Speaker series to feature OSF leaders discussing its process of rebuilding following the pandemic

Ashland.news staff report

Founded in 1935 by Angus L. Bowmer, the Tony Award-winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) is among the oldest and largest professional nonprofit theaters in the nation. The festival has weathered a few “tempests” in recent years, but as it approaches the 90th anniversary in 2025, things couldn’t look more promising, according to a news release from the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Ashland Branch and Jackson County Library Services announcing the next presentation in the “Big Ideas” series.

“One Brick at a Time: Rebuilding the Oregon Shakespeare Festival” is a free public program set for 4 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12, in the Gresham Room at the Ashland Public Library, 410 Siskiyou Blvd.

OSF Artistic Director Tim Bond and Board Member Amy Cuddy will discuss the comprehensive process by which OSF has been rebuilt following the Covid-19 pandemic, focusing on several key areas of transformation.

This includes shifts in programming, key leadership appointments, and efforts to strengthen relationships with both the local and broader communities. Additionally, they will explore the adjustments made to business operations, all aimed at ensuring the festival’s long-term sustainability.

Bond became the festival’s seventh artistic director, returning to Ashland in 2023. He previously served as associate artistic director under Libby Appel from 1996 to 2007. Bond’s contributions to OSF include directing 13 productions, championing equity and inclusion efforts, and establishing the FAIR (Fellowships, Assistantships, Internships, Residencies) program, a groundbreaking initiative dedicated to nurturing the next generation of diverse theater artists and administrators.

Amy Cuddy moved to Ashland in 1986 to work at OSF and joined the OSF board in fall 2023.  In the 1980s and 1990s she worked in the development and marketing departments and, as the director of marketing and communication, had oversight for publications, media relations, education programs, box office, house staff and volunteers. After OSF, Cuddy had a 20-year career at the Oregon Community Foundation, where she was most recently the philanthropic advisor and regional director for Southern Oregon. 

Questions about the program may be directed to AAUW “Big Ideas” coordinator Marilyn Hawkins, 541-708-6697, [email protected]; or Ellie Anderson, Ashland Public Library, 541-774-6896, [email protected].

Source: American Association of University Women news release. Email Ashland.news at [email protected].