Oregon Shakespeare Festival
A 10-Minute Walk to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Half a mile from your room to the Bowmer, the Thomas, and the open-air Allen Elizabethan Theatre. Park once and leave the car until you check out. The Tony Award-winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival is among the oldest and largest professional non-profit theatres in the nation. Forty-plus years of festival guests have made the Stratford Inn their home base in Ashland. Rooms fill early during the season — check dates now.
Image: Finetooth. Lithia Park bridge (Ashland, Oregon). 12 May 2012. Wikimedia Commons.
What the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Is
One of America’s Oldest and Largest Repertory Theatres
Founded in 1935 by Angus Bowmer, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival has been the reason many people first come to Ashland, and the reason they keep coming back. It is a rotating repertory company, which means several productions run in alternation across the same weeks rather than one at a time. A single weekend can hold three or four completely different shows.
The season runs roughly from mid-March through late October each year across three venues:
- Angus Bowmer Theatre — the indoor mainstage, where the season opens each March
- Thomas Theatre — an intimate flexible space for new work and solo productions
- Allen Elizabethan Theatre — the open-air stage under the stars, which runs only in summer, typically previewing in early June and playing into October
And it is not only Shakespeare. A typical season mixes Shakespeare with American classics, contemporary drama, world premieres, and a musical.
Image: Ashworth, Robert. Shakespeare Theater, Ashland, OR. 13 Oct. 2013. Wikimedia Commons.
Planning Around the Repertory Calendar
Because shows rotate, which plays you can see depends on when you come, not just how long you stay. Two nights in July might get you an outdoor Shakespeare, an indoor drama, and a musical. The same two nights in April will get you a different set entirely. Check the current calendar before you lock in dates.
Image: Halvorson, Gary (Oregon State Archives). Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland. 14 Sept. 2010. Wikimedia Commons.
When the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Season Runs
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival season opens in mid-March and runs through late October. Indoor productions at the Angus Bowmer and Thomas theatres run the full season. The open-air Allen Elizabethan Theatre is a summer stage — it typically opens in June and plays into October, so an evening under the stars means planning for the back half of the season.
Because OSF runs in rotating repertory, the lineup shifts week to week. Which plays you can see depends on when you visit, not just how long you stay. A single weekend often holds three or four different productions.
OSF announces each new season the previous spring, with tickets going on sale to the public in early December and earlier access for members. The current calendar, show titles, and performance times live on their site: https://www.osfashland.org/
Image: Richard, Amy. Allen Stage of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. 3 April 2014. Wikimedia Commons.
Where To Stay For The Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Built in 1981 by People Who Loved This Festival, The Stratford Inn is named for Stratford-upon-Avon, and that is not decoration. The Inn was built in 1981 by a group of friends who loved Ashland and loved the festival, and for forty-plus years it has been where returning theatergoers stay. There is a Shakespearean library on site with actual copies of the classic plays, for reading the text before or after you see it staged.
Why Stay At The Stratford Inn
What Matters on a Theatre Weekend:
- Park once. Free on-site parking, and you will not need the car again until checkout. Downtown Ashland parking during festival season is the single most common complaint from visitors who stay out by the highway.
- The walk back. Evening performances let out late. It is a flat, lit, straight walk down Siskiyou Boulevard, not a drive.
- A pool and hot tub for after the show. Indoor, heated, and open late.
- Complimentary breakfast before a matinee.
- Kitchenettes in several room types, for the guests who come for a week and see six shows.
- Safeway directly across the street for intermission snacks and anything you forgot.
Ashland Beyond the Theatre
Most guests are here for two or three days and see two or three shows. That leaves the mornings and the gaps between matinee and evening curtain.
- Lithia Park — the festival campus sits right at the park’s edge, so this is a five-minute detour, not a separate trip
- Downtown restaurants and the Plaza — two blocks the other direction
- Schneider Museum of Art at Southern Oregon University
- Wine tasting in the Rogue and Applegate valleys
- Emigrant Lake and the Grizzly Peak Trail for a morning before an afternoon show
Frequently Asked Questions About the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
How far is the Stratford Inn from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival? About half a mile — roughly a ten-minute walk down Siskiyou Boulevard to the festival campus at 15 S. Pioneer Street. Most of our guests walk to every performance and never move the car.
When does the Oregon Shakespeare Festival run? The season opens in mid-March and runs through late October each year. Exact opening and closing dates shift slightly from season to season — OSF publishes the current calendar on their site.
When can I see a play in the outdoor Elizabethan Theatre? The open-air Allen Elizabethan Theatre operates only in summer, typically opening in June and running into October. The indoor Angus Bowmer and Thomas theatres run the full season.
When should I book my room? Earlier than you think for opening weekends in March, summer Saturdays, and the final weeks of October. Ashland is a small town with limited lodging, and the theatre sells more seats than the town has beds.
Do I need a car? If you’re staying at the Stratford Inn, not once you arrive. Free parking is included, and the theatres, restaurants, Lithia Park, and downtown shops are all walkable from the Inn. Medford’s Rogue Valley International Airport is about 25 minutes away.
Is the Stratford Inn pet-friendly? Yes. The Stratford Inn is a pet-friendly hotel that gladly welcomes guests traveling with animal companions. Cats and dogs are always welcome. All other types of pets need clearance from the Stratford Inn prior to arrival. A non-refundable pet fee per pet of $35 is charged upon arrival for each night of your stay, per pet 50 lbs. (22.6 kg) or less. The Stratford Inn does not accept pets over this weight limit. This fee will not apply to ADA-regulated guide dogs or service dogs.
The Stratford Inn Gallery
