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45 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, April 14, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend March 18, 2004 OSF’s next season offers new plays The 11-play run includes traditional classics as well as contemporary offerings By BILL VARBLE Mail Tribune The Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s 2005 season will feature two world premieres, a new translation, several American and Shakespearean classics and a once-obscure 18th century comedy presented last year as a reading. The new plays are Robert Schenkkan’s "Arturo and Catherine" and Octavio Solis’ "Gibraltar." "Arturo and Catherine" was commissioned by OSF and will be directed by Cornerstone Theater Company Artistic Director Bill Rauch in the OSF’s New Theatre. Rauch directed Schenkkan’s play "Handler" at OSF in 2002. The play is reportedly about the lives of a recent widow and a Cuban immigrant and the search for redemption, forgiveness and healing. "Gibraltar" was also commissioned by OSF. It will be directed by Liz Diamond, who directed OSF’s "The Trojan Women" in 2000. Solis’ "El Paso Blue" was staged at OSF in 1999. Advertisement "Gibraltar" is described as a contemporary fable about a woman whose husband has recently died under mysterious circumstances, and who has a stranger enter her life. Also playing in the New Theatre will be August Wilson’s "Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom," part of the award-winning playwright’s 10-play cycle. Directing will be OSF Associate Artistic Director Timothy Bond. The OSF has also produced several of Wilson’s plays, most recently 2003’s "The Piano Lesson." "Balancing the season so that our audience partakes in a variety of theatrical experiences is always our goal," OSF Artistic Director Libby Appel said in a press release. Schenkkan is best known for his Kentucky Cycle. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1992 and a Tony Award for Best Play in 1994. Solis’ plays include "Santos and Santos," "La Posada Magica" and "Dreamlandia." The world premiere translation of Eduardo De Filippo’s "Napoli Milionaria" is by OSF actor Linda Alper and guest artist Beatrice Basso, who also collaborated on a new translation of De Filippo’s "Saturday, Sunday, Monday" in 2002. Appel will direct in the Bowmer. Though billed as a comedy, the play takes a critical look at the culture of Italy in World War II. Also playing in the Bowmer and opening at the top of the season are William Shakespeare’s "Richard III," directed by Libby Appel; John Murray and Allen Boretz’s comedy "Room Service," directed by guest artist J.R. Sullivan; and George Bernard Shaw’s "The Philanderer," directed by OSF Associate Artistic Director Penny Metropulos. The final Bowmer show is Hannah Cowley’s "The Belle’s Stratagem," directed by Davis McCallum, who directed a well-received reading of the play at the Bowmer in 2003. "The Belle’s Stratagem" was written in 1780 and recently had its first full staging in more than a century at New York’s Prospect Theatre Company. The play merges two stories: Letitia Hardy’s scheme to win the heart of her betrothed, Doricourt, and the introduction of Lady Frances Touchwood to London society to the dismay of her jealous husband, Sir George. Opening in June on the Elizabethan Stage will be Shakespeare’s "Twelfth Night," directed by Peter Amster, and his "Love’s Labor’s Lost," directed by OSF actor and director Kenneth Albers. OSF Associate Artist James Edmondson will direct Christopher Marlowe’s "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus," which was last produced at OSF in 1979. For more information about the 11-play season and ticket availability, visit www.osfashland.org . For tickets, call 482-4331. Reach reporter Bill Varble at 776-4478 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times