated Jan 28, 2016 at 10:11 PM » Social News Look for a higher profile for Asian-American theater artists around the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2016. Expect more OSF-produced plays in big theater towns such as Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis, Minn. Just don’t look for the plays in the OSF’s outdoor Elizagethan theater to move back to 8:30 p.m. Those were a few of the items gleaned by OSF patrons at a town hall event with OSF Artistic Director Bill Rauch and Executive Director Cynthia Rider Thursday evening in the OSF’s Thomas Theatre. Rider and Rauch fielded questions ranging from the city’s perceived problem with aggressive panhandlers to whether the Bowmer Theatre’s new elevators might cause plays to start late. Rider couldn’t suppress a chuckle at “the idea of people joyriding on the elevator.” The elevator is part of a plan to make the festival’s Angus Bowmer Theatre more accessible. Plans call for work on “the bricks,” the area outside the theater, to commence in November. Rauch, who plans to attend a meeting of Shakespeare producers from around the nation at Notre Dame University, said he recently heard Molly Smith, artistic director of Washington D.C.’s Arena Stage, tell people they must go to Ashland and see OSF. “When I’m out of town, I’m working for OSF,” he said. One questioner said it seemed identity politics had become “heavy handed” and asked if a play’s politics was as important as the art. “All art is political,” Rauch said. He said the contemporary plays, such as those of ancient Greece or Shakespeare’s time, exist in a wider, social context. OSF produces more new plays than it used to, but Rauch pointed to five Shakespeare plays to be presented in 2016 and said, “I think we have a great balance.” He said 10 of the 11 2017 plays have been chosen, and the season should be announced in about a month. Actors of color are now a majority of the acting company, he said. He said an Asian-American theater conference slated for Oct. 1 -8 at OSF will mark the first time it’s been at a non-Asian-specific theater. The festival's Allison Carey said 24 of the 37 plays envisioned in OSF’s “American Revolutions” history series have now been commissioned. Rauch smiled as he dispelled a rumor that this year’s production of “Timon of Athens” would be done in contemporary language. The festival is producing a series of such translations but not for production in the OSF season. Rider said the company is looking for ways to make the festival more ecologically sustainable. Asked about reports that some schools would not return after encountering rude behavior from street people, Rider said OSF officials are looking for ways to “help people who need help but keep the environment safe for everybody.” Rauch asked for a show of hands on Elizabethan plays starting at 8 p.m. versus 8:30. The former won by a margin of maybe 200 to 2. OSF’s 2016 season opens with a preview of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” Feb. 19. Reach freelance writer Bill Varble at varble.bill @gmail.com. By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 28, 2016 at 8:30 PM Updated Jan 28, 2016 at 10:11 PM » 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. 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