Oregon Shakespeare Festival Celebrates Shakespeare’s First Folio with a Gala Performance at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts
“Sweetly Writ: The Oregon Shakespeare Festival Celebrates Shakespeare's First Folio” is Saturday, January 9 at 7 p.m.
EUGENE, Ore. -- (December 11, 2015) – Actors from the renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) perform excerpts from “King Lear” in “Sweetly Writ” at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, January 9, 2016 at 7 p.m. The performance and gala are free, but tickets are required. For tickets, visit the Hult Center Ticket Office in person, call 541-682-5000, or visit HultCenter.org.
“Sweetly Writ” is an original work comprised of Shakespeare’s own changing versions of “King Lear” which will demonstrate how Shakespeare conceived different takes on the same characters and situations in multiple versions of the same play. This one-time performance will highlight the intriguing variations between Shakespeare’s two published versions of the play, one printed during Shakespeare's lifetime and the other, in the "First Folio," published seven years after the playwright's death.
Actor and dramaturg Barry Kraft, who has been with OSF for 27 seasons, will portray Lear. OSF actors Robin Goodrin Nordli, Regan Linton and Leah Anderson will play his daughters while Kyle Haden is playing Kent. The performance will be directed by OSF actor Terri McMahon supported by dramaturg Lue Douthit and stage manager Heath Belden.
After the performance, the cast will discuss with the audience Shakespeare’s changes and how actors and directors choose among Shakespeare’s different texts.
The evening will continue with a reception featuring Renaissance music performed by Phil and Gayle Neuman. Adding to the atmosphere, University of Oregon theatre students will mingle among the crowd wearing Alexandra Bonds’s award-winning Shakespeare costumes, and delicious Renaissance savory and sweet treats will be served.
The event is sponsored by the City of Eugene, Hult Center for the Performing Arts, Oregon Shakespeare Festival and University of Oregon Department of Theatre Arts. For tickets, visit the Hult Center Ticket Office in person, call 541-682-5000, or visit HultCenter.org. Online ticket sales are subject to service fees. No service fees are charged for tickets purchased at the Ticket Office window. Ticket Office hours: Tuesday-Friday 12pm-5pm; Saturday 11am-3pm.
“Sweetly Writ” is performed in conjunction with the traveling exhibition “First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare, on tour from the Folger Shakespeare Library,” on view in an exclusive Oregon appearance at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, from January 6 to February 7, 2016. Published seven years after his death, the book called “Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies” —now known as the “First Folio”—is the only source of 18 of Shakespeare’s 38 plays, including “The Tempest,” “Macbeth,” ”Twelfth Night,” and “As You Like It.”
“First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare, on tour from the Folger Shakespeare Library,” is a national traveling exhibition organized by the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, to commemorate the 400th anniversary in 2016 of Shakespeare’s death. It is produced in association with the American Library Association and the Cincinnati Museum Center. “First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare, on tour from the Folger Shakespeare Library,” has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor, and by the support of Google.org, Vinton and Sigrid Cerf, and other generous donors.
Contacts:
Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Julie Cortez, 541-482-2111 ext. 480, juliec@osfashland.org
Hult Center for the Performing Arts: Sarah-Kate Sharkey, 541-682-6342, Sarah-kate.Sharkey@ci.eugene.or.us
JSMA: Debbie Williamson Smith, 541-346-0942, debbiews@uoregon.edu
University of Oregon: Lara Bovilsky, 541-346-1309, bovilsky@uoregon.edu
Links: Oregon Shakespeare Festival, www.osfashland.org
Hult Center for the Performing Arts, www.hultcenter.org
Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, http://jsma.uoregon.edu
About the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Founded by Angus Bowmer in 1935 and winner of a 1983 Tony Award for outstanding achievement in regional theatre, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival presents an eight-month season of 11 plays that include works by Shakespeare as well as a mix of classics, musicals, and new works. The Festival also draws attendance of more than 400,000 to almost 800 performances every year and employs approximately 575 theatre professionals. In 2008, OSF launched American Revolutions: the United States History Cycle, a 10-year cycle of commissioning new plays that has already resulted in several OSF commissions finding success nationwide.
About the Hult Center for the Performing Arts
Built by the people of Eugene, the Hult Center has quite an impressive history. Since its grand opening in 1982, the Hult Center has been charming audiences and popular performers alike with its stunning architectural and acoustical features. From the towering glass Lobby, the grand Silva Concert Hall, and the intimate Soreng Theater, the Hult Center is truly a great arts facility. The Hult Center is operated by the City of Eugene's Cultural Services Division, as part of the City's Library, Recreation and Cultural Services Department. Located in downtown Eugene at the intersection of 7th & Willamette, the Hult Center ticket office is open Tuesday-Friday 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. and Saturdays 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
About the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art
The University of Oregon's Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is a premier Pacific Northwest museum for exhibitions and collections of historic and contemporary art based in a major university setting. The mission of the museum is to enhance the University of Oregon’s academic mission and to further the appreciation and enjoyment of the visual arts for the general public. The JSMA features significant collections galleries devoted to art from China, Japan, Korea, the Americas and Europe as well as changing special exhibition galleries. The JSMA is one of six museums in Oregon accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is located on the University of Oregon campus at 1430 Johnson Lane. Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays. Admission is free from January 6 to February 7, 2016. For information, contact the JSMA, 541-346-3027.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is among the 108 institutions chosen from 4,633 U.S. universities for top-tier designation of "Very High Research Activity" in the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO also is one of two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities.
About Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library is the world’s largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. The Folger welcomes millions of visitors online and in person. We provide unparalleled access to a huge array of resources, from original sources to modern interpretations. With the Folger, you can experience the power of performance, the wonder of exhibitions, and the excitement of pathbreaking research. We offer the opportunity to see and even work with early modern sources, driving discovery and transforming education for students of all ages. Join us online, on the road, or in Washington, DC. Learn more at www.folger.edu
About Cincinnati Museum Center
Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) at Union Terminal is a nationally recognized institution and national historic landmark. Dedicated to sparking community dialogue, insight and inspiration, CMC was awarded the 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and received accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums in 2012. CMC is one of only 16 museums in the nation with both of these honors, making it a unique asset and a vital community resource. Union Terminal has been voted the nation's 45th most important building by the American Institute of Architects. Organizations within CMC include the Cincinnati History Museum, Duke Energy Children's Museum, Museum of Natural History & Science, Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theater and Cincinnati History Library & Archives. Recognized by Forbes Traveler Magazine as the 17th most visited museum in the country, CMC welcomes more than one million visitors annually. For more information, visit www.cincymuseum.org
About the American Library Association
The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with approximately 58,000 members in academic, public, school, government and special libraries. The mission of the American Library Association is to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.
ALA’s Public Programs Office provides leadership, resources, training and networking opportunities that help thousands of librarians nationwide develop and host cultural programs for adult, young adult and family audiences. The mission of the ALA Public Programs Office is to promote cultural programming as an essential part of library service in all types of libraries. Projects include book and film discussion series, literary and cultural programs featuring authors and artists, professional development opportunities and traveling exhibitions. School, public, academic and special libraries nationwide benefit from the office’s programming initiatives. Additional information can be found at www.ala.org/programming
About the National Endowment for the Humanities
Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at www.neh.gov
