OSF to Stage Lisa Wolpe's SHAKESPEARE AND THE ALCHEMY OF GENDER, 9/1

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) will welcome Lisa Wolpe, LA Women's Shakespeare Company artistic director and acclaimed Shakespearean drag king, to the Angus Bowmer Theatre on September 1 at 8 p.m. for OSF Presents: Shakespeare and the Alchemy of Gender.

Wolpe, who appeared at OSF in 2012 as Polina in The Seagull and as Jason, Chorus and Ensemble in Medea/Macbeth/Cinderella, returns to the Festival with this solo show that shares the story of a masterful performer rending the veil that separates genders, actors and audience, and the present from the past. Wolpe reveals physical and spiritual secrets of cross-gender performance and offers insight into the making of the Bard's magic.

"Lisa Wolpe is an amazing interpreter of Shakespeare," said Claudia Alick, OSF's Associate Producer, Community. "She approaches characters such as Iago and Hamlet in challenging and illuminating ways. It's a pleasure to have this company member returning to share some master work."

General seating tickets for this show are $18 for members and $20 for non-members and may be purchased in advance online, in person at the OSF Box Office, or by calling 800-219-8161. Due to the Labor Day holiday, web sales will close Sunday, August 31, and tickets will be available for purchase and pick-up at the Angus Bowmer Theatre door on Monday, September 1.

In its third year, OSF Presents is a program designed to give Oregon Shakespeare Festival artists an arena to share their art with the public on a larger scale than they may be able to do independently. The artists are a mix of company members and Green Show guest artists and playwrights. Proceeds from the shows are shared by the artists and OSF. This program is funded in part by the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation.

The final OSF Presents of the 2014 season will be Luis Alfaro's St. Jude on September 11 during CultureFest.

Photo by Jenny Graham