The Bricks

The Bricks. Most know it as a sort of town square located at the heart of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. This patch of bricks is located at the center of the three theatres, in the middles is a grassy knoll with a small outdoor stage. These bricks are a meeting place, a gathering place, a watching place, a laughing place and many more things to many people. There are corners to read a book and perches to eat a meal upon - it is a place of all the many spaces one could find themselves while at the Shakespeare Festival that any one may be found in. No key required or badge of honor/employment – it is open to all. As a decade long audience member I loved watching green shows on the bricks while at the same time watching actors arrive for their show calls – you never knew who you might spot sneaking through the masses to find the stage door. As an apprentice I particularly enjoy walking across the bricks between 6:30 and 7 in the evening. This is the time when patrons on the bricks search your face for a sign of recognition – they seem to silently ask: “have I seen that face on stage” or “is that a face listed in the back of a program?” I am not yet one of those faces but hope to be one day. When that day comes I’ll look forward to telling family and friends “I’ll see you on the bricks after the show.”