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Nataki Garrett, artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, has announced she is resigning. Her last day will be May 31.
“When I was first appointed I was very clear that I came for the opportunity to do the real work and to impact the change necessary to evolve the theater and help it build towards a more inclusive future,” Garrett said in a statement to WW. “My focus has always been and will always be THE WORK. In that spirit, I am leaving with an eye on the future of the field.”
Garrett, who joined OSF in August 2019, has served as artistic director for four years (and interim executive director since January). She was the first Black female artistic director in OSF’s 88-year history.
During her tenure, Garrett faced racist backlash. Last fall, NPR reported that she had endured death threats and needed to be accompanied by private security in Ashland. She also told WW that she had received letters from patrons identifying themselves as the “Old White Guard,” accusing her of not understanding Shakespeare and staging too much modern and diverse work.
Garrett’s resignation also comes at a turbulent time for OSF. The company never fully recovered financially from the pandemic and enormous nearby wildfires that choked Ashland with smoke. And its financial condition appeared to worsen suddenly. Last month, a $2.5 million fundraising campaign was announced to save the 2023-24 season and avoid layoffs.
The need for an emergency fundraising drive to save the season was an alarming signal for an Oregon institution. Last month, OSF relieved Garrett of her executive director duties, as American Theatre reported this morning.
In her statement, Garrett reflected on the changes and challenges the theater community has faced since the pandemic.
“We all know that while our doors have reopened, the world is not the same,” she said. “We are at an inflection point in our industry, where outdated business models must evolve in order for our theaters to survive.”
She added: “But these challenges also pose great opportunities—to rebuild in a way that reflects where we are today and where we want to be in the future—with actors, staff, audiences, and artistic leaders who reflect the richness of our country’s diversity. This is what excites me. This is the work I came to do.”
In 2020, Garrett was tasked with guiding OSF through the pandemic. During the shutdown, she raised $19 million after fundraising, helped secure funding for the state’s performing arts organizations from the federal relief fund package, and started a nationwide advocacy coalition for nonprofit theaters.
Also, Garrett conceived and launched the digital platform O!, which allowed OSF to continue producing content during quarantine (the company’s nontheatrical offerings include a short film, Ash Land). As a director, her countless credits include the new OSF production of Romeo & Juliet.
“The board is grateful for the contributions Nataki has made to the advancement of theater and for extending OSF’s leadership within the theater community around the nation,” OSF board chair Diane Yu said. “She has made a mark on her profession and OSF’s reputation for quality and superlative art has been elevated and benefited from her service with us.”
As early as last December, Garrett told WW she was considering leaving Ashland, saying, “The Rogue Valley has to make a decision about what it’s going to be. Does [Ashland] want to make this a place that’s welcoming for everybody? If that’s not what Ashland wants, then I have to make a decision to move…but I’m willing to wait a little while to see if there’s a real response.”
She continued: “The most vulnerable in a culture—if you can lift them, if you center their lives, everybody wins. That’s why people are threatening me. They just want themselves to win. I want everybody to win.”