Shakespeare Serves As the Appetizer
in Delicious Ashland

by Sheila Sobell

For my 22nd birthday, my father gave me Julia Child's "Joy of Cooking," and I embarked on a culinary journey to create the perfect roast chicken. Juggling my new baby in one arm and a roasting pan in the other, I chopped the bouquet de garni, wrapped the herbs in cheesecloth, stirred in the brandy, and with the final flourish - voila — dribbled in the cream and presented my perfect poulet roti at midnight!

Yesterday's poulet roti is today's love potion No. 9, according to the readers of a 2007 Glamour magazine article on cooking. Based on reader's experiences, an aromatically roasted chicken can be the no-fail segue to a marriage proposal!

Although Kyle Schless, a 17-year old high school student is years from popping the question, he admits that "showing off for girls" was his key motivation for enrolling in cooking classes at Allyson's Kitchen in Ashland, Ore.

Mastering Culinary Magic

Drawn to Ashland by the city's Shakespeare festivals, thousands of tourists have also used the opportunity to polish their culinary skills. Since Allyson's Kitchen opened eight years ago, more than 2,500 wannabe cooks have studied everything from exotic cuisines to kitchen techniques. "Although I own over 400 cookbooks, I still needed to learn how to cook the 'correct' way to feel more confident entertaining," admits one 60 year-old student. Others just want to tweak "boring" everyday recipes into more cutting-edge appetizers.

Two years ago, the Ashland Food Co-Op gave kids their chance to master cooking magic with a four-morning culinary camp aimed at those age 8 to 10 and 11 to 13. Here they trump everything from pizza — made from scratch, of course! — to creative toppings, salad, even cinnamon rolls!

Other co-op classes are aimed at parents. "We try to dispel the myth that healthy food tastes like cardboard," says Annie Hoy, outreach services manager. "In our comfort foods class, we transform childhood favorites like mashed potatoes into something nutritious. By replacing potatoes with cauliflower, parsnips, celeriac and parmesan cheese, we get the same great flavor but a lot fewer carbs! Our recipes don't have lots of fancy ingredients, just healthy ones that blend flavor, convenience, and good nutrition while supporting local farms."

After You Put Away the Skillet

An afternoon cooking and wine pairing is likely to whet your appetite for some delicious theatre. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, one of America's oldest and largest professional regional repertory theatre companies, showcases plays eight months a year.

Whether you choose a strikingly modern adaptation of The Tempest or a contemporary drama such as Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner exploring issues like food, obesity and relationships, OSF's behind the scenes tour is definitely the thing! For just $10, you can accompany a cast member backstage, hear anecdotes about the acting life and the challenges of mounting productions in an outdoor theatre.

When a cast member or musician is onstage, it's easy to get carried away by the magic. In one production, a lute player forgot his blocking. When war broke out in the next scene and the stage suddenly filled with soldiers, the musician was trapped onstage and attempted escape by crawling out of a door.

In another play, ladies in waiting were given the opportunity to change characters and costumes, shedding gowns and headpieces to emerge as soldiers and swordsman. Thrilled to finally be using the dueling skills learned in drama school, they strayed a bit out of character — entering stage right grinning triumphantly! In Cyrano, an actress had a quick costume change from soldier to nun. Though she managed to trade a doublet for a habit, she forgot to wipe the blood of battle off her face! To avoid similar mishaps, the bemused stage manager installed a mirror just behind the curtain, requiring a final make-up check for everyone before going on stage!

"On some 90 degree summer nights, actors pack themselves with ice to stay cool," says Amy E. Richard, media relations manager. "If the stage gets slick on rainy nights, the fights, dances and other potentially unsafe choreography needs to run at half-speed, and extreme caution must be taken in moving around onstage and in exiting. If it's raining hard, actors might even have to play in street clothes to protect the costumes. Then there are those pesky bugs flying around in the lights that can alight at inopportune times but must be ignored!"

What’s In A Name?

Don't let the name — the Oregon Shakespeare Festival — mislead you. "It makes some people think we're just a two-week summer season of Shakespeare - only fare," says Richard. "Actually we stage twice as many contemporary and classical plays as Shakespearian; of the 11 productions in the 2008 schedule, only four are the bard's."

OSF is first and foremost a destination theatre; on average, patrons usually see three productions so a diverse play list is essential. "We try to dole out the Shakespeare that works for repertory theatre and our budget," says Richard. "For example, we produce Comedy of Errors every five years, and balance it with less well-known plays like Titus of Athens, for which we may sell fewer seats."

With the debut of American Revolutions: The United States History Cycle in 2010, OSF will reinvent itself, commissioning and producing 37 new plays sprung from a moment of change, inspiration or conflict in United States history, bringing together more than 100 artists, historians and institutions. The first by playwright Jonathan Moscone will focus on the murder of San Francisco mayor George Moscone and its effect on his playwright son.

"We are at a time of great change as a country, and have many choices to make about the future," says Richard. "OSF hopes these plays will ask questions and inspire conversations that will help light the way to our best decisions."

If You Go

Where To Stay: The Ashland Springs Hotel; 212 E. Main Street, Ashland, OR 97520; 888-795-4545; www.ashlandspringshotel.com.

Where to Dine: Lela's Cafe, 258 A St., No. 3, Ashland, OR 97520; 541-482-1702; www.lelascafe.com.

Where To Cook: Book classes for Allyson's Kitchen, 115 E. Main St., Ashland 97520; 541-482-2884; www.allysonskitchen.com.  Ashland Food Co-op cooking classes; 237 N. First St., Ashland 97520; 541-482-2237; www.ashlandfod.coop.

Oregon Shakespeare Festival 15 S. Pioneer Street, Ashland 97520; at 800-219-8161; www.osfashland.org.  The 2009 festival kicks off Feb. 13."

For more information about Ashland: 541-482-3486; www.ashlandchamber.com.

All photographs by Richard N. Every.

Sheila Sobell & Richard N. Every are professional worldwide travel photojournalists. See more of their work at www.writersobell.com.