The Oregon Shakespeare Festival has announced that the Angus Bowmer Theatre will re-open today with a matinee performance of Measure for Measure at 1:30 pm and an 8:30 pm performance of The Imaginary Invalid. The Bowmer has been closed for six weeks and three days because of a major crack in the main supporting beam of the theatre that occurred on June 18. For a complete recap of events, visit our website.
"All of us at OSF feel a great relief to be back in the Angus Bowmer Theatre today," said Executive Director
Paul Nicholson. "This has been an extraordinary crisis that had demanded extraordinary effort. Everyone involved - at the Ashland Parks Department, the police department, the City Administration, and within the Festival Company - has acted with a wonderful spirit of collaboration and cooperation. We have indeed turned this crisis into the stuff of memories."
The shows affected by the closure of the Bowmer were Measure for Measure, To Kill a Mockingbird (now closed), The Imaginary Invalid, August: Osage County and The African Company Presents Richard III.
Immediately after the closure, OSF offered 31 free restaged versions of the productions in alternate venues in Ashland. Seeking a more stable, temporary home for the Bowmer shows, OSF worked with the community and various companies to erect a large tent in Lithia Park adjacent to the Festival grounds. Named Bowmer in the Park, the tent opened on July 7.
Final performances in Bowmer in the Park were held on Sunday, July 31. During the last week of performances in the tent, the four Bowmer shows were "re-teched" for the Angus Bowmer Theatre. In addition, the cast and crew of The African Company Presents Richard III had the unusual experience of opening a show in Bowmer in the Park on July 23 and a week later heading back into technical and dress rehearsals in another space. The show will open in the Bowmer on Wednesday, August 3.
Thirty-one performances were held in the tent and averaged 82% of capacity, generating approximately $650,000 in revenue. The closure of the Angus Bowmer Theatre has resulted in approximately $1,000,000 in lost revenue from ticket returns, as well as the additional costs of $330,000 for repair of the cracked beam and $800,000 for the tent and alternate venues. Had performances not been mounted in the tent, OSF would have lost at least another $650,000 in ticket revenue plus an unknown amount of refunds for people cancelling their visits to Ashland.
The preparations for dismantling of the tent in park began on Monday, August 1. Props and costumes were removed as well as the portable toilets. Portions of the tent will be dismantled today, and it is estimated that crews will need five days to complete the job.
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