Doreen Leverette, left, and Dorothy Pruitt pose during a 1938 publicity tour through Oregon. They presented an honorary OSF membership to Gov. Charles H. Martin in Salem and met with editors and writers at several of the state's newspapers.
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Terry Skibby Collection
Every week, Oregon Experience shares a photo highlighting the state's diverse, exciting history.
In 1935, The First Annual Shakespearean Festival consisted of two plays over three days, performed outdoors in Ashland. The townspeople enjoyed these all-volunteer productions and returned year after year. But since the 1950s, most of the audience has come from out of town.
This season marks the 80th anniversary of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the country's largest repertory theater and Ashland's economic mainstay, with annual ticket sales exceeding $21 million. Every 9-month season, visitors travel an average of 125 miles to choose from among 11 plays — by a wide range of playwrights — on three stages.
