“Kinky Boots,” a Tony Award winning play featuring music and lyrics by pop icon Cyndi Lauper, will open at the Oregon Cabaret Theatre on Friday, June 16, and run through Sept. 3. Featuring the largest cast in Cabaret history, the musical, which was first performed in 2012 in Chicago and a year later on Broadway, was mostly inspired by true events.
Gina DuQuenne: “We don’t want a budget that prices people out of our city. We want a livable, robust, thriving Ashland and the only way to get there is to live within our means — we have to get to black.”
Julia Sommer: “Shocked and saddened by the recent defeat of the Ashland Parks ballot initiative, I’ve made a gift to the Ashland Parks Foundation.”
This summer Anthony Heald will star with fellow OSF alum Amy Lizardo in Rogue Theater Company’s production of “Heisenberg” at Grizzly Peak Winery.
The Ashland Citizens’ Budget Committee last week recommended a two-year, $387.3 million Ashland budget to the City Council, but several attempts to cut expenses failed to gain traction. The budget, which goes to the City Council for approval on June 20, would increase the number of police officers and fire and rescue personnel, including more emergency medical technicians.
Obituary: A celebration of life for Richard “Rick” E. Sherman will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 3, at Ashland Christian Fellowship. Sherman, 73, died Oct. 2.
Oregon taxpayers have spent tens of thousands of dollars paying senators who are participating in the GOP-led Senate walkout. And their salaries and per diem are just part of the cost of the stalled session.
American Legion Guy T. Applewhite Post 14 and Scout Troop 112 hosted a Memorial Day observance Monday, May 29, at Mountain View Cemetery, to remember and honor all those servicemen and women who gave their lives in service to their country.
The eighth annual Ashland World Music Festival featured a diverse array of music-related events — performances, workshops, talks, story-telling sessions and a “sound walk” — Friday through Monday. Presented by Rogue World Music, the event benefited ACCESS, particularly in support of Almeda Fire recovery and rebuilding efforts.
Death notice: Paul Kwiatkowski died peacefully with family around him on May 22, 2023. Born March 2,1951, Paul lived in Ashland most of his life, moving here from Leeds, England, in the 1950s.
Owen Johnson: While it may be tempting to be unproblematic in the face of threats of violence, this is the desired effect. The most effective form of counter-protest is for local communities to monitor ICE activity.
Although many large regional theaters host students on their own campuses, only a few maintain educational outreach programs like OSF’s because of the high cost of school visits.
MLK Jr.: “Malcolm was still turning and growing at the time of his brutal and meaningless assassination. . . . Like the murder of Lumumba, the murder of Malcolm X deprives the world of a potentially great leader. I could not agree with either of these men, but I could see in them a capacity for leadership which I could respect, and which was just beginning to mature in judgment and statesmanship.”
Obituary: Cheryl Rae Gilliam Minoletti passed away Tuesday, Jan. 20 following complications from heart surgery. She was 68. Infectious laughter, warmth, and compassion were felt by those who knew her. A celebration of her life will be held Saturday, March 28, in Eagle Point.
The Ashland Independent Film Festival will spotlight homegrown talent Saturday, Feb. 21, during its revived Local Lens Spotlight at the Varsity Theatre. The one-night program features 13 short films by filmmakers from Jackson and Siskiyou counties, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers and crew.
Evan Frost, ecologist and conservationist, passed away Dec. 12, 2025.
(It’s free)
