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OSF Green Shows 2010

It's a hefty offering of free music, dancing and fun on the outdoor courtyard stage
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Blues musician Paul Oscher plays on the OSF Green Show deck. Photo: Jenny Graham.
By Laurie Heuston
Ashland Daily Tidings
 Posted: 1:00 PM May 27, 2010

The 57th annual season of Green Shows at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival promises a new lineup of diverse and eclectic performances at OSF's outdoor courtyard stage.

The Green Shows start Tuesday, June 1. Showtimes are 7:15 p.m. through Aug. 8 and 6:45 p.m. Aug. 10 through Oct. 10 every night of the week but Monday. The shows last about 35 minutes and admission is free.

"The Green Shows started back when the festival offered just the Elizabethan Theatre," says Claudia Alick, curator and producer of Green Shows. "Resident musicians, dancers and other members of the OSF company would gather and present early music, or Renaissance music, and morris dancing (English folk dancing) just before the evening plays. These performers would literally "dance" playgoers into the theater. It gave the patrons a connection to the play."

June 1 — Circus Tribal Bellydancing Co. and Coyote Rising Giant Puppet Troupe

June 2 — The Terra Nova Consort, directed by Sue Carney, perform guitar and violin serenades of Mexican California

  • June 3 — Folk duo Kites & Crows
  • June 4 — The Terra Nova Consort
  • June 5 — Ballet Fantastique, a companion program for "Pride and Prejudice"
  • June 6 — The Terra Nova Consort
  • June 8 — Bohemian Soul with Inger Jorgensen and Jeff Pevar
  • June 9 — Gabe Young & Friends
  • June 10 — Funk band The Rogue Suspects
  • June 11 — "75 Singers!" The Siskiyou Singers honor OSF's 75th anniversary
  • June 12 — "75 Years of Song!" Roberta Burke and company members present song and dance numbers from the last 75 years at OSF
  • June 13 — "75 Strings!" The Siskiyou Violins honor OSF's 75th with classical music
  • June 15 — The Young Family Trio
  • June 16 — Beltaine performs folk, Renaissance and original music
  • June 17 — Beltaine with The Pipe and Bowl Morris Men present Renaissance music and high-energy English folk dancing
  • June 18 — The Oregon Children's Choir and Young Women's Choir
  • June 19 — Beltaine with The Pipe and Bowl Morris Men
  • June 20 — The Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra
  • June 22 — The Bard Brawlers, OSF company members demonstrate stage combat
  • June 23 — Impro Theatre presents "Jane Austen UnScripted"
  • June 24 — Celtic folk rock band Tempest
  • June 25 — Impro Theatre presents "Tennessee Williams UnScripted"
  • June 26 — Impro Theatre, "Jane Austen UnScripted"
  • June 27 — Impro Theatre presents "Shakespeare UnScripted"
  • June 29 — Bluegrass, folk and cowboy band Hamfist
  • June 30 — Musical circus act EarthCapades
  • July 1 — G. Val & Friends present retrospective of an OSF actor's musical inspiration
  • July 2 — EarthCapades
  • July 3 — Momo Smitt presents a mix of Argentine tango and hip hop
  • July 4 — The Young Family Trio with The Ashland Klezmer All-Stars
  • July 6 — Kites & Crows
  • July 7 — Songsters Sarah Jane Nelson with Jason Paige
  • July 8 — Bard Brawlers
  • July 9 — Jen & Nate present acrobatic dances featuring disabled and non-disabled performers
  • July 10 — Eugene Taiko
  • July 11 — Jen & Nate
  • July 13 — San Antonio Mariachi Extravaganza
  • July 14 — Cellist Daniel Sperry
  • July 15 — San Antonio Mariachi
  • July 16 — Kites & Crows
  • July 17 — San Antonio Mariachi
  • July 18 — San Antonio Mariachi
  • July 20 — Blues and funk originals by Chic Street Man
  • July 21 — Fire dancers Liquid Fire Mantra
  • July 22 — Sarah Jane Nelson and blues guitarist Hawkeye Herman
  • July 23 — Mime artists Max-I-Mime
  • July 24 — Monmouth Taiko
  • July 25 — Max-I-Mime
  • July 27 — Dance Kaleidoscope, former residents of OSF company, present "Food of Love"
  • July 28 — Dance Kaleidoscope dances to the music of Jacques Brel
  • July 29 — Mala Chispa & Verdegaio present Galician music
  • July 30 — Dance Kaleidoscope, Jacques Brel
  • July 31 — Dance Kaleidoscope, "Food of Love"
  • Aug. 1 — Dance Kaleidoscope, Jacques Brel
  • Aug. 3 — G. Val & Friends
  • Aug. 4 — Cellist Daniel Sperry
  • Aug. 5 — Adebisi Adeleke on African talking drum
  • Aug. 6 — Jazz and blues vocalist Greta Oglesby
  • Aug. 7 — Adebisi Adeleke
  • Aug. 8 — Universes presents poetry, theatre, music and dance
  • Aug. 10 — The Britt Institute String Quartet Academy
  • Aug. 11 — The Terra Nova Consort
  • Aug. 12 — Ashland Taiko
  • Aug. 13 — The Terra Nova Consort
  • Aug. 14 — Sarah Jane Nelson
  • Aug. 15 — Rogue Fam Jam
  • Aug. 17 — Shakespeare Evolution IV presents hip hop to Shakespeare's songs and sonnets
  • Aug. 18 — Lute players Asteria
  • Aug. 19-21 — Shakespeare Evolution IV
  • Aug. 22 — Ashland Taiko
  • Aug. 24 — René y Beau present Mexican ranchera, bolero and rock
  • Aug. 25 — The Rogue Suspects
  • Aug. 26 — René y Beau
  • Aug. 27 — Nathan Stein & Hillel present magic and fun
  • Aug. 28 — Taiko quartet On Ensemble
  • Aug. 29 — Nathan Stein & Hillel
  • Aug. 31 — Kalmiopsis Players present international folk music
  • Sept. 1 — Hamfist
  • Sept. 2 — Shokoto Music and Dance Project present West African music and dance
  • Sept. 3 — Greta Oglesby
  • Sept. 4 — Shokoto Music and Dance Project
  • Sept. 5 — Ashland Guitar Quartet
  • Sept. 7 — Jazz guitar and vocal duo Ed Dunsavage with Christine Williams
  • Sept. 8 — One Night Band, an ensemble of OSF company members
  • Sept. 9 — Bard Brawlers
  • Sept. 10 — Duo Flamenco with Monica Moralés
  • Sept. 11 —Monmouth Taiko
  • Sept. 12 — Ballet Folklórico Sol Azteca present traditional dances from Mexico
  • Sept. 14-15 — Full Circle, a mix of dances created by OSF's "Hamlet" choreographer
  • Sept. 16 — Chic Street Man
  • Sept. 17-18 — Full Circle
  • Sept. 19 — One Night Band
  • Sept. 21 — Tames Alan lectures on Shakespeare's era
  • Sept. 22 — Kalmiopsis Players
  • Sept. 23 — Tames Alan
  • Sept. 24 — Duo Flamenco with Monica Moralés
  • Sept. 25 — KidzKlez, a young approach to Old World music
  • Sept. 26— Tames Alan
  • Sept. 28 — Southern Oregon University Percussion Ensemble
  • Sept. 29 — Hamfist
  • Sept. 30 — Japanese koto music by Mitsuki Dazai
  • 1 p.m., Oct. 1 — Dancing Spirit Dancing Drum
  • Oct. 1 — Okaidja Afroso presents African Diaspora
  • 1 p.m., Oct. 2 — Ballet Folklórico Ritmo Alegré presents traditional Mexican folk dances
  • Oct. 2 — Bar Misfits present klezmer music
  • 1 p.m., Oct. 3 — Mitsuki Dazai presents Japanese koto music
  • Oct. 3 — René Millán and Grant Ruiz present Latino music
  • Oct. 5 — Ashland Guitar Quartet
  • Oct. 6 — Liquid Fire Mantra
  • Oct. 7 — KidzKlez
  • Oct. 8 — Pyrate Technics presents dance and fire art
  • Oct. 9 — Liquid Fire Mantra
  • Oct. 10 — Pyrate Technics

Ashland resident and former OSF company member Judy Kennedy choreographed dances of the court and country of Shakespeare's day from 1970 to 1997. One group in particular, Terra Nova Consort, emerged from the OSF company performers in 1988, when Sue Carney and Pat O'Scannell began to explore ethnic influences on the performance of early music.

"As the years passed, the shows evolved to include modern dance," Alick says. "During Libby Appel's tenure as artistic director, Dance Kaleidoscope was brought in to work with the Terra Nova Consort to create Green Shows to match the Elizabethan shows."

This year, the Green Shows offer a connection to the plays on the Elizabethan and other stages at the festival, along with a connection to the communities that OSF is such a deep part of, Alick says.

There will be more than 50 acts, and the mix will range from Kidz Klez — a young approach to Old World music — to contemporary Japanese koto music. Local favorites will include Hamfist, Terra Nova Consort, the Rogue Suspects, Duo Flamenco, Ed Dunsavage and Christine Williams, Sarah Jane Nelson, Greta Ogelsby and many more.

To celebrate the festival's 75th year, 75 singers from the Siskiyou Singers will perform; Roberta Burke and other OSF company members will present song and dance numbers from the last 75 years at the festival; and 75 players from the Siskiyou Violins will perform. See the schedule on this page for showtimes and dates.


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