augia» 2, 2002 J W
Krambeal and Owsley hold regular events in
their bam, which they joke has become
“southern Oregon’s gay bar”
cant effort simply to he visible as positive role
models among both the sexual minorities pop
ulation as well as the community at large.
“Being out helps people put faces with ‘gay’
that others may not have seen before," Kram-
beal says. “As people see that we’re not the
common stereotype of what they consider gay
people to be, 1 think that helps, and that itself
is a proactive activity." i n
To learn more about the LESBIAN, G ay , BISEXUAL
and T ransgender P o litical C aucus of
S outhern O regon , call 541-482-5829 or visit
the Internet site www.geocities.com/thecaucus.
neighboring cities such as Medford, Klamath
Falls and Grants Pass. For them, the Ashland
campus offers a safe refuge where they are free to
he themselves.
“When they come to school, they can he
who they are and they can he out,” Leitner
says of some classmates. “As soon as they’re
driving home, they turn it off, because they
have to.”
Although SOU’s liberal environment pro
vides a relatively safe barbor, conflict occasional
ly arises on campus, too, and another important
focus for the student union is to address homo
phobia in the residence halls. Leitner hopes
members not only will participate in the hiring of
a new director of resident assistants but also play
a role in staff training.
“It’s important to have a presence and let peo
ple know we’re here,” she says. “To let them
know who we are and that we shouldn’t be dis
criminated against. To educate.” JH
For more information about Southern Oregon
University's L esbian , B isexual , G ay , T rans and
A llies S tudent U nion and its new Queer
Resource Center, call 541 '552-8531 or visit the
Internet site www.sou.edu/suJlbgta.
f it weren’t also
the unlikely site
of the country’s
oldest and largest
Shakespeare festival,
some say Ashland
wouldn’t be home to
many queer folks,
either.
The Oregon
Shakespeare Festival
is a magnet for artists
who ply their trade
on its stages, for
tourists who visit the
countryside by day
and theater by night
and for transplants
seeking an idyllic sprit
to settle in where
they still can be out.
David Dreyfoos has
worked with the festi
val for six seasons and,
as producing director
and a gay man, he
speaks from experience
when he describes the
dual role this venerable institution plays in the
sexual minorities community of Ashland.
The festival is one of the largest employers,
with more than 400 on the payroll during high
■season, including 80 actors. It also is one of the
community’s most significant economic forces,
with an estimated $100 million impact on the
surrounding Rogue Valley.
The effect is felt throughout town. Main
Street features trendy retailers and restaurants
as unusual as their neighboring outdoor Eliza
bethan stage. And within the city limits, those
attracted by the likes of William Shakespeare,
Noel Coward and August Wilson lend an air
of diversity unknown in other rural towns.
But for as much impact as the festival has
m O [27
integrated/isolated
relationship with
Ashland residents.
One particular way
the theater nurtures
its connection with
the community’s gay,
lesbian, bi and trans
population is through
its annual Daedalus
Project.
For 14 years, the
program and its local
partners have raised
money for a variety of
HIV/AIDS organiza
tions. It distributed
more than $53,000 in
2001, which included
funding for the Abdill-
Ellis Community Cen
ter, among other area
organizations and
agencies.
Last year’s event
featured gay actor Dan
Butler, known for his
role as Bulldog on
NBC’s Frasier, in a benefit performance of his
one-man show The Only Thing Worse You
Could Have Told M e.... Other activities have
consisted of a courtyard show, a five-kilometer
run and walk, a silent art
auction and an evening
■jj performance by company
£ members that concludes
| with a brief “witnessing”
? ceremony honoring those
5 who have died of AIDS.
The 2002 Daedalus
Project is scheduled for
Aug. 19. Although details
still were being finalized at
press time, festival spokes
woman Amy Richard says
this year’s program again
will include a Green Show
and an evening variety
show featuring members of
the acting company. Also
scheduled is an afternoon
play reading with Michelle
Mora in of the first part of
Tony Kushner’s play Home-
body/Kabul. JP1
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival plays an integrated
yet isolated role in the Ashland community
- > -
I M
ÛÊÈÊÈmm
David Dreyfoos
on the stage and on the street, it’s not often
that the twain shall meet. For Dreyfoos and
many festival artists, juggling nine shows on
four stages invariably leads to tunnel vision
focused on work with
little free time for con
necting with Ash
land’s traditional
9-to-5 community.
For example, during
the outdoor theater’s
opening weekend in
June, three actors sud
denly need to leave
town because of deaths
in the family. Their
absence affects numer
ous roles across the
several shows playing
in repertory. Even as
critics from around the
country arrive in Ash
land, Dreyfoos calmly
keeps chaos at bay. He
arranges understudy
rehearsals while simul
taneously nurturing
the personal needs of a
diverse company he
knows must have
strong relationships in
order to work together effectively.
Likewise is true for the theater’s complex
For more information about
O regon S hakespeare
F estival and its Daedalus
Project, call 541'428-4331 or visit the Internet
site www.osfashland.org.
S in c e I9 S 5
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W estover H eights
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