Club Meeting 10/8 🎭 Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Progress, Challenges & Bright Horizons

This week, our club welcomed Javier Dubon, Sales and Marketing Manager and Interim Executive Director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF), for an inspiring presentation on the Festival’s path forward.

Javier shared a Progress Report focused on transparency and rebuilding trust with audiences, partners, and the local community. OSF is working to stabilize operations, grow attendance, and renew its artistic and educational commitments after several difficult seasons.

Among the challenges noted were the lingering effects of the pandemic on tourism, increased production costs, and the need to attract new and more diverse audiences. Yet, there have been many wins to celebrate — from strong community partnerships and returning patrons to a bold new season lineup and creative collaborations that keep Ashland on the cultural map.

Quoting OSF Major Donor and former Board Member Bertie Elliott:

“So many are feeling worried, even helpless with all that is happening both nationally and internationally. What can we do? I believe we can think about the communities that we are each part of… the communities that matter most to us and consider what we can do to help make those communities as strong as possible.
OSF is an extremely important community to me and to so many others. It is an honor to give to a cultural institution like OSF that is working to bind people together in a time when so much is trying to tear us apart.”

The Festival continues to adapt with new marketing strategies, creative programming, and a commitment to accessibility and inclusion — ensuring that live theatre in Southern Oregon remains vibrant for generations to come.

If you missed it you can find recordings of our meetings posted (may take a few days) on our YouTube page https://www.youtube.com/@MedfordRogueRotary-j6y