By Ann Duwe

Some people just need to see it live, in person. Dance, music, theater - no matter. A recording won’t do. These are the folks who make annual pilgrimages to Ashland for a fix of fine theater.

For those who go with Town Crier Train Tours, there is an added measure of first-hand experience - the pleasure of taking the train to Oregon.

Now in its third year, Town Crier Train Tours heads to Ashland for the Shakespeare Festival, June 28 and returns July 2. Participants will attend four plays.

Only “The Winter’s Tale” is by the Bard himself. The other plays are period pieces with decidedly modern difficulties at their core. On the schedule: “Cyrano de Bergerac,” “The Importance of Being Earnest” and “Diary of Anne Frank.”

Adding poignancy to this year’s festival is the fact that Libby Appel, director since 1996, retires at the end of 2007. “Appel has revitalized the festival by her choice of plays, by commissioning new work and by her use of more diverse casting,” said Lynn Kelson of Los Altos. This year marks Lynn and husband Dick’s 24th straight attending the event.

“Under Appel’s leadership, the festival continues to be far less conservative than it used to be,” Kelson said. Kelson said theproduction of “The Merchant of Venice” in modern dress, complete with Armani suits, was an example of the kinds of liberties Appel has promoted.

“The costuming is always fabulous,” Kelson said, “and the staging can be unexpected. For example, Appel chose a version of “The Comedy of Errors” set in a very glitzy, imaginary Las Vegas. It was very entertaining.”

Kelson celebrates the fact that Appel commissioned “By the Waters of Babylon” especially for the festival. Appel took another leap of faith in things new when she chose Frank Galati’s “Oedipus Complex,” a play that wraps together Greek tragedy and Freudian psychology in a minimalist courtroom setting.

Appel’s artistry will not be absent from future productions since she plans to direct individual plays just as she is directing “The Winter’s Tale” this season. But the festival is bound to take on a new personality as she begins letting go of responsibility for the country’s largest repertory festival.

Veterans know that beyond the 11 plays rotating on three stages between February and October, there are lectures, play readings, music and dance performances, meetings with actors and backstage tours.

The schedule for Town Crier Train Tours allows participants time to explore Ashland. Anita Nichols of Mountain View (2004 Town Crier Ashland Tour) described the town as “Carmel-like but not Carmel. The shops offer unique choices; besides there’s no sales tax.” Some of her favorites are the Clay Angel for unusual ceramics, Naturals for women’s clothes and Paddington Station.

Going to the festival by train gives people a different experience. Due to Amtrak’s schedule, participants board in San Jose, eat dinner on the train and retire for the night in sleeper cars.

The next morning, they are passing the snow-covered cones of Mount Shasta. The train stops in Klamath Falls, where they are met by chartered coach for the scenic 45-minute drive to Ashland. The return to San Jose is also an overnight journey.

This year, instead of driving directly to Ashland, Town Crier Train Tours has arranged a day at Train Mountain’s international garden railroad exposition. Train Mountain is 29 miles north of Klamath Falls. Former Los Altans Fred and Tom Vertel, who make their home on a 10-acre model railroad complex within the Train Mountain ground, will host the group.

For more information and reservations, call 941-6381 or e-mail ann.duwe@sbcglobal.net.