ASHLAND — The Oregon Shakespeare Festival has announced casting and directors for its 2026 season, unveiling the artists who will bring to life 10 productions ranging from Shakespearean favorites to modern American classics and new works.
The announcement marks the next step in a season already previewed for its bold mix of voices and eras — one that Artistic Director Tim Bond says reflects theater’s power to unite communities and “illuminate our collective humanity.”
The season opens in March and runs through late October across the Angus Bowmer, Thomas, and Allen Elizabethan theaters in Ashland. Tickets go on sale to the general public Dec. 2, with early access for OSF members beginning in November.
Roots in the Bard
OSF will lean into its Shakespearean roots with three productions spanning romance, history and humor.
Marcela Lorca will direct A Midsummer Night’s Dream (March 13-Oct. 25), featuring Justin Huertas — who also provides original music — as the mischievous Puck. Al Espinosa will take on the role of Bottom, and Jessika D. Williams will play Titania. Lorca’s staging promises an immersive take on the familiar forest world, fusing enchantment and movement with Huertas’s folk-inspired soundscape.
At the Allen Elizabethan Theatre, two more Shakespeare works will share the summer spotlight. The Taming of the Shrew will open June 5, directed by Shana Cooper. Running through Oct. 11, it will feature Erica Sullivan as Kate and Daniel Molina as Petruchio in a lively battle of wits that challenges traditional ideas about gender and power.
The next night, Rosa Joshi — OSF’s associate artistic director — will launch Henry IV, Part One (June 6-Oct. 10). Reginald André Jackson will portray King Henry IV, with William Thomas Hodgson as his wayward son Hal and Daniel T. Parker as the larger-than-life Falstaff.
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A musical of compassion
The Bowmer Theatre’s musical offering, Come From Away (March 14-Oct. 24), will bring to life the remarkable story of Gander, Newfoundland’s response to the sudden arrival of stranded airline passengers on Sept. 11, 2001. Laurie Woolery will direct the Tony-winning show by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. Bond said he was drawn to its message of compassion and solidarity.
“As we face the attacks on our democracy and on immigrants,” he said, “it felt important to celebrate a moment when a community stepped up to support folks who arrived from other places on the planet to seek refuge.”
The cast will include Victoria Frings as Beverley, David Kelly as Claude, and Amy Lizardo as Beulah.
Jane Austen’s Emma (June 7-Oct. 9) will round out the Elizabethan lineup, with playwright Kate Hamill’s fast, funny and feminist adaptation directed by Meredith McDonough. Alejandra Escalante will star as Emma, with Kevin Kenerly as Mr. Elton, Conner Neddersen as Mr. Knightley and Royer Bockus as Harriet Smith. Hamill’s pop-infused version promises a lively mix of Regency manners and modern mischief.
Timeless American stories
Bond will direct two major dramas that speak directly to questions of race, class and identity. A Raisin in the Sun (March 15-July 19, Bowmer) will feature Greta Oglesby as Lena Younger, Preston Butler III as Walter Lee and Lynnette R. Freeman as Ruth. Hansberry’s landmark play, Bond said, remains “fierce and tender,” illuminating the enduring struggle to define the American dream.
Later in the season, Bond will turn to another towering voice of the American stage with August Wilson’s King Hedley II (July 16-Oct. 24, Thomas). Set in 1980s Pittsburgh, the play follows an ex-con’s fight to reclaim his life in a neighborhood haunted by poverty and violence.
“Hedley seems more prescient in this moment in America than ever,” Bond said. “Much of what we are experiencing in our societal, cultural and economic divisions is the legacy of the Reagan Era, which is when Hedley is set. The past is prologue.” The production will star Chris Butler in the title role, joined by Deidrie Henry as Ruby and Kevin Kenerly as Elmore.
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Comedy and catharsis
Two of OSF’s most contemporary offerings will appear at the Thomas Theatre. Playwright Keiko Green’s You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World! (April 16-Aug. 21), directed by Zi Alikhan, is described as a raucous, heartfelt comedy about a man confronting mortality while fixating on climate catastrophe. Tim Getman will star as Greg Murphy, with Amy Kim Waschke as his wife, Viv.
Returning OSF favorite Rodney Gardiner will bring back his autobiographical solo show Smote This, A Comedy About God … and Other Serious $H*T (Aug. 27-Oct. 24; see Darleen Ortega’s ArtsWatch review of the 2024 production here), directed by Raz Golden. Bond said the new iteration will deepen the piece’s immigrant story and spiritual inquiry.
“Rodney’s hilarious and irreverent comedy continues to evolve,” he said. “We’re producing it for those who missed it in 2024 and for those eager to see how it’s grown.”
Also new to OSF’s Bowmer stage will be Yellow Face (Aug. 5-Oct. 23), playwright David Henry Hwang’s sharp-edged satire about race and representation in the theater world, directed by May Adrales. James Ryen will play DHH, the playwright’s onstage alter ego, in a play Bond calls “a laugh-out-loud mockumentary that also hits you in the heart.”
Community at the core
Bond sees the 2026 season as a living example of OSF’s repertory spirit — actors and audiences building community through shared experience.
He said he hopes the takeaway for audiences next season will be “the strength and hope of community. We are stronger together.”
He’s enthusiastic about OSF’s return to the repertory model.
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“There’s a special magic in seeing actors in two different plays, or watching shows back-to-back in the same theater from afternoon to evening,” he said. “It’s a magic that only OSF can produce.”
He added that the mix of returning and new artists reflects the vitality of the company.
“We have an amazing ensemble of artists, artisans and administrators, many returning and some new, who embody the craft and collaboration it takes to produce world-class rotating repertory theater,” he said.
“This upcoming season is fueled by my belief that theater is an act of democracy,” he added. “It is a sacred place where we share stories that illuminate our collective humanity.”
From Shakespeare’s enchanted forests to Wilson’s Pittsburgh streets and the small-town generosity of Come From Away, the 2026 season underscores Bond’s guiding belief that theater, at its best, gathers people not just to be entertained, but to see themselves reflected.
“Each of these plays,” he said, “asks us to rise to the challenges before us — and to do so together.”
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Jim Flint’s story on casting for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s 2026 season was published originally by Ashland.news on Oct. 22, 2025.
It took too long, but I think that Ashland finally got the message about play selection in 2026. —Steve Kenney, Portland (previously driven away by artistic directors whose play selection selfishly satisfied their obsession with social engineering at the expense of their loyal audience).