Category Archives: Main Stage

When Life Imitates Art—or the Other Way Around

Posted on August 12, 2016 by Alicia Coombes

by Philippa Kelly, Resident Dramaturg In nineteenth century California, divorce was on the rise, available on the basis of any of six marital “conditions”: adultery, cruelty, abandonment, neglect, intemperance, or felony conviction. On the basis of information we can glean … Continue reading →

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The Quintessential Outsider: Thoughts on Othello

Posted on February 1, 2016 by wspaner

By Artistic Director Eric Ting Since taking over as Artistic Director of Cal Shakes, I’ve been traveling a lot. My wife and new baby are still in Brooklyn, so, racking up lots of miles. But this is strangely about a … Continue reading →

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Meet our Earl of Gloucester: Charles Shaw Robinson

Posted on October 8, 2015 by wspaner

During the run of King Lear (Sep. 16–Oct. 11) we will be posting interviews with the cast to help our audiences get to know the men and women behind some of Shakespeare’s most tragic characters. What was the first role they ever … Continue reading →

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Ask Philippa: Twelfth Night Edition

Posted on June 1, 2015 by kspencer

Twelfth Night is Shakespeare’s last and darkest comedy, written in 1601. Director Christopher Liam Moore calls Twelfth Night his favorite Shakespeare play, treasuring its capacity to soar to the heights of mirth and delve to the darker parts of humanity. … Continue reading →

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From Twelfth Night to Life Is a Dream: Fate Works in Mysterious Ways

Posted on May 21, 2015 by wspaner

The first two productions of our 2015 season—Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night about falling in love with mistaken identities and Life Is a Dream, Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s 1635 drama, translated and adapted by the Pulitzer Prize-winning Nico Cruz, which … Continue reading →

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Happy 451st Birthday Shakespeare!

Posted on April 23, 2015 by kspencer

By Philippa Kelly, Resident Dramaturg “With Shakespeare’s depth of humanity as our touchstone, we build character and community through authentic, inclusive and joyful theater experiences.” This is Cal Shakes’ mission, and today we celebrate the 451st birthday (399th death day) … Continue reading →

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Play On: Madness and Reality in Twelfth Night

Posted on April 23, 2015 by kspencer

By Cory Downing I’ve always seen Twelfth Night as perhaps Shakespeare’s most extreme experiment with human psychology. For a writer who is successful in large part due to an understanding of human psychology, Twelfth Night takes enormous risks in terms … Continue reading →

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Grove Speakers 2015

Posted on April 3, 2015 by kspencer

As the gateway to our theater, the Grove is a place we’re very proud of. This year we are mixing the familiar with the new—and yet the thing that everyone has in common is dramaturgy! Almost all of our speakers … Continue reading →

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Posted in 2015 Season, By Philippa Kelly (dramaturg), Main Stage | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

One Night Only! Robin Goodrin Nordli’s “Virgins to Villains”, July 20, 2015

Posted on April 3, 2015 by kspencer

Esteemed Oregon Shakespeare Festival actress RobinGoodrin Nordli, who has performed over 70 roles in 25 different Shakespeare plays, storms the stage of the Bruns Amphitheater for her one-woman show about her personal journey through the females of Shakespeare’s canon. “As … Continue reading →

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Twelfth Night: Love, Death, Contagion

Posted on March 13, 2015 by kspencer

In Shakespeare’s time, with its high mortality rates, most twins were split apart by death—as were the Bard’s own 11 year-old twins Judith and Hamnet in 1595, with Judith living on to be her father’s un-favorite child. Unlike Twelfth Night’s … Continue reading →

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