Bryn Mawr and the Bard

Since the 1980s, Mawrters from across the country have convened for an annual September trip to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) in Ashland, Ore. Organizer Pam Perrott ’62 and longtime attendee Julia Kossack ’84 share what makes the experience so special.

HOW DID THE BMC AT ASHLAND TRADITION/IDEA START?

Pam Perrott: The idea for the Ashland weekend goes back to the days when the Alumnae Association had districts. During a District Conference, we were talking about activities we could organize, and we talked about Ashland. I had always wanted to go there, being an avid theatergoer, but had never been. We decided on the second weekend in September, after the kids were back in school. Adele Birnbaum ’59 organized the first two years, then Betsy Bell ’59 and I stepped into the organizing role. Recently, Betsy has been committed to other things on the Ashland weekend, so I have organized with the help of family and friends.

We’ve been doing it for about 35 years. I’m not sure it will survive my demise; we’ll see! I like to go to Ashland with a Bryn Mawr crowd. We’re always interesting—worth getting to know. So that has motivated me to keep spending time organizing the weekend.

Bryn Mawr at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival — 2023 WAS THE GROUP’S 34TH YEAR IN ASHLAND. FRONT ROW (SITTING): Ellen Dubrowin ’67 (far left); Pam Port Streitfeld ’68 (3rd from left) MIDDLE ROW (STANDING): Pam Perrott ’62 (far left); Thea Gray ’92 (2nd from left); Sharon Dursi ’96 (3rd from left); Julia Kossack ’84 (4th from left); Terry Marra Callaghan ’82 (5th from left) BACK ROW (ON STAIRS): Sarah Stapleton-Gray ’86 (2nd from left); Carmen Brummet, M.A. ’72 (5th from left)

WHAT ARE SOME FAVORITE MEMORIES?

Julia Kossack: Among my favorite memories are all the breakfasts BMC Ashland attendees have together. Over breakfast, we discuss the plays we’d seen or would be seeing that weekend. As this is a BMC crowd, most people had interesting analyses or observations about the text used, the staging, and the actors. OSF could learn a lot listening to our group’s comments! The OSF produces a mix of plays, some by Shakespeare, and some by other playwrights old and new, including current authors who are developing brand new plays, some of which have gone on to Broadway. Whether we’re having a breakfast discussion of a 400-year-old Shakespeare play or a new play still in development, Mawrters always have trenchant, well-thought-out views! And of course, we also have a lot to say about Ashland restaurants and local sightseeing.

Another favorite memory is from one of the talks Pam arranged for our group by an OSF company member. Company member talks are usually given by actors, but in this case, the company member was an OSF theater makeup artist. As part of her demonstration of how stage makeup can look very real, the artist asked my teenage daughters to volunteer as models for stage makeup wounds. One daughter asked that her sister be given a bullet wound—right on her forehead. Once the makeup artist was finished, we asked my daughter to keep the makeup on after the talk while we walked around town at lunchtime, to see how people reacted to the very realistic-looking wound. As you might expect, local people, who frequently saw performers in costume and makeup, barely glanced at her, while tourists looked startled and tried to stare discreetly. My husband and I even tried (unsuccessfully) to convince our daughter to go into the nearest pharmacy and ask for medication for her splitting headache!

WHAT WERE SOME NEW BMC CONNECTIONS THAT WERE FORGED VIA THE ASHLAND SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL?

JK: We forged BMC connections in two main ways. For many years Pam would arrange for a BMC faculty member to attend the weekend with us and give a talk on a topic related to one or more of the plays we were seeing, and of course fill us in on the latest BMC news. The faculty member visits definitely helped keep us connected to BMC, especially the alumnae/i who hadn’t been to campus recently. But the most important way we forge BMC connections through the BMC Ashland weekends is by showing up and getting to know each other. Pam makes sure to include many group socializing opportunities at meals and between or after plays. We connect over reminiscences of our time at BMC—who we were then, and who we are now, what BMC was like when we were there and what has changed, how our BMC studies inspired or affected our interest in theater and other interests—and all of this with fellow alumnae/i we might not otherwise meet at reunions or BMC events closer to where we live. We all have an instant connection because regardless of when we were at BMC, the College fostered an intellectual curiosity that bonds all the alumnae/i who come to BMC Ashland.

The next Bryn Mawr alumae/i trip to Ashland will be in September 2024. Learn more and register at: