Round the clock in Ashland

Although it’s pretty mellow in beautiful Ashland, the home to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, this small mountain town has been the site for an energized ATCA conference.

With the OSF’s provocatively contemporary productions of not only Shakespeare, but also Moliere and Gilbert & Sullivan, ATCA members are having great fun rolling up their critics’ sleeves and having at it during post-show round-table discussions. This new conference offering takes us frequently into the wee hours. Despite the consequential lack of sleep, I for one hope these round table discussions will become a regular feature.

Two shows I have particularly enjoyed were “Julius Caesar” with a female Caesar … and “August: Osage County,” which had to be moved into a tent when the original venue suffered a massive crack in a support beam. Along with other colleagues, I’m most impressed with how the designers, cast, and crew worked the sudden move with such elan.

Looking forward to Chicago in 2012! But after these warm days and cool nights — not to mention Oregon wines, beers, and wild salmon — we’re a little spoiled. — Pam Harbaugh