With the new season of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival set to open Feb. 15, incoming Artistic Director Bill Rauch has created what he feels to be his “ideal” first season.

Rauch’s  goals for 2008 including presenting at least four Shakespeare plays in all three theaters, and this year he’ll present “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in the Angus Bowmer Theatre, the rarely performed “Coriolanus” in the New Theatre, and “Othello” and “The Comedy of Errors” outdoors  on the Elizabethan Stage.

Rauch also wanted to include one non-Western classic and so he found a 2,000-year-old comic love story, “The Clay Cart,” which will be part of the initial productions.

Aiming to present more 20th-century American classics, he has included August Wilson’s “Fences,” Arthur Miller’s “A View from the Bridge” and Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town.”

Also in the 2008 line-up are a world premiere, Julie Marie Myatt’s “Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter” along with other new plays — Jeff Whitty’s “The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler” and Luis Alfaro’s “Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.”

In addition to overseeing the production of 11 plays for the February 15, 2008, opening, Rauch has launched a number of new programs.

Rauch takes over directorship from Libby Appel, who retired after a dazzling 2007 season that included a spectular version of “The Tempest,” Shakespeare’s last play.

With support of his artistic team, Rauch has started a number of new artistic programs, including a U.S. History Cycle, spearheaded by Alison Carey, cofounder of Cornerstone Theater with Rauch and now a part of the resident OSF artistic staff. This decade-long project will present readings and performances of commissioned works about American history. The company hopes to mount the first full production in 2010.

Claudia Alick, who joined OSF’s artistic staff in September, will curate OSF’s community-based Green Show, presented throughout the summer months before the evening performances. This all-new Green Show will feature a vibrant and diverse schedule of  performers; audiences might see Renaissance dancers, mariachi singers or a youth marimba band with a jazz sextet. Performers will include past artists and new ones from the local community and around the country.

Also organized by Alick, is the OSF Hip-Hop Boot Camp, in progress currently for company members and guest artists.

New marketing programs and pricing have also been developed for 2008. Military veterans, reservists and active duty service people will have the opportunity to receive two complimentary tickets to the new play “Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter,” which is about a female Marine’s fears of returning home from the Iraq war. The play asks the question: what is our responsibility to the men and women coming home from war? Rauch was passionate about making this discount available as a way for OSF to include and honor those who have served and are currently serving our country.

Community partnerships have been created to develop new relationships. The Veterans of Foreign Wars, Grizzly Post 353, has agreed to be a Community Partner for “Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter,” and will work with them in reaching out to their community and its veterans. OSF’s other Community Partner is La Clinica Del Valle, which will assist in developing new events and relationships around Luis Alfaro’s “Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.”

In an effort to form additional community relationships, Festival Latino will be held July 24-27. The event will celebrate Hispanic/Latino music, dance and culture. More information about the event will be posted to the website in late spring of 2008.

For the first time ever, OSF is discounting youth (6-17 years) tickets by 50 percent through the entire season. In addition, all C section tickets throughout the season are $20.

For further information, call the Box Office at (800) 219-8161 or (541) 482-4331. The Web site for the Oregon Shakespeare Feastival is www.osfashland.org