Last week, our 7th grade class made the trek north to Ashland, Oregon, to experience the world-class theater program at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. While in Ashland, the students also got a taste of college life in the residential halls of Oregon State University, just a mile from downtown Ashland. In addition to experiencing two world-class theater productions (Born with Teeth and Macbeth), the students engaged in multiple workshops, backstage tours, and interactive discussions with theater professionals to learn about the technical highlights behind the scenes and the multi-faceted aspects it takes to bring first-class theater to life – from the script to the actors to every visual and audio detail the audience experiences. In between watching plays, students created their own Renaissance skits to perform for each other, explored Lithia Park and quaint downtown Ashland, tested their mystery-solving skills at the local Castle/Saloon/Escape rooms, and enjoyed their play time together.