THE OREGON SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE

The folks at Oregon Shakespeare Festival make it easy to welcome kids to an incredible experience and I’m really excited. Often these shows are modern takes on classics with diverse, out-of-the-box casting. Even if your child is not super jazzed about Shakespeare they will still glean a lot from an experience like this.

WHO: middle school students chosen for advanced programs; we travel by private car - volunteer parent chaperones drive their child(ren) + however many other kids they can fit in their car!

This is meant to be a fun time spent as a whole group and we will do our best to stay together. When shopping and dining in restaurants it’s especially hard to do this, but all students are expected to attend PDC official weekend events together. There is no opt-out for students. If you attend the weekend you attend all PDC scheduled events. Chaperones do not attend the student workshop and can opt out of the shows if they want. We do have to reserve tickets for every event early so if you decide to skip any of these please let us know ASAP so we can reduce the # of tickets and your chaperone fee.

WHEN: June 12 - 14, 2026

Friday June 12

10am: Carpools meet at St David parking lot
Drive to Ashland in the AM (lunch on the road)

4pm: hotel check-in
5:30: Preface: The Taming of the Shrew 

6:15: Dinner together at a restaurant TBD

8pm: Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew (outdoor theater)  

Saturday June 13

7 - 9:30: free breakfast available at the hotel
9:30am: Student Workshop: The Hero’s Journey

11am: lunch picnic in the park to discuss show and workshop (food to be arranged later)

1:30: Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (indoor theater)
4 - 6:30pm: Free afternoon to swim or shop

6:30: Dinner together in the “breakfast room”

8pm: Come From Away (indoor theater) 

Sunday June 14 

Check out 11am 

Usually the kids all swim in the morning before check out. Arrival at home depends on when each car decides to leave town - earliest arrival home is around 4:30pm. 

WHERE: Ashland, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and The Bard’s Inn
accommodations at The Bard’s Inn in Ashland, OR (walking distance to the theaters); All rooms will have one adult present unless- this year we do not have access to adjoining rooms. Chaperones and kids should be comfortable rooming with people other than family members! Generally, students will need to share a bed with another student to keep the costs down for everyone - please discuss this with your child and with me if needed. Roommate requests can be made and are usually accommodated if you request early. Where possible we will wheel in roll away beds (not all rooms will support this so it depends on the available rooms) so please ask about that if nervous about sleeping with another student. I will keep the rooms divided by boys or girls, but please also talk with me about this if needed!! If rooming with others is a no go for your child and you are chaperoning please expect to pay for your room. Things also depend on the chaperones we have - please understand allocations are tricky and take a lot of work!

HOW MUCH: approx. $400. We will have confirmation from OSF by end of November and final costs in 2026. Total will be due by May 11, 2026.

WHAT IT INCLUDES:
Chaperone/drivers do not pay for hotel, but all other adults in the room must cover their portion of the room (if both parents attend, the family should pay for the full room).
Hotel accommodations for two nights
breakfast at hotel both mornings
student workshop
picnic lunch
Friday evening show
Saturday matinee and evening shows

Extra costs per student are estimated to be somewhere around $50-80 depending on how long you stay, additional meals/souvenirs the student chooses on their own time and some gas money to your child’s driver.
Please discuss with your child how they will pay for additional meals (cash, apple pay, card?). Please do not plan on reimbursing chaperones for your child’s purchases.


I’m not promising your child will love Shakespeare after this trip, but I know your child will come away from this experience with more interest in theater and literature in general (and hopefully a better understanding and respect for Shakespeare). Shakespeare is meant to be seen and experienced. By watching, listening and breathing it in they will be better equipped when it’s time to read it in high school (or maybe middle school). Shakespeare is not to be feared! I loved the idea of Shakespeare as a kid, but had such a hard time deciphering and didn’t think I’d ever really get it it until I started watching films.
I never got to see live Shakespeare when I was young and really want that for my students. OSF does such an incredible job with their productions. Often these shows are set in different time periods and swap genders to tell the stories in a new way. You can read more about the upcoming shows on the OSF website.