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| 15 S Pioneer St, Ashland, OR 97520, USA (Ashland, Oregon)
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| Information |
Elizabethan Stage/Allen Pavilion
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival got its start in 1935 after a man by the name of Angus Bowmer suggested using the old walls of the Chautauqua building to surround a new stage and performing on two plays over the course of Ashland's Fourth of July celebration. It was an immediate success and the tradition took off. The newly named Elizabethan Stage became the setting for many of the Bard's works. It continued to host plays until World War II, when it shut down temporarily. During that time, the Stage suffered damage from a fire in 1940, so when the festival resumed in 1947, the Festival was forced to rebuild it. It again underwent reconstruction during the off-season in 1958 and the 1959 Festival was kicked off with the new Elizabethan Stage. The new Allen Pavilion was built around the seating of the Stage in 1992 to provide better acoustics and general viewing for its patrons.
Over the years, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival has grown in fame and attendance and now runs from February through October and performs between 750 to 800 productions (now in three different theaters) to an audience between 375,000 to 400,000 a year.
Charles Laughton
One well-known actor that was said to be eager to perform at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival was Charles Laughton (Actor: The Old Dark House, Island of Lost Souls, The Hunchback of Notre Dame/Director: The Night of the Hunter). He had initially been disinterested in performing until he attended the 1961 Festival. After that, he approached founder Angus Bowmer about the possibility of taking the lead role in a performance of King Lear, a role he had always wanted to play on stage. Negotiations were worked out and there was even a hint that he might play the role of Falstaff in the 1963 production of The Merry Wives of Windsor. However, on December 15, 1962, Laughton died from cancer of the gall bladder. However, some believe that death did not stop him from returning.
The Ghost of Charles Laughton
It was reported that during the performances of The Merry Wives of Windsor in 1963, loud laughter emanated from the backstage. One cast member even reported seeing Laughton walking around and wearing the costume of Falstaff. At the first performance of King Lear the next season, audience members reported hearing an eerie sound that moved through the audience and on to the stage. Since then, cast and audience alike have heard sighs or someone singing and the figure of Laughton has even been spotted on occasion on the third floor of the theatre. It is said that he most often appears during performances of King Lear. |
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| Related Sites |
Oregon Shakespeare Festival
The official site of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and reportedly haunted Elizabethan Stage. |
Suite 101: Ghostly Thespians and Haunted Theaters
Suite 101's article on reportedly haunted theaters in the United States. Stops include Oregon, Ohio, California, and Nevada. |
Carpe Noctem: Oregon's Haunted Hotspots
Carpe Noctem's entry for haunted hotspots in the state of Oregon. |
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| Similar Destinations |
| The H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival |
| Ford's Theatre National Historical Site |
| Her Majesty's Theatre |
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| See Also on TheCabinet.com |
| There are no other pages on this site associated with this location. |
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| Available from Amazon.com |
Ghost Stories of Oregon |
Oregon's Ghosts and Monsters (Oregon Country Library) |
Those Pesky Spooks |
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