Shakespeare: Beyond Expectations! regon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) –“ Magical” – “Magnificent” – “Marvelous” –“Mind-bending” – “Mesmerizing!” “All I can say is, ‘I want more’.” These are a few of the adjectives spoken by RAPS members attending the OSF. Below are additional comments and descriptions of the many activities we experienced while attending the October 20-26 program. The six days in Ashland were very rich in all kinds of cultural offerings. We saw four stage plays and three play readings, all of them high quality. The Tempest was performed on a beautiful and unique stage set. The Comedy of Errors was placed in Harlem and Cocoanuts was a laugh a minute with the Marx brothers around 1925. The Great Society encapsulated the challenges of LBJ’s term as president. This was a powerful play with a glimpse of the past, warts and all. The Siskiyou Center provided an intriguing variety of speakers: actors we later saw in plays, a costume designer who made costumes from fabrics costing up to $500 a yard, a set carpenter whose work could not be an inch off because it could endanger the actors, and a fight director who told us about the performance one night that included an actor’s REAL blood. Many of the speakers were people of color, and at least half were women. We came away with a much deeper understanding of what must happen for a play to be performed. The dormitory accommodations were very adequate and the quality of the food in the Southern Oregon University cafeteria was above expectations. We were part of a group of two dozen people, all of them very compatible with our Portland State University contingent of nine. The other attendees from around the U.S. also had the opportunity to hear our own Jack Cooper give a talk about the Shakespeare plays we saw performed. The opportunity to hear new plays by new playwrights was another fascinating experience. Playwrights from around the U.S. submitted several hundred plays. The plays were read, evaluated, and rated. We, along with local townspeople, heard three finalists’ plays read for an audience. After the readings, the audience could comment, make suggestions, and/or ask questions of the cast, director, and playwright. The final evening we went to a local restaurant for an outstanding dinner and an opportunity to say goodbye to new friends. A week well spent! Should this become an annual RAPS event? --Maxine Thomas Membership Committee Needs Volunteers he RAPS Membership Committee is seeking assistance with recruiting and retaining new (and previous) PSU retirees. Our membership database is now revised, simplified and brought up to date. In order to enhance our efforts to recruit all new retirees (and retain or renew existing ones), the process will now include a team of RAPS members who will be assigned to make personal contacts in addition to our current letters of invitation and renewal offers. The committee is seeking volunteers to represent their academic or administrative unit. Please consider responding to this request. The RAPS Board of Directors will fill several positions, but this program cannot succeed without significant participation from the general membership. Contact Brian Lewis (503-590-5890 or brianlewispdx@gmail.com) for more information, questions or to sign up! --Brian Lewis 4 O T
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