Learn more about Ashland’s history by walking down its streets
By Peter Finkle for Ashland.News
You are seeing the first bronze plaque of what will become a “Playwrights Walk” in Ashland. This new series of art installations, initially a dozen plaques and eventually many more, will celebrate the rich and dynamic theater culture in and around Ashland.
“Ashland is a theater city.”
Barry Thalden
You might wonder how Ashland became a “theater city.” Though the early settlers of our town were farmers, carpenters, blacksmiths – practical men and women in a very isolated community – they always had an interest in culture and theater. The first Shakespeare play performed in Ashland was in 1887, when the 35-year-old town had little more than 1,000 residents. In 1890, locals presented the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta H.M.S. Pinafore, “with a chorus of 30 voices.” Among the soloists were a Helman and a McCall, names you might recognize.
In 1935, college English teacher Angus Bowmer had the courage to present two Shakespeare plays in a primitive “Elizabethan Theater in Lithia Park” – and the optimism to call it “The First Annual Shakespearean Festival.” As we approach the 90th anniversary of this glorious adventure called the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF), local creativity continues to find new ways to flourish.
“What writers have said, or what playwrights have said, are powerful messages. So if you only stop to read one plaque, for instance, you get a powerful life message. Maybe that one plaque was the one intended for you to read.”
Barry Thalden
You can thank Kathryn and Barry Thalden’s granddaughter Hannah for the genesis of the “Playwrights Walk” idea. As Barry put it, “We were in Iowa City because our granddaughter was graduating from the University of Iowa. She attended the Creative Writing program there and, as she told us, it’s the number-one creative writing program in the United States. While there, we were enamored with seeing all of these plaques (with quotes from authors) in the sidewalks. They connect with the university’s outstanding program, and also with literature, something the city has taken on as part of who they are.” The downtown sidewalk plaques in Iowa City are called “The Literary Walk.”
When Kathryn and Barry returned home, they “floated the idea” for a “Playwrights Walk” in Ashland to a few community leaders — people affiliated with OSF, Southern Oregon University, Ashland Chamber of Commerce, Ashland City Council and the city of Ashland Public Arts Advisory Committee. The response was uniformly positive. Based upon this positive response, the Thaldens have agreed to fund creation of the first 12 plaques, which will become part of Ashland’s public art collection.
“I think the idea of this Playwrights Walk is brilliant.”
Tim Bond, OSF Artistic Director
In this article, I hope to share the initial enthusiasm for this concept with our wider community. I’ll begin by quoting Tim Bond, artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Tim told me that “the idea of this Playwrights Walk is brilliant. It is really apropos of Ashland, given our long history of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, now going into its 90th year. It’s the right time for more connection between the community and OSF.” Tim added that quotes from a variety of playwrights, both classic and contemporary, will reflect not only OSF’s wide repertoire, but also plays performed at SOU Theater Department and many local theater companies. He envisions quotes on the plaques that are “inclusive of the different voices that we celebrate as a community.”
“The Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Southern Oregon University’s Theatre Department are both well known in our region, and I love the idea of marking our shared art form in such a meaningful way.”
Jackie Apodaca, SOU Theater Department Chair, and Artistic Director of the Ashland New Plays Festival
“For students in school right now, they might not think it’s a big deal. But years from now, when they have children or bring their family to Ashland, it may mean a lot that their work is still here. Then it becomes a legacy thing that people can be proud of.”
Sam Hayes-Hicks, SOU Assistant Professor of Emerging Media and Digital Arts
Southern Oregon University faculty and students will collaborate with the Playwrights Walk project. Jackie Apodaca and others in the theater department will help choose quotations for the plaques. The Advanced Graphics Design Class taught by Sam Hayes-Hicks will create visual designs for the plaques, which will then be turned into 3D models and eventually molds for bronze casting. To help students understand the process, the class will visit Jack Langford’s sculpture studio where the bronze plaques will be made.
Sam is very excited for the students. As he put it, this is a special opportunity for the students to do “real world” design work that is more than just a classroom learning experience. They will be part of a collaborative process and will develop skills directly applicable to searching for and working in future jobs.
“I’m a big believer that the spirit is madly creative and each of us are individual expressions of that spirit.”
Jack Langford, artist and sculptor
Jack Langford, a local artist and sculptor, will do bronze casting for the initial Playwrights Walk plaques at his studio and foundry in Phoenix. Langford has been a professional sculptor since 1980, and has operated bronze foundries in Israel, Maine, and now Southern Oregon.
Langford expressed enthusiasm about making new connections between the university art programs and the professional art community. He looks forward to talking with, and collaborating with, the students in Sam Hayes-Hick’s Advanced Graphics Design Class.
“It can accomplish so many things if done well, to its highest potential. My dad and his two brothers were among the original founders of OSF, so I feel a connection there. This is an opportunity to do something dramatic for Ashlanders and for people who visit Ashland.”
Susan MacCracken Jain, Citizens Task Group for the Playwrights Walk, and Public Arts Advisory Committee member
“I think the Playwrights Walk is a magnificent undertaking and will bring a variety of benefits. It will bring tourism; it will bring education; a kid (or adult) may see a quote that inspires them at the right time.”
Ken Engelund, Citizens Task Group for the Playwrights Walk, and Public Arts Advisory Committee member
Ashland’s City Council unanimously approved the project to become part of the city’s public art collection in May 2024, following approval by the Public Arts and Historic Preservation committees. While the Thaldens “birthed” the idea of the “Playwrights Walk” and will fund the initial plaques, long-term development of the concept will require community enthusiasm and participation.
With support so far from the city, SOU, OSF, the Chamber business community, and others, “the stage is set” for a new creative community adventure — as it was in 1935 when Angus Bowmer and his collaborators bootstrapped the “First Annual Shakespearean Festival.” Stay tuned for future updates and ways you will be able to help move the Playwrights Walk project forward.
Peter Finkle leads Ashland walking tours. See WalkAshland.com to learn about his new Haunted Ashland tour, or to request a private tour for your group or family.
