The Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon

ASHLAND, ORE. - The Oregon Shakespeare Festival wrapped up its 2006 season on Sunday, October 29 at 87% of capacity with a total attendance of 387,474 and ticket revenues at $14,602,987. Attendance was the second highest in OSF's history after 2002 with 399,609 tickets.
Executive Director Paul Nicholson and Artistic Director Libby Appel expressed their pleasure with the success of the season. Nicholson commented, "This has been a terrific year for the Festival and for our audience. We are very happy with the quality of the work we put on all three of our stages. And there have been unusually strong audience responses to every show this is the largest number of sold-out performances since 2002, the year we opened the New Theatre. Clearly audiences are returning to theatre, and I'm delighted that this is the second best attended season in the Festival's history."
Total attendance in the Angus Bowmer Theatre was 199,141 (83% of capacity), attendance at the New Theatre was 68,742 (91% of capacity) and attendance in the Elizabethan Stage/Allen Pavilion was 119,591 (93% of capacity.) These figures are up approximately two percent from 2005. OSF attributes the season's success to its diverse playbill, the impact of online ticketing and web-related marketing, a committed membership and strong group sales. Group bookings were up 5.7% from 2005 and member ticket sales saw a 13.1% increase from last season. In addition, web ticket sales accounted for 49% of ticket revenue, a 60% increase from 2005.
Preparations for 2007 have begun, and the full company will return for Company Call and rehearsals on January 3, 2007. Next season promises another excellent slate of plays. Productions in the Angus Bowmer Theatre are Shakespeare's As You Like It, Anton Chekhovs The Cherry Orchard (newly adapted by Libby Appel), Tom Stoppard's On the Razzle, August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean, and Moliere's Tartuffe. The New Theatre will open with David Lindsey Abaire's Rabbit Hole, which will play in repertory with a world premiere musical Tracy's Tiger (based on the novella by William Saroyan; book and lyrics by Linda Alper, Douglas Langworthy and Penny Metropulos music and additional lyrics by Sterling Tinsley), and Lisa Loomer's new play Distracted. The Elizabethan Stage offers Shakespeare's The Tempest, The Taming of the Shrew and Romeo and Juliet.
Member bookings begin November 13. Go to www.osfashland.org for more information. Box Office phones will open for general ticket orders on December 11. To receive a brochure, call (541) 482-2111 and press option 6 or visit our website.