OSF interim executive director: ‘I think we have reached stability’ — budget balanced, search on for permanent executive director

By Holly Dillemuth, Ashland.news

The state Legislature awarded Oregon Shakespeare Festival $2,555,175 during its final day of the short session in Salem on Thursday, pending approval by Gov. Tina Kotek, heralding what appears to be an optimistic start to the 2024 season for the world-class nonprofit theater.

Tyler Hokama, interim executive director of Oregon Shakespeare Festival, anticipates putting the funds towards this season as well as planning for the 2025 OSF season, which will be the organization’s 90th anniversary, he told Ashland.news during a zoom interview Friday afternoon. Hokama testified in a House Committee hearing on Feb. 8 in Salem about the importance of funding for OSF, as it is a major piece of the Southern Oregon economy. Others testifying included a Southern Oregon University (SOU) representative and Ashland Mayor Tonya Graham. Hokama also testified over Zoom to the state Senate to advocate for the organization.

“That I see as a very big win,” Hokama said of the funding, by far the highest of the seven “Major Venues” earmarked in the bill. Second highest was the Oregon Symphony at $949,375. “That’s huge for us.”

“That’ll be important not just to this season, but to provide some tailwinds for our 2025 planning cycle,” he added. “One of the big challenges of the festival is that you’ve got to plan really early for the next season, while you’re already in — in fact, before you have even launched — the current season.”

Already, as the organization preps for the opening of previews for plays for the 2024 season, which start Monday, March 19, as well as the official first day of the season opening March 29, discussions are underway for what’s possible for the 2025 season as well.

“Knowing that there’s funding from the Legislature … will help ensure that we can be resilient and more confident in how we plan our next season,” Hokama said, noting it’s too soon to talk about specific programming in 2025.

Hokama credited community supporters such as Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development (SOREDI), Ashland Chamber of Commerce, SOU, The Chamber of Medford & Jackson County, and Britt Music & Arts Festival in helping OSF to lobby for additional state funding.

“We all showed a lot of support because everybody knows that OSF is super important for the regional economy,” he said. “Yes, it’s about the art, yes that’s important for the enrichment of Oregonians, but beyond that, it’s important for the local economy.

“OSF does bring in a lot of tourists to the area and it’s a huge economic driver as a result of doing that,” he added. “We worked hard to … raise advocacy and visibility and talked to representatives across our region to help garner support for this bill.”

Hokama looks ahead 

Going into OSF’s 89th season, the organization has begun a national hiring search to eventually replace Hokama, who was hired June 1, 2023, to serve in an interim capacity during a period of transition for the organization. The previous executive director,  David Schmitz, left in January 2023 along with a number of other staff departures to save money in the midst of a budget crunch. Then Artistic Director Nataki Garrett added the duties of executive director to her responsibilities. She left at the end of May 2023.

OSF has started fielding inquiries about taking on the permanent role as executive director, according to Hokama.

“There’s definitely been activity already, from day one,” Hokama said.

He came out of retirement to assist OSF, after an extensive career working in Silicon Valley, largely to help “right-size” an organization that was under duress.

“We were in a crisis when I arrived, that’s just — full stop — the nature of where things were,” Hokama said. “We were not yet sound financially.”

The organization now has a balanced budget, Hokama said, and has come out from under the deficit the organization was under in 2023.

“There had not been leadership in place, of course that’s always a challenge for any organization, and so it was my primary responsibility to stabilize the organization from an operations and finance perspective, and that’s what we did, and so by hiring some key leaders to run our development organization and running our finance organization, and putting a lot of focus in those areas, I think we have reached stability,” Hokama said. “We are a world of difference from where we were back in June where I arrived in terms of having a complete development team, in terms of having a complete finance team; feeling like the machinery of how we should operate is now in place. We were behind on a lot of vendor payments and now we’re current on everything, as far as I know …. We have visibility and good line of sight to our financials. We set a balanced budget, which is a huge achievement for 2024.”

Hokama said, now that the organization has gone from crisis to stability, the next step forward is toward improving the health of the organization. He sees himself as part of the catalyst to get the organization to better health. He’ll help serve as a bridge for the next executive director.

“A budget is a plan,” he added. “What’s more important than having a plan is executing to the plan, and, so far through the first fiscal quarter of the year, we’re on track with our plan.”

Hokama notes that sometimes it feels like he’s been here a long time, sometimes it feels like he’s just arrived.

“It just kind of depends on the day and the context, and you still learn a lot every day,” he said.

Much has changed since Hokama took on the role, including the hiring of Tim Bond as artistic director just three months after Hokama was hired.

“I’m definitely intending to stay in the role until we have secured the right person to be the permanent person on the business side,” Hokama said. “I intend to leave no gap. I intend to support my successor and make sure that he or she is well supported and has access to me. They have the benefit of me being a longtime local and they can set up meetings with me, call me whenever, and I’m happy to make sure that the transition goes smoothly.

“I absolutely want the success to continue here at OSF,” he added.

Hokama said Bond and whoever fills Hokama’s role will help OSF get to the level of health the organization is working to attain.

Asked about the timeline for the role to be filled, Hokama emphasized that a good fit for the role is key.

“It’s less about the timeline and more about the right person,” he said. “I believe that the board and the search committee are really focused on finding the right person for the role and we can wait longer for that person. We don’t want to rush it.

“I will be here until we find the right person.”

Reach Ashland.news staff reporter Holly Dillemuth at [email protected].

March 11: Added additional community supporters to list of those lobbying in favor of state funding for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.