A Beaumont-Wilshire Creatives Series
Old timers from the neighborhood might remember Beaumont-Wilshire resident Ian Doescher from musical theater at Grant High School in the 1990s. In his freshman year he played Randolph in Bye Bye Birdie, after which he played a constable in The Music Man, Alfred Doolittle in My Fair Lady, and finally, in his senior year, he took on the role of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof.
Today, however, Ian is most famous for his Shakespearean Star Wars books, earning the number 12 spot on the New York Times hardcover fiction list in 2013 for his then-new book William Shakespeare’s Star Wars.
The idea to blend Star Wars and Shakespeare came to Ian in 2012.
“Three things happened,” he said. “I watched the Star Wars trilogy, went to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, one of the first really popular mash-up books.”
A fan of both the playwright William Shakespeare and the Star Wars movies, Ian combined the voice of the former and the stories of the latter. For him, it was a natural pairing since the themes of both are classic and traditional.
What does this merging look like? In the words of Star Wars’ talking robot character C3PO:
Anon, anon, R2! Where dost thou go? O prithee, patience, leave me not alone. [Aside:] Aye, even though I mock and injure thee, I’ll surely die if e’er thou leavest me! [Exeunt droids.]
Ian has also written a children’s book of poems, I Wish I had a Wookiee, inspired by Star Wars. The poems are silly and sweet, genuine, and meaningful—reminiscent of popular children’s book author Shel Silverstein. The imagery is concrete enough for young people to understand, but the sentiments are elevated enough to honor the depth of feeling and experience of young people. The title poem begins:
I wish I had a Wookiee, To keep the monsters out. If nightmares came to get me, You’d hear Chewbacca shout.
The books in Ian’s Pop Shakespeare Series each combine a specific Shakespeare play with a teen-oriented film. The titles so far are The Taming of the Clueless, Much Ado about Mean Girls, and Get Thee…Back to the Future!
A native Portlander, Ian grew up near NE 30th and Klickitat, attending Alameda and Beaumont schools before going to Grant. There, he met Jennifer Creswell, the woman who would later become his wife. At the time both were members of the Royal Blues, Grant High School’s premier chamber ensemble, according to the school’s website.
Ian’s day job is as a copywriter for CareOregon. Jennifer is an Episcopal priest and a postpartum doula. During the pandemic, forced confinement didn’t slow Ian down; he continued to write. His two latest books came out in September 2021. He is currently working on three novels, all set in Oregon.
Look for Ian at St. Ignatius Catholic Church where he and some friends are resuming their monthly singing group. To learn more about Ian’s writing, visit his website at iandoescher.com.
Elise Schumock grew up in Beaumont-Wilshire and attended Sabin, Beaumont, and Grant. She studied classics at Whitman College after which she taught Latin and Greek in Los Angeles. She returned home in 2018 to open Rose City Book Pub, a bookstore, bar, and restaurant located at 1329 NE Fremont.