Begun in 1935 when a group of residents staged The Merchant of Venice as part of a Fourth of July celebration, the festival is now put on by one of the nation's oldest and largest professional regional theater companies. Over the years, the Shakespeare event has transformed Ashland, nestled in the Siskiyou Mountains, from a college town to a bustling arts center crammed with excellent bed and breakfasts, fine restaurants and fancy homes. Three theaters offer Shakespeare as well as classical and contemporary plays from late February through October. The Elizabethan Stage, modeled on the Fortune Theater in 17th-century London, is open to the sky. Troubadours and dancers perform in the courtyard before the plays to help transport you back to the days of the Renaissance.
Evenings can be chilly, and veterans bring heavy jackets and lap robes.
The 600-seat Angus Bowmer Theatre and the smaller Black Swan are indoors. Hamlet will be performed in the Angus Bowmer. Jean Anouilh's The Rehearsal and the odd but entertaining Tales of the Lost Formicans by Constance Congdon, in which creatures from another planet study earthly customs. Although peak-season performances sell out early, latecomers often can buy tickets from other patrons in the courtyard at regular, nonscalped prices. Getting from the Oregon coast to Ashland is part of the fun.