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!"
Whats 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.
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