John and Bev Levy will be leading a trip to Ashland, Oregon for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. We plan to fly out on Friday in time to check into the hotel, have dinner, and see a play that evening. Each person or couple should plan on ordering their own tickets for the plays they want to see that weekend. As soon as we know who is going, we'll block hotel rooms, and we will send out airport information prior to the trip. Below is the list and schedule of available plays.

For those who have never been to Ashland, it's a beautiful small town with a Tony Award winning, world-class theater company which produces Shakespeare as well as plays by other authors. Sometimes the Shakespeare is traditional, other times it's not, but it's always well done.

Please contact John or Bev Levy no later than May 15^th. Tickets and hotel rooms don't last!

925-937-3444 (OK to leave message)

Bev@LevyCPA.com

Be sure to check www.osfashland.org . Hints of what's available this year:

The stuff of nightmares. Black magic. Murder. Ghosts. Madness. Death. Shakespeare's brooding tragedy digs into the dark territory of a man's shocking choices. Emboldened by the enigmatic visions of three witches, Macbeth and his lady slaughter their way to the Scottish throne, but attaining it brings no glory. Fresh horrors unfold as the prophecies of greatness turn out to mean-well, something else. Internationally renowned classical director Gale Edwards marks her OSF debut with a visceral production in which savage ambition eclipses civility. (Violent scenes)

River City's got Trouble . . . with a capital T that rhymes with C that stands for Change. With some creative surprises, Bill Rauch reveals and celebrates the transformative power of art in this joyous American musical classic, brought to you OSF style. River City's folks have a chip-on-the-shoulder attitude until Harold Hill steps off the train with a glittering scam: to teach music to the town's children-and bilk their parents. Surprising himself and everyone else, Hill colors the town with openhearted possibility, and love makes River City the end of the line for him.

Truth-telling in dangerous times. What if the government commissioned you to write the definitive history (make that a self-serving lie) of a national crisis? What story would you tell? Welcome to London, 1605, and the world of King James, the Gunpowder Plot, and the Tower dungeons, as William Shakespeare and his theatre company struggle to create a play to please the king and not lose their hearts, souls, or heads in the process. In a world premiere, Bill Rauch directs Bill Cain's high-stakes political thriller with ties to both Macbeth and Henry VIII. A must-see for Shakespeare lovers. (Strong language, violent scenes)

Meaty realism meets OSF's mighty acting ensemble. It's the Depression, and a once-flourishing America is a memory. In a city brownstone, scarcity and social upheaval spell change for an Olympic athlete, a pianist, business partners, politicos and gangsters. As financial hardship slowly extinguishes hope, Leo Gordon and his family and friends face choices that test the very core of their values. Libby Appel directs Clifford Odets' long-neglected tour de force, an ode to holding fast to idealism and morality in a climate of fear. Written 70 years ago, Odets' words stun us today with their immediacy.

Coraggio! Prepare yourself for all the irreverent exuberance a farce can serve up. Carlo Goldoni's inspired nutcase, the servant Truffaldino, madly fibs his way through a day of near disasters, as he attends to not one, but two masters-without either knowing! His reward? A hearty meal, some extra pocket change, and the satisfaction of outsmarting his "betters." Tracy Young brings her expertise in commedia dell'arte to OSF's world premiere adaptation. This 250-year-old romp, with original songs, is outrageous fun for all.

You can't always get what you want. But you just might get what you need. The path to bliss is uncertain when you try to make somebody love you. Helena wants Bertram, but Bertram isn't interested in her. Can Helena's determination and clever trickery lead to a happily-ever-after? Shakespeare's provocative comedy eventually "ends well," but not without a measure of hurt, lies, and mistakes to get there. In the intimacy of the New Theatre, Amanda Dehnert directs Shakespeare's coming-of-adulthood fairy tale of flawed and beautiful people finding their way.

The king takes all. The queen has not produced an heir, and the Tudor line is in jeopardy. Obsessed, Henry sets his eye on the fetching young Anne Bullen (Boleyn). Urged on by the Machiavellian Cardinal Wolsey, the king reshapes the world to suit his needs: divorcing the queen, eliminating rivals, flouting papal law, and forever changing the face of religion in England-and beyond. Back by popular demand in its first OSF staging since 1984, Shakespeare's final history play is directed by John Sipes (King John) as a lavish outdoor spectacle.

Noble knight or raving lunatic? Embracing both aching humanity and earthy humor, Octavio Solis's adaptation of Don Quixote is a colorful, action-packed re-imagining of the Spanish epic adventure. In his quest for the bygone days of chivalry, our aging hero jumbles reality and imagination as he forges a noble but messy trail across the plains of La Mancha. Cervantes' classic comedy is directed in a grand theatrical world premiere by Laird Williamson (On the Razzle, Cyrano de Bergerac).

Much ado about love. When WWII Italian resistance soldiers stop to rest at Leonato's villa, there's courtship of all kinds. While Beatrice and Benedick hide their infatuation beneath witty barbs, Hero and Claudio race to the altar. Enter the malcontent Don John, bent on ruining the wedding. He nearly succeeds, but not before Beatrice and Benedick finally tell each other how they really feel. Kate Buckley (The Taming of the Shrew) directs Shakespeare's sharp, smart comedy about men and women and what it takes to make love happen.

B-Angus Bowmer Theater - large, indoor theater.

N-New Theater - small, intimate, indoor theater.

E-Elizabethan Theater - Ashland's original outdoor theater. Evenings can be cool, bring a wrap.