to see, or not to see...

this is definitately a 'to see'!  near the oregon/california border are a couple of clustered small towns.  medford [ perhaps the most city feeling one ] is a low profile, sprawling hub of activity.  i didn't make many stops here, but instead did much more of a drive thru tour.  just slightly south, is ashland [ the shakespeare mecca of the west ] where they have multiple stages that show a variety of 10 or so plays from february through october.  many of them are shakespearian, some from more contemporay playrights, and some are debuts.  jacksonville, laying somewhere between the two previous [ is charming and honest ] with a single main street and home to the summer long britts music festival.

as for my time, i was fortunate to see in ashland their rendition of hamlet.  set in a modern era with the players are hip hop stars and presented as somewhat of a comedy!?  though it was an almost four hour performance in a freezing theatre with seats not overly plush, i was fortunate not only to enjoy just a wonderful performance...i was also blessed to sit next to mary francis s. [ though she did give me her full name, i will leave out the last for privacy ].  a woman, to guess in her sixties, enjoying her first show as well with three of her cousins.  mary from arizona, cousin 1 from mass, cousin 2 from washington state, and cousin 3 from colorado, who all get together every couple of years for a week or so.  this year was oregon and five shakespeare festival shows.  though i'm sure that every event will be just as amazing, i feel a bit sad for mary purely due to her awkward and [ to me ] hilarious admission:
     scene:  mary must leave a couple of moments before the intermission begins,
                not being able to sit any longer.   upon returning just before the second act,
                she turns right and says,
       mary:  'when you get old, your sphincter is not what it once was.'  um...thank you mary. 

recommendations:
     visit the jacksonville merchantile where you can taste some of their olive oils and jams.  much of it is local and has small productions or are hard to come by foreign imports.  perhaps a little lavish for 1000 people but certainly friendly and good for a walk around.

     'to see!'  just find something at the festival in ashland.  my ticket was around $50, but they also have free outdoor musicians and are slower in feb and march...not sure what prices would be around that time.