Dear Parents,
Here is a synopsis of the plays we’re seeing in Ashland this year! You'll also find an itinerary, emergency numbers, where we're staying and a packing list below. We're leaving on Monday, October 5th and returning on Friday, October 9th. Cost to students is $75.00 for a week of camping and the finest theater on the west coast. Middle school students will be seeing The Music Man and Much Ado About Nothing. High school students have the opportunity to see four of the five plays listed below. They will have a choice of seeing Equivocation or Music Man. Older kids have first choice. I have read or seen these plays (except the last minute addition - Equivocation) and have them available if you would like to read them before we go. Please feel free to call me with any questions or concerns about the plays. As always, I fully support parents in deciding what’s appropriate for their children.
We’ll need six parent drivers for this trip. If you can take five passengers and the time, the tickets are paid for. You’d just need $75.00 for food and lodging. First come, first serve!
THE MUSIC MAN by Meredith Willson
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.
Running time: 2 hours 34 minutes
Age recommendation: A delightful story of moving past "just dreaming" to actively reaching for those dreams, it is suitable for ages 6 and up.
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING by William Shakespeare
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.
Age recommendation: This sophisticated and delightful comedy is suitable for ages 6 and up, although the complex verbal banter may be best enjoyed by ages 10 and up. Younger viewers will enjoy the low comedy of Messina’s well-intentioned lawmen.
PARADISE LOST by Clifford Odets
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.
Age recommendation: The play deals with the harsh economic realities of the Great Depression, and its effects on the family. It will be best enjoyed with some preparation on the Great Depression and America in the 1930s.
MACBETH by William Shakespeare
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)
Running time: 2 hours 9 minutes
Age recommendation: One of Shakespeare’s fiercest tragedies, Macbeth plays out its horrors onstage—there are scenes of witchcraft, the slaughter of a mother and her children, and a decapitated head. There is violence, sensuality and disturbing imagery in the production.
EQUIVOCATION by Bill Cain
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)
Notes to the Audience: strobes, smoke and gunshots are used in this production.
Running time: 2 hours 50 minutes, with one intermission
Ashland Trip Itinerary 2009
Monday, October 5th:
9:00 a.m. Leave school and drive up 101 to Crescent City, then take 199 to Grants Pass and Ashland. We’ll caravan as much as possible. You have a list of phone numbers and a map to Jackson WellSprings in case we get separated. Check it out on-line at www.jacksonwellsprings.com/camping/ We should arrive around 2:00 p.m and set up camp.
4:00 Swimming in the hot springs pool!
6:00 dinner
7:00 Discussion/Journal Assignment
9:00 Bed
Tuesday, October 6th:
8:00 Breakfast/packing snacks
8:30 Teepee inspection
9:00 Activity TBA
12:00 Lunch at the Pizza Parlor.
1:00 HS leaves for the theater to see Paradise Lost at 1:30 p.m. MS shops and goes to the park for Quest.
4:30 Journal assignment back at camp, then swimming.
6:00 Dinner.
7:00 HS leaves for the theater to see MacBeth at 8:00 pm. MS stays in camp.
11:00 p.m. Post-play discussion and ice-cream. Then, all to bed!
Wednesday, October 7th:
8:00 Breakfast/Packing lunch
8:30 Teepee Inspection.
9:00 ScienceWorks Museum www.scienceworksmuseum.org
12:00 Sack lunch at Lithia Park
1:00 Leave for the theater to see The Music Man at 1:30
4:30 Swimming
6:00 Dinner
7:00 Journal assignment and post-play discussion. Some HS students leave to see Equivocation at 8:00.
9:00 Bed.
11:00 HS Post play discussion and ice cream.
Thursday, October 8th
8:00 Breakfast/Packing snacks
8:30 Teepee inspection
9:00 Leave for Workshop at 9:30
11:30 Lunch at the pizza parlor.
1:00 Afternoon in the park and shopping
7:30 Leave for the theater to see Much Ado About Nothing at 8:00
11:00 Post play discussion and ice cream.
Friday, October 9th
9:00 Breakfast/packing lunch and snacks. Packing up camp
10:00 Leave for home!
3:00 Approximate time of arrival at Laurel Tree. We’ll call parents as we get close so they know when to pick up.
Emergency Numbers:
Brenda’s cell phone (707) 498-1770
Dan’s Cell Phone (707) 499-9178
Maya’s Cell Phone (707) 845-8670
Jabari’s Cell Phone (707) 616-5558
Packing List
(Packing light is essential when carpooling. One bag.)
Lunch for Monday
Waterbottle
Daypack for carrying lunches, water, etc.
Sleeping bag and pillow
SWIMSUIT and TOWEL
Four school outfits
Underwear and socks
One warm sweater/jacket for evenings
One nice outfit for evening theater
Toothpaste/toothbrush
Hairbrush
Soap/shampoo
A book to read
One spiral notebook and pencils
Sunscreen
Frisbees, things to do around camp
Any medication the student is currently taking w/instructions in a Ziploc
*Gameboys are allowed for the car ride, but they may not leave the car.
*Students may bring spending money but I ask that they not bring more than $40.00.
Where we're staying:
www.jacksonwellsprings.com
Directions from Laurel Tree:
1.Head north on Valley W Blvd toward Giuntoli Ln 0.4 mi
2.Take the 1st left onto Giuntoli Ln
Take the 1st left onto Giuntoli Ln 0.1 mi
3.Take the ramp onto US-101 N
Take the ramp onto US-101 N 77.5 mi
4.Take exit 794 to merge onto US-199 toward Grants Pass/I-5
Take exit 794 to merge onto US-199 toward Grants Pass/I-5 Entering Oregon
79.4 mi
5.Merge onto I-5 S via the ramp to Medford
Merge onto I-5 S via the ramp to Medford 36.6 mi
6.Take exit 19 toward Ashland
Take exit 19 toward Ashland 0.2 mi
7.Turn right at S Valley View Rd
Turn right at S Valley View Rd 0.4 mi
8.Take the 2nd right onto Hwy-99 N/OR-99/Pacific Hwy 99N/Rogue Valley Hwy
Take the 2nd right onto Hwy-99 N/OR-99/Pacific Hwy 99N/Rogue Valley Hwy 0.2 mi
9.Take the 1st left onto Jackson Hot Spring
Take the 1st left onto Jackson Hot Spring 325 ft
10.Take the 2nd left to stay on Jackson Hot Spring
Take the 2nd left to stay on Jackson Hot Spring Destination will be on the right
105 ft
Jackson WellSprings
