Oregon Shakespeare Festival to Host 27th Annual HIV/AIDS Fundraiser, 8/18

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival invites the public to its 27th annual Daedalus Project, a benefit for HIV/AIDS organizations, on Monday, August 18. This year's project will include a variety of events and fund-raising sales, beginning now and throughout the week of August 12-18.

Since the first Daedalus Project was organized by OSF actor and director James Edmondson in 1987, the event has raised $1.4 million for local, regional, national and international HIV/AIDS organizations. In the last 27 years, the Daedalus Project has created a tradition of remembrance, celebration and collective action for OSF's company, community and audience.

Eduardo Placer, director of the Daedalus Project, said, "The theme of this year's Daedalus Project is Act V: The End of AIDS. We are participating in a global shift by naming the end of this epidemic. We are thrilled to continue to provide an opportunity for this community to gather in solidarity for such an amazing cause, to support organizations committed to ending AIDS not only here, but also all over the country and the world. This week is a generosity-fest, a wonderful opportunity for the entire community to gather for something bigger, to collectively commit to ending AIDS."

"In that spirit," noted Claudia Alick, producer of the event, "we honor those we've lost and work toward losing no more."

Placer and his team have already kicked off the Daedalus Project with the indiegogo.com campaign to end AIDS. OSF encourages everyone to visit the page, view the video, contribute what you can, and share with your friends and family. The campaign continues through August 18.

An absolutely new event this year will occur on Tuesday, July 22, the Daedalus Drinks/Daedalus Dines. This is an opportunity for the community to enjoy breakfast, lunch, happy hour, dinner and cocktails to end AIDS. Stay tuned for more information on that event.

The on-campus events and festivities begin on August 12 when the Daedalus T-shirts and other items go on sale.

From Friday, August 15 to Sunday, August 17, OSF, the Ashland Independent Film Festival and Coming Attractions Theatres are teaming up to present the Daedalus Film Festival. Final details about the films and schedules will be coming soon. Tickets will be available on the OSF website.

If you need a chance to work off those Daedalus cookies in advance, lace up your running shoes for a fun run around Lithia Park. The Daedalus 5K is Sunday, August 17 at 9:00 a.m. The cost is $25.00, $30.00 on the day of the race, and there is a $2.50 sign-up fee. Price includes a short-sleeved T-shirt. Register at this link: https://runsignup.com/Race/OR/Ashland/DaedalusProject5K Look forward to prizes, a raffle and a chance to see some of your favorite actors in short-shorts...if you can keep up!

Monday, August 18 will feature a host of opportunities for participation and contribution.

The Monday play reading this year will be The Children's Monologues, held at 2:00 p.m. in the Angus Bowmer Theatre. Directed by Sara Bruner, The Children's Monologues features the adapted stories of children's first-hand experiences in South Africa retold and re-interpreted by playwrights and performed by actors. The play was created by the United Kingdom-based charity Dramatic Need, and this will be the second production of this play and the first in the U.S. For more information about the play, click here. Tickets are $25.00 and available online or by calling the Box Office at 800-219-8045 or 541-482-4331.

The evening Daedalus Variety Show, an inventive parade of acts, ranging from the outrageous to the poignant, and featuring a fun-filled underwear parade during the intermission, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Allen Elizabethan Theatre. The evening will be hosted by OSF actor Mark Bedard. Tickets are $30-35.00 and available online or by calling the Box Office at 800-219-8045 or 541-482-4331. The show will be sign-interpreted.

If you've seen the work on OSF's stages, you know the company has its share of talents, but if you visit our Daedalus Sales throughout the weekend, you will see how sweet, savory, sparkling and truly strange those talents can be. Visit the bricks for a glass of lemonade and some commemorative 27th Anniversary Daedalus T-shirts and posters. Step into the Thomas Theatre lobby on Monday, August 18 for baked goods and the Daedalus Arts and Treasures Sale, where you can buy anything from hand-crafted jewelry to dinner cooked in your home by an actor, or purchase props from your favorite OSF production.

Following each year's benefit, OSF distributes proceeds to local, regional, national and international organizations HIV and AIDS charitable organizations. In 2013, OSF distributed funds to the following:

OnTrack, Inc. - Alan F. Collins AIDS Project, Medford: $57,000
HIV Alliance (Josephine, Douglas, Curry, Coos counties): $16,000
Siskiyou County HIV/AIDS Foundation (SCHAF): $12,000
Africare: $5,000
G.R.A.C.E. USA: $10,000
Strength for the Journey: $2,500
Light: $1,750
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS: $10,000
S.A.F.E. Ghetto: $1,500
SCHAP Community School: $7,500

OSF artistic associate James Edmondson had the original idea for an HIV/AIDS fundraiser 27 years ago. OSF Artistic Director Emeritus Jerry Turner named the event the Daedalus Project after the story of Daedalus from Greek mythology. Daedalus and his son, Icarus, were imprisoned in a labyrinth by King Minos, and by crafting wings from wax and feathers, Daedalus created a way out of the maze.