Northeastern State University

Department of Languages and Literature

INFORMATION FOR OREGON TRIP PARTICIPANTS

 

WELCOME TO THE OREGON TRAIL

Welcome to our group of 21 bound for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland!  Thank you very much for choosing to go with us.  I want to do everything I can to make your week as pleasant and educational as possible.  At any time, now or on the trip, please let me know if you have questions or if there is anything I can do to help you.

--John Mercer

E-mail: mercer@nsuok.edu or mercer25@cox.net

Faculty Web site with course information: http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~mercer

Home: 918-745-2363

Office: 918-449-6541

Cell: 918-576-4949

 

CLOTHING

  • Casual clothing is acceptable for all events. 
  • Weather is unpredictable a month in advance. To get an idea of what the weather will be in Ashland while we’re there, check the weather on the Internet or Weather Channel a  few days before we leave.
  • We will probably experience moderate to warm temperatures during the day and cool or very cool temperatures as soon as the sun goes down at night.  (This immediate cooling at nightfall is a big difference between Oregon and Oklahoma weather.)  Plan to dress in layers so you can always add or remove clothing if you are too hot or too cold. 
  • Although we may not need it, our dorm at Southern Oregon University will have air conditioning.  The indoor theatres of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival are, of course, air conditioned.  The outdoor Elizabethan Stage/Allen Pavillion is used only for evening performances, when it may be quite cool. 
  • Bring the following items:
    • comfortable walking shoes
    • a warm wrap—especially important for evening performances at the outdoor Elizabethan Stage
    • a hooded, water-repellant jacket and/or collapsible umbrella—unless you don’t mind getting wet if it rains 

 

FLIGHTS

This information applies primarily to the 14 of us who are flying as a group.  Seven (7) others will fly on their own and meet us at Southern Oregon University in Ashland.

 

LUGGAGE (For more complete information about luggage requirements, go to www.united.com.):

  • Checked luggage:  To avoid paying financial penalties, check only one (1) suitcase weighing no more than 50 pounds.  United Airlines will charge you $25 for each additional suitcase and will also assess a fee (I don’t know the amount) if your suitcase weighs more than 50 pounds.  It’s important, then, to pack light!  As my father always used to say, “Take half as many clothes and twice as much money.”     
  • Carry-on luggage:  You are allowed only two (2) carry-on items:
    • one (1) “personal item” such as a purse, briefcase, or computer bag
    • one (1) other carry-on bag

All carry-on bags must be able to fit under the seat in front of you or in an overhead bin.  No liquids or gels are allowed unless they are in containers no larger than three (3) ounces, all placed inside one (1) quart-size clear plastic zipper bag.  You may carry beverages onto the plane only if you purchase them in the airport after you go through security. 

 

MEETING THE GROUP:  By 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 31, gather at the seats closest to the United Airlines ticket counter at Tulsa International Airport.  I will have your airline ticket, so do NOT proceed to the ticket counter by yourself! 

 

AIRLINE ITINERARY:  Flight numbers and times are subject to change.  They’ve already changed several times since we first reserved our tickets. 

  • Saturday, May 31        
    • United flight 699 departs Tulsa at 3:59 p.m., arrives in Denver at 4:43 p.m.  Buy your evening meal in the Denver airport, or bring food with you.
    • United Express (Sky West) flight 5973 departs Denver at 6:15 p.m., arrives in Medford at 7:54 p.m.
    • From the Medford airport, we will travel to our dormitory on the campus of Southern Oregon University (SOU) in Ashland, probably arriving no earlier than  9:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. 
  • Saturday, June 7   I’m sorry that we have to change planes twice to get home.  This is the only group itinerary that was available from Medford to Tulsa. 
    • United Express (Sky West) flight 6337 departs Medford at 9:54 a.m., arrives in San Francisco at 11:13 a.m.  Buy your lunch in the San Francisco airport, or bring food with you from Ashland.
    • United flight 720 departs San Francisco at 2:15 p.m., arrives in Denver at 5:48 p.m.  Buy your evening meal in the Denver airport.
    • United flight 416 departs Denver at 7:55 p.m., arrives in Tulsa at 10:35 p.m. Central Daylight Time.  Ask your family or friends to meet you inside at the baggage carousels or to pick you up outside at the curb. 

 

GROUND TRANSPORTATION IN OREGON

The group will rent two (2) minivans, each holding a maximum of seven (7) people, at the Medford airport.  To get all fourteen (14) of us and our luggage to the Southern Oregon University campus in Ashland, we could use the assistance of some of you who will be flying on your own and renting a car.  Please get in touch with me if you could meet our plane at the Medford airport at about 8 p.m. on May 31.  In Ashland, we will use the minivans to travel the approximately two (2) miles between the university campus and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.  It would be helpful if those who are renting cars would also help transport group members between the two venues.

 

HOUSING

CHECKING IN:  We will be staying in a dormitory on the campus of Southern Oregon University in Ashland.  I will let you know when I learn the name of our dormitory.  The entire group is expected to check into the dorm at the same time, which should be about 9 p.m. on May 31.  I apologize for the inconvenience this may cause those who are traveling to Ashland on their own. Please check with me in advance to coordinate your arrival on campus with that of the  group.

 

DORM ACCOMMODATIONS: You can expect the dorm to be clean, plain, simple, and of older construction, but not fancy, plush, or new. 

  • Our dorm will have the following features:

o       Each room will have twin beds.  Unless you pay $133 extra for a private room, you will be assigned a roommate from our group.

o       Each floor in the dorm will accommodate people of both genders.  Separate bathrooms for each gender are down the hall.  You may wish to bring a robe.

o       Sheets and white towels will be provided.  You will receive fresh towels once during the week. If you wish to bring an additional towel and/or wash cloth, bring any color except white.

o       The dorm will have air conditioning.  When I stayed here in the past, I think my room had a window unit rather than central air.

·        Bring the following items:

o       soap and soap dish

o       shampoo

o       alarm clock

 

EMERGENCY NUMBERS:  Although the most efficient way for people to reach you will be to call your cell phone, here are some emergency numbers at Southern Oregon University:

  • Conference Office: (800) 257-0577, extension 4 (only during business hours)
  • Conference staff-on-duty cell phone: (541) 944-1408
  • Campus Public Safety: (541) 552-6911

 

FOOD

BREAKFAST:  Breakfast in SOU’s Cascade Food Court is included in the cost of your trip. When I ate here four summers ago, the food was plentiful and good. Do not miss breakfast!  As far as I know, breakfast will be served from 7:00 to 9:30 a.m.

 

LUNCH & DINNER:  Lunch and dinner are on your own.  We can’t eat these meals in the SOU Cascade Food Court because we have not paid for them in advance.  (The cafeteria staff has to know in advance how many people to feed.)  Various eating places are available on campus, near campus, and in town near the OSF theatres.  A grocery store is across the street from campus.  The cost of these meals will depend, of course, on your own choices, but I would recommend that you budget, if possible, a bare minimum of $150 (more if possible) for your food for the week (eating in Ashland for six [6] days and in airports for two [2]).   

 

 

 

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

Because this trip is designed to allow students to earn three (3) hours of credit in only six (6) days, our schedule in Ashland will be very full.  Everyone taking the trip has paid for all scheduled events presented by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF).  Those not taking the course for credit are also welcome to attend our class sessions.  Students enrolled for academic credit are required to attend all OSF events and class sessions.   This schedule is only tentative; a more detailed, definite schedule will be provided later.

 

Sunday, June 1

9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.    Class, Southern Oregon University (SOU)

1:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m.      Midsummer Night’s Dream, Agnus Bowmer Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF)

8:00 p.m.-10:30 p.m.    Fences, Agnus Bowmer Theatre, OSF

 

Monday, June 2

No OSF plays or programs are presented on Mondays.

9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.    Class, SOU

1:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m.      Class, SOU

Late afternoon/evening outing, TBA      I will consider all proposals for a group outing within a one-hour radius of Ashland. Do some research on the area and let me know your ideas. Or, if you prefer, you can take the evening off and do your own thing.

 

Tuesday, June 3

10:00 a.m.-11:15 a.m. Backstage Tour, OSF

12:30 p.m.-1:00 p.m.    Prologue to Coriolanus by OSF actor, OSF

2:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m.      Coriolanus, New Theatre, OSF

7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.      Class, SOU

 

Wednesday, June 4

9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.  Workshop led by OSF actors at SOU

1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.      Class, SOU

8:30 p.m.-11:00 p.m.    Our Town, Elizabethan Stage/Allen Pavillion, OSF

 

Thursday, June 5

9:30 a.m.-10:45 a.m.                Class, SOU

11:00 a.m.-12:00noon              “Exploring Design: A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” presented by OSF at SOU

2:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m.                  Class, SOU

8:30 p.m.-11:00 p.m.                The Comedy of Errors, Elizabethan Stage/Allen Pavillion, OSF

 

Friday, June 6

9:30 a.m.-10:45 a.m.                Class, SOU

11:00 a.m.-12:00 noon Discussion of plays led by OSF actor at SOU

2:00 p.m.- 4:30 p.m.                 Class, SOU

8:30 p.m.-11:00 p.m.                Othello, Elizabethan Stage/Allen Pavillion, OSF

 

Saturday, June 7

8:15 a.m.                                  Depart SOU for Medford airport

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

I hope to post the course syllabus on my faculty Web page on the NSU Web site (http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~mercer) by late Thursday night, May 8, or early the following week.  Students enrolled in the course need to buy the following paperbacks, read them before the trip, and bring them to Oregon.  Those not taking the course for credit are also welcome to buy the books and bring them to Ashland.  These texts should be available in the NSU-BA bookstore before the Summer Intersession begins on May 12.     

 

Shakespeare.  The Comedy of Errors.  Ed. Bevington & Kastan.   Bantam Dell, 2006. ISBN-13:  978-0-553-21291-4

 

Shakespeare.  A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  Ed. Hammersmith & Turner.  Bantam Dell, 1988.  ISBN-13:  978-0-553-21300-3

 

Shakespeare.  Othello.  Ed. Bevington & Kastan.  Bantam Dell, 2005.  ISBN-13: 978-0-553-21302-7

 

Shakespeare.  Pelican Shakespeare: Coriolanus.  Ed. Braunmuller & Orgel.  Penguin, 1999.  ISBN-13: 978-0-140-71473-9

 

Wilder, Thornton.  Our Town: A Play in Three Acts.  Perennial Classics.  HarperCollins,  2003.  ISBN-13: 978-0-060-51263-7

 

Wilson, August.  Fences: A Play.  Intro. Lloyd Richards.  Plume (Penguin Group), 1986.  ISBN-13: 978-0-452-26401-4