Nataki Garrett, the first Black female artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, has resigned from her position amid a fundraising campaign to save the organization from a financial crisis. OSF Board Member Octavio Solis will help support the artistic leadership team and find a replacement artistic director during the transition. Garrett did not provide a specific reason for leaving the organization. The festival is trying to raise $2.5 million to prevent layoffs and complete the 2023 season.
Nataki Garrett, the embattled leader of Oregon Shakespeare Festival, has announced her resignation from her leadership role at the end of May. The reason for her departure is unknown. Octavio Solís will assume interim leadership duties in June. Garrett has faced many obstacles in her four-year tenure, including death threats and being shadowed by a security detail. The industry’s challenge and opportunity is to rebuild “with actors, staff, audiences and artistic leaders who reflect the richness of our country’s diversity.”
Nataki Garrett, the first Black female artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, has resigned amid criticism over her choice of plays and casting, as well as racist harassment. The festival is currently in the midst of a fundraising campaign to save the season. Board member Octavio Solis will step in to support and oversee the artistic leadership team during the transition and lead efforts to find an interim artistic director. Garrett's tenure has been controversial at times, with critics disagreeing with her choice of productions and a greater focus on diverse casting.
Nataki Garrett, the artistic director of Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF), is resigning from her position effective May 31. Her departure comes amid a "Save Our Season" campaign to raise $2.5 million by June 1 to launch the current five-show season and $10 million to complete it, as well as plan for the future. Garrett faced criticism over her leadership and programming as the festival's first artistic director of color, and also faced death threats and hired security. OSF has relied for years on a handful of extremely high-money donors, and both the pandemic shutdown and the annual fire season in Rogue Valley put a severe strain on those relationships.
