OSF Chair Diane Yu talks about 2023-24 seasons, new interim executive director, fundraising
By Holly Dillemuth, Ashland.news
Oregon Shakespeare Festival Board Chair Diane Yu, who lives in New York and has a second residence in Ashland, has much to say about the future of OSF, its leadership, and fundraising goals leading up to its 90th anniversary in 2025.
Yu, a volunteer board member, spoke with Ashland.news via phone on Friday about the the hiring of Tyler Hokama as interim executive director, in addition to the need for $7.3 million to keep the current season going strong. Hokama takes the reins following the exit of Nataki Garrett, artistic director since 2019 who also served this spring as interim executive director prior to her resignation that took effect May 31.
“(Hokama’s) an 11 on a scale of 10, I’m really excited,” Yu told Ashland.news Friday. “(A)s a senior level executive, he’s had to face challenges and had to face crisis and had to face difficult transitions and so, he’s well suited for the environment that’s kind of intense, especially at these early stages when we are trying to revamp things. There’s always a bit of apprehension and nervousness and worry and I think he does have a kind of calm confidence that will help all of us move forward with greater assurity as we’re moving on these fronts.”
Yu praised Hokama’s blend of business experience, financial knowledge and acumen, as well as humility and the right temperament “for the difficulties ahead,” Yu said.
Hokama was senior director, chief of staff for technology and corporate development when he left Adobe in 2016 and moved to Ashland. Prior to that, he was director for corporate development for mergers and acquisition integration, after serving as director of business operations over nearly 10 years with the software colossus headquartered in San Jose, California
That followed eight years with Hewlett-Packard as a director in customer operations, and shorter stints with Bank of America and T. Rowe Price.
Hokama was unavailable for comment Friday.
Yu is hopeful that Hokama’s retirement from Silicon Valley to the Rogue Valley and love of community “will contribute to helping us get through this difficult patch and onto a much more sustainable road.”
Yu said Hokama quickly “sized up” some of OSF’s financial stresses and weaknesses and put forth ideas of how to tackle them. Hokama also has shown Yu and fellow board members how he’ll engage the community in fundraising efforts as well.
Yu said Hokama will likely look at ticket pricing strategies going forward, as a number of modifications were made in 2020-2021. Currently, tickets cost $35 to $75 each.
“I think we want to look at whether or not the changes again need modification so that they will … help us get to our optimal financial situation,” she said. “Those kinds of things, including the member programs, will be looked at.
“We have had a lot of input from people because OSF tends to be a theater organization that both invites and receives lots of advice from many people. Our patrons, our donors, our residents in the valley. We’ll do our best to take into account the views people have had about some of the changes or some of the things they think need to be changed.”
Yu didn’t elaborate on specifics, but said an extensive analysis and study will be important in deciding which path the organization takes in moving forward, and what strategies will be most successful and well-received.
When asked about OSF’s many active volunteers, Yu said it is her belief OSF will continue to offer them opportunities.
“I love our volunteers and I’ve been impressed over the 40 years I’ve been coming to OSF in Ashland at how dedicated and how friendly and how welcoming our volunteers have been in all different areas in which they’ve played a part,” Yu said. “So I believe we will engage them and I’m hoping they will want to keep working for and with us because I think they know how wonderful an institution this can be and it was a joyful experience for them to have.”
“I know that is a critical part of our success at being a treasure in the community,” she added.
“I salute them and we welcome them, so I think there will be a number of interesting things for them to take part in in the coming months and years.”
“I have tremendous confidence in (Hokama’s) abilities and in his strategic vision and in his ability to collaborate and work effectively with the teams and the different groups and constituencies that make up OSF,” she added. “His own love of the region, his love of theater, his exposure to theater organizations in the valley are also invaluable.”
“It’s the whole package,” she added.
Looking back
Yu said that OSF has managed pretty well financially in recent years, though the organization has experienced considerable layoffs following the COVID-19 pandemic and post-wildfire impacts of 2020 and 2021.
“We’ve had instances where there have been deficits, but they were fairly modest,” Yu said. “It’s not uncommon for a theater organization to have occasional deficits … because of our (business) model, which is one where you end up having to spend a lot of money ahead of time to secure the plays and directors and the cast, to start building sets and costumes and hair and wigs; to have the crews and stagehands all ready to serve before a single patron has sat in the theater. So it’s a lot of up-front and labor-intensive expense at the outset, which makes it expensive.”
Yu said it’s the same type of business model as symphonies or operas, which have to commission the works before the performance season begins.
“Because we are going to be introducing … both modest and possibly some major changes over the next couple of years, our predictions about how much money we need might be a little fluid, but right now, all things being equal, something in that neighborhood ($7.3 million) will be helpful in order to complete the season all the way to October. We’re in very good shape now. All the summer productions, we’re in great shape.”
Additional fundraising will ensure the final weeks of the season can be completed, according to Yu.
“Believe me, we are trying to be more conservative,” she said.
Previously, Yu said OSF has been a bit ambitious about how much things such as ticket sales could add to its budget.
“I think we want to be more cautious and to indicate that we’ve learned some important lessons that COVID told us,” she said, “and some of the post-COVID experiences we’ve had have helped us understand, we need to do some things a little differently. We have heartening news that many donors are coming forward and we’re working very hard to make sure that this is not a problem, but we thought in the interest of transparency, that we would indicate that, it’s going to be nonstop fundraising forever, really. I think that’s really the reality of any arts organization, post-COVID.”
She wells with pride over OSF and the high quality of its performances, which are well underway with William Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet” and Jonathan Larson’s “Rent.”
“That’s reflected not just in my opinion, but in the responses of audiences to our latest two plays,” Yu said.
“I think the excitement about ‘Twelfth Night’ and ‘The Three Musketeers’ will continue that positive spirit and excitement on the part of the theater-goer,” she added.
“We’re turning a page, we’re onto a new chapter,” Yu said. “I’m feeling very gratified by some of the early response and early success so far.”
Yu said the whole purpose of theater is to ensure great experiences for audiences.
“It’s people intensive and that makes it expensive because — people are expensive,” she said.
Yu said Hokama will look at both the expense and revenue sides of OSF’s budget, and also the systems side, “where and how can we strengthen our processes and systems so they are more efficient, up-to-date and more able to handle the kinds of realities and demands of the theater, post-COVID.
“So, recognizing the realities and the timing and the sequencing of when you spend the money and when you need it is one of the challenges, and I think he’s going to help us analyze a little more thoroughly what possible ways can we keep money flowing while we’re in the early stages, before we’ve put the plays on the stages, and what ways can we utilize those dollars in the most effective way, and that means we need to improve some of our infrastructure, which admittedly has gotten, since COVID, under tremendous stress.”
Yu, who volunteers her time on the board, said that serving as chair of the OSF Board of Directors is an important part of her life.
“We are thrilled at having Tyler join us because of his experience and knowledge, (which) will help guide us,” she said. “We are thrilled because we’re going to be able to have this tremendous art on the stage … and we are very determined to make sure OSF is a success because it’s important for the region and for the art and theater world generally.”
Part of that success moving forward will also mean seeking a new artistic director to replace Garrett.
“We are in the process of looking to secure some artistic help because we want to make sure that this season, even though it was already planned and the actors and directors and such are already in place, there are ongoing issues and needs through out a season, and it’s helpful to have a leader, so we think having an interim artistic director to help shepherd the rest of the season is appropriate and prudent, and there will be an effort … to search for a permanent artistic director.”
“Our goal right now is to secure services for an interim artistic director and some planning, in a very early stage, for a 2024 season, will occur this summer. But again, we want to make sure we have some security of some funding ahead of time, before we plan something that’s more ambitious than our pocketbooks will allow. I think we will (move) cautiously about our hoped-for plans for ’24, because we think it’s important to have a season next year, we want to have a season next year. We know it’s critically important for our audiences and for locals and the businesses around here to have plays next season, and we’re really excited about 2025, which will be our 90th anniversary, so we definitely want to build some momentum this year and next towards that.”
Reach Ashland.news reporter Holly Dillemuth at [email protected].
