It's Only Tree Rain

Opening night is tomorrow! As I write this, at 5:30 on Preview Night, it is of course raining. And truthfully, I'm not even a little bit worried. For starters, if we worried every time it rained we would have gone crazy 100 times over by now. But it never seems to rain like this once 8:00 hits. In OSF's six seasons, we've canceled only 1 complete performance due to rain. (Closing night of Tempest--we literally got a tempest.) It seems like Terry has some kind of pact with the gods; it can be thundering at 7:30 and be beautiful by 8:00. I've seen it happen countless times.

So don't let any rain scare you away. We have not missed a single rehearsal this week. We surely don't plan on having a wet opening!

Can't wait to see you all on Friday.

OSF Takes Off on Friday!

Opening night is only two days away! I can't believe we're opening our first show already. Two Gents is looking pretty amazing; I've never seen a production quite like ours, and I really like some of the choices we've made. Can't wait to get it up in front of an audience so we can hear some new laughter.

The Greenshow is one of the best I think we've ever had. That bunch is not only comitted to making the Greenshow the best it can be--every single person in it is incredibly talented. Each cast memeber has added something totally new and special to the show. I know our picnic-ers will be very happy with their pre-show entertainment. And I'm very proud of the cast, and grateful for their hard work and great colaboration.

And I think the music this year is stellar overall. Ryan Downey has rejoined us this year as music director. He's made some original music and brought back old favorites for the greenshow and the mainstage performance. Be sure to listen for it all!

Don't forget, there is a preview performance this Thursday night for a discounted price. Check the Ohio Shakespeare Festival website for extra info. Hope to see everyone on Friday!

It Begins!

The seasons offically began last night at 7:00. We had our first rehearsal: a readthrough of Two Gents. It was very funny, and I can just tell everyones going to have fun with this show. It was great seeing a lot of familar faces again. Back with us this year are:

Ernie Gonzalos (Speed)
Andy Nagraj (Valentine)
Lara Meilcarek (Julia)
Andrew Cruse (Proteus)
Tim Champion (Launce)
Tom Stephan (Eglemour)
Tess Burgler (Lucetta)
Michelle Owen (Stage Mangaer)
Buddy Taylor (Lighting Design)
Damien Baeslack (Outlaw)
Ryan Downey (Antonio, Outlaw)
Hannah Brady (Musician)
Ben Fortin (Ensemble)
Jordan Wolff (Panthino)
Dane Lee (Outlaw)
Alex Nine (Duke)



New faces include:

Katy DeBoer (Sylvia)
Richard Worswick (Thurio)
Greg Bealer(Outlaw)



The beginings of the set have been constructed, thanks to Buddy Taylor and Daniel Taylor's hard work out in the heat. The stage is just where it was last year. This is the first year we've kept the stage in the same place. I've always kind of liked how we switch up the location every year. But the decision to stay put this time made a lot of sense. It is very convient in terms of backstage access; it allows for more audience seating; its nice and big; and most importantly, the stage is in shade during the afternoons when we rehearse. I can't tell you how painful it is to stand in the direct sun for hours! So we've got a win-win situation now.



Keep checking back for more updates as we get further and further along in the rehearsal process!