Ashland, Oregon was the site of one of the original chatauquas. Ashland is presently the site of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, a group of three theatres, each with a very different atmosphere and type of presentation.
The Angus Bowmer theatre is a large, modern indoor theatre where contemporary plays are presented as well as Shakespearean plays. The Black Swan is a small, intimate theatre where a variety of plays are performed. The Elizabethan theatre is an outdoor theatre, designed to approximate stages in Elizabethan times. Here presentations are either Shakespeare's plays or things written in that era.
The festival grounds are adjacent to Lithia Park, a beautiful city park with a natural fish bearing stream, swan ponds, the usual playgrounds and picnic areas, and large natural sections. The park is named for the mineral water that flows from artesian springs in the area. The water contains lithium, a naturally occurring sedative, which some think accounts for the laid back atmosphere found in Ashland.