Angus L. Bowmer (September 25, 1904 – May 26, 1979) was the founder of the

Oregon Shakespeare Festival The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) is a regional Repertory, repertory theatre in Ashland, Oregon, United States, founded in 1935 by Angus L. Bowmer. The Festival now offers matinee and evening performances of a wide range of classic and conte ...

Ashland, Oregon Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. It lies along Interstate 5 in Oregon, Interstate 5 approximately 16 miles (26 km) north of the California border and near the south end of the Rogue Valley. The city's population w ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. During his tenure as artistic director, he produced all 37 of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's plays and performed 32 Shakespearean roles in 43 separate stagings.

Biography

Angus Livingston Bowmer was born in

Bellingham, Washington Bellingham ( ) is the county seat of Whatcom County, Washington, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It lies south of the Canada–United States border, U.S.–Canada border, between Vancouver, British Columbia, ...

, on September 25, 1904. He was the only child of Charles C. Bowmer (born August 19, 1880, Nevada; died February 1967, Portland, Oregon) and Florence "Flora" Priest (born Dec 1880, Wisconsin; died June 5, 1958, Portland, Oregon).http://museum.bmi.net/Picnic%20People%20A.L/Bowmer,%20Wm.htm retrieved 2007-08-05 He moved with his family at least twice, living in

Mount Vernon, Washington Mount Vernon is the county seat of and the most populous city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. A central location in the Skagit River Valley, the city is located south of the U.S.–Canada border and north of Seattle. The popul ...

, in 1910 and

Oak Harbor, Washington Oak Harbor is a city located on Whidbey Island in Island County, Washington, United States. The population was 24,622 at the 2020 census. Oak Harbor was incorporated on May 14, 1915. History The Lower Skagit people have inhabited Oak Harb ...

, by 1920. He graduated from the Washington State Normal School at Bellingham (now

Western Washington University Western Washington University (WWU or Western) is a public university in Bellingham, Washington, United States. The northernmost university in the contiguous United States, WWU was founded in 1893 as the state-funded New Whatcom Normal School, s ...

) in 1923.http://alumni.wwu.edu/AlumniRecognition/distinguished.shtml retrieved 2007-08-05 Bowmer attended the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

in the 1930s, acting in at least two of its Shakespeare productions, ''

Love's Labor's Lost ''Love's Labour's Lost'' is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance at the Inns of Court before Queen Elizabeth I. It follows the King of Navarre and his three companions as ...

'' and ''

Cymbeline ''Cymbeline'' (), also known as ''The Tragedie of Cymbeline'' or ''Cymbeline, King of Britain'', is a play by William Shakespeare set in British Iron Age, Ancient Britain () and based on legends that formed part of the Matter of Britain concer ...

'' under guest director

Ben Iden Payne Ben Iden Payne (5 September 1881 – 6 April 1976), also known as B. Iden Payne, was an English actor, director and teacher. Active in professional theatre for seventy years, he helped the first modern repertory theatre in the United Kingdom, was a ...

, an Englishman whose ideas for neo-Elizabethan staging of Shakespeare's plays provided inspiration later in Bowmer's life as he began producing the plays that became the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. In 1931, Bowmer was invited to become an instructor in English at Southern Oregon Normal School, a predecessor to

Southern Oregon University Southern Oregon University (SOU) is a public university in Ashland, Oregon. It was founded in 1872 as the Ashland Academy, has been in its current location since 1926, and was known by nine other names before assuming its current name in 1997.Kre ...

, in Ashland, Oregon. Bowmer married Gertrude Butler prior to enlisting in the Army July 20, 1942, where he served as a

Warrant Officer Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ...

. After serving his country and returning to Oregon, Bowmer organized theater activities in Ashland and continued teaching at the college until he retired in 1971. Bowmer befriended Fred C. Adams who came to Ashland to observe the festival's operations prior to Adams founding the

Utah Shakespearean Festival The Utah Shakespeare Festival is a theatrical festival that performs works by Shakespeare as its cornerstone. The Festival is held during the summer and fall on the campus of Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah Cedar City is the ...

in 1961. Bowmer remained active in the festival until his death in 1979. His wife, secretary, assistant, and festival hostess, Gertrude Butler Bowmer, died August 19, 1994.

Beginnings of the Shakespeare Festival

The remains of an old

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) is an adult education and social movement in the United States that peaked in popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Cha ...

building in Ashland's

Lithia Park Lithia Park is the largest and most central park of Ashland, Oregon, United States. It consists of of forested canyonland around Ashland Creek, stretching from the downtown plaza up toward its headwaters near Mount Ashland. Its name originate ...

gave Bowmer the idea of staging Shakespeare plays on an outdoor Elizabethan stage. In 1935 he persuaded the government of Ashland to revive the tradition of

July 4th Events Pre-1600 * 362 BC – Battle of Mantinea: The Thebans, led by Epaminondas, defeated the Spartans. * 414 – Emperor Theodosius II, age 13, yields power to his older sister Aelia Pulcheria, who reigned as regent and proclai ...

celebrations with an important addition: a Shakespearean Festival. The

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

helped construct a makeshift Elizabethan stage on the Chautauqua site and Bowmer, college students, teachers, and Ashland citizens mounted two plays,

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...

and

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

, for three performances. Bowmer directed and played the roles of

Shylock Shylock () is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's play '' The Merchant of Venice'' ( 1600). A Venetian Jewish moneylender, Shylock is the play's principal villain. His defeat and forced conversion to Christianity form the climax ...

and Sir

Toby Belch Sir Toby Belch is a character in William Shakespeare's ''Twelfth Night''. He is Olivia's uncle. Character Sir Toby is an ambiguous mix of high spirits and low cunning. He first appears in the play's third scene, when he storms onto the stage ...

. Several hundred people attended the First Annual Shakespearean Festival. When Bowmer died in 1979, the OSF had performed Shakespeare's entire canon twice.

Bibliography

*Bowmer, A. L. (1932). ''Andrew Jackson; an historical drama in nine scenes''. *Bowmer, A. L. (1933). ''Angus Bowmer scrapbook''. *Bowmer, A. L. (1934). ''Oregon diamond jubilee: official program''. .l: s.n.*Bowmer, A. L. (1975). ''As I remember, Adam: an autobiography of a festival''. Ashland: Oregon Shakespearean Festival Association. *Bowmer, A. L. (1978). ''The Ashland Elizabethan stage: its genesis, development, and use. Shreds and patches, chapbook 1''. Ashland, Or: Oregon Shakespearean Festival Association. *Bowmer, A. L. (1979). ''Acting and directing on the Ashland Elizabethan stage. Shreds and patches, chapbook 2''. Ashland, Or: Oregon Shakespearean Festival Association.

Awards

*1961, the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

''Distinguished Service Award''. *1964, ''Edith Knight Hill Memorial Award'', for outstanding contribution to Oregon, by Portland Professional Chapter

Theta Sigma Phi The Association for Women in Communications (AWC) is an American professional organization for women in the communications industry.Kopecki, Dawn (1996). "Makeover gives group new identity, no staff". The Washington Times. It was formed as Theta ...

*1974, presidential appointee to the ''National Council of the Arts'' *1977, the First Annual ''Governor's Award for Significant Contributions to the Advancement of the Arts in Oregon'', a joint resolution by the

Oregon Legislature The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower chamber: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the H ...

*2000, Western Washington University, ''Alumni of the Century''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowmer, Angus L. American theatre directors People from Ashland, Oregon Southern Oregon University faculty Western Washington University alumni 1904 births 1979 deaths Male actors from Oregon 20th-century American male actors Shakespearean directors