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Oregon Shakespeare Festival sets $2.5 million fundraising goal to save the season

Open to the sky, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's outdoor Allen Elizabethan Theatre seats 1,200 people. Featured in the photo is the 2012 set and ensemble in Henry V. (Photo by T. Charles Erickson)

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is asking for $2.5 million for its “The Show Must Go On: Save Our Season, Save OSF” campaign, in an attempt to rescue the 2023 festival season from economic hardship.

The non-profit theater announced its emergency fundraising campaign on Tuesday morning. According to the press release, the COVID-19 pandemic and wildfires led to many closures for the festival — causing a deficit in funding between this May and July.

“We are facing difficult scenarios based on a post-pandemic reality, but we are doing everything we can to prevent these scenarios from happening,” Board Chair Diane Yu said in a statement. “Our hope is that everyone whose lives have been touched by OSF and values powerful theatre-making will help ensure its survival.”

In January of this year, the non-profit theater announced a restructuring brought on by the “post-pandemic market.” The restructuring consisted mostly of staffing changes, including separations and furloughs, which set out to ensure the theater’s long-term success.

At that point, Nataki Garrett was announced as the festival’s interim executive artistic director. OSF has since relieved her of her executive director duties, which the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors is now taking over.

OSF’s 90-year anniversary is just two years away, and festival officials are determined to reach that milestone.

“This is an economic anchor for the Rogue Valley, a beloved theater throughout the industry, and a beacon for innovative theatre-making,” Kamilah Long, Interim Director of Development said. “The Show Must Go On: Save Our Season, Save OSF campaign is just that: A way for everyone who loves OSF to come together, save this theatre that we all love so much, and make sure that OSF shows can go on.”

One show, It’s Christmas, Carol!, has already been canceled to save resources for this season’s upcoming productions such as Rent, Romeo and Juliet and The Three Musketeers.

The festival has already received financial support from some donors, including The Hitz Foundation and its $10 million multi-year gift, the OSF Endowment Board’s $4.5 million disbursement and the Mellon Foundation’s $2 million donation.

Community members can make their own donations to the “The Show Must Go On” campaign here.

According to OSF, the campaign needs to raise $1.5 million by June in order to proceed with the 2023 season. Planning for the 2024 repertory season will also be dependent on the fundraiser’s success.