ASHLAND, Ore. -- The 73rd season of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival began in late February and although the festival doesn't hit high season until the end of May, the town is already making seasonal adjustments in response to the influx of visitors.

Parking lots in downtown Ashland are no longer free; hotels are starting to fill up and increased rates are on the horizon.

Frank Sunderland, front desk manager at the Best Western Bard's Inn Motel and Restaurant on North Main Street, told The Ashland Daily Tidings that the hotel sold all of its available rooms the opening weekend. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival saw its theaters fill to 80 percent capacity in its opening week, media associate Eddie Wallace told the paper.

William Shakespeare's "As You Like It," Tom Stoppard's "On the Razzle" and Anton Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" all opened in February, bringing critics and tourism industry representatives. August Wilson's "Gem of the Ocean" opens April 17 and Moliere's "Tartuffe" will be staged beginning late July.

For details on the festival, visit http://www.orshakes.org.