Javier ‘Javi’ Dubon replaces Gabriella Calicchio, who served only seven months.
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival has named an interim executive director, seven months after the struggling regional repertory theater installed a new director.
OSF’s head of marketing and sales Javier “Javi” Dubon will serve as interim executive director.
Gabriella Calicchio, who began her term as executive director in November, is on “personally requested leave” and “will no longer be conducting any duties on behalf of OSF or representing the organization in any capacity,” according to an email sent to donors last week signed by OSF board chair Rudd Johnson and Director of Development Jennifer Ryen. Her service officially concludes July 1, according to the message, first reported by Ashland News.
“We thank Gabriella for the time and effort she has dedicated to the organization and wish her the very best in all her future endeavors,” Johnson wrote in a statement. “This is a moment to realign with our values and set a clear course for OSF’s future as we begin the search for a permanent replacement.”
Dubon joined OSF in 2022 and is credited with helping the organization regrow its audience following the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as managing the festival’s brand and public relations.
“We’re in a period of momentum. Audiences are returning. Our teams are growing stronger,” Dubon wrote in a statement. “We’re meeting and exceeding expectations, and we’re building real excitement again.”
The festival’s board of directors approved Dubon’s temporary appointment Monday.
“(Dubon’s) leadership is rooted in clarity, empathy, and a deep belief in OSF’s mission,” Johnson wrote. “We are so grateful that he is willing to take this on.”
OSF has teetered financially since before the pandemic. The organization, which receives a greater portion of its revenue from ticket sales than other similar festivals, is especially vulnerable to dips in attendance. In early 2023, OSF announced an emergency fundraising drive to raise $1.5 million to help keep the organization afloat and prevent layoffs and closures.
OSF has seen notable leadership churn in recent years, notably at the executive director level. Calicchio was the sixth executive director to lead OSF since 2019, with three serving on an interim basis. Nataki Garrett, who served as artistic director of the theater for four years and then as interim ED before parting ways with OSF altogether in 2023, following intense scrutiny of her programming choices and racist threats that prompted her to hire private security.
When Oregon Business profiled OSF artistic director Tim Bond — who had served as artistic director from 1996 to 2007 and returned to his former role after Garrett’s departure — he said he hoped 2024 would be the organization’s “miracle season.”
Bond wrote in a statement this week he remains committed to OSF despite the latest leadership shakeup.
“Stepping into this next chapter alongside [Dubon] only deepens my own commitment to OSF and to the important work we’ll be doing together.”
OSF was founded in Ashland in 1935 by drama professor Angus Bowmer, who persuaded the local government to revive a traditional Fourth of July festival with added stagings of the works of Shakespeare. The festival grew to global prominence, reaching its one-millionth visitor in 1971 and its 20-millionth in 2015.
But OSF has contended with increasingly severe summer wildfire seasons and changing audience preferences. However, the storied arts organization may be turning a corner: halfway through its 90th season, OSF reports that it has surpassed total ticket sales for 2024.
OSF is not the only Oregon theater outfit to struggle post-pandemic. Portland’s Artists Repertory Theatre laid off its artistic director in 2023 after suspending its 2023-2024 season two weeks before it was scheduled to start. ART was mired in an extensive renovation effort and had hoped the Oregon Legislature would pass a bill allocating millions for the arts. More recently, the Oregon Children’s Theatre has announced it will pause all performances after September. And earlier this year, Portland Center Stage announced it would need to raise $2.5 million by Aug. 31 to keep the lights on — and $9 million by 2026.
House Bill 5006, a last-minute appropriations bill awaiting final passage in the Oregon legislature, could provide some relief for arts organizations across the state. It includes $2.5 million for OSF as well as $1.3 million for PCS, Willamette Week reported Tuesday.
Dubon has worked with respected arts institutions around the country, according to OSF’s release. They include the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Auditorium Theatre and Texas Performing Arts. He has a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Texas at Austin and is a classically trained saxophonist.
“My work has always been grounded in creating exceptional experiences for audiences,” said Dubon in the statement. “That’s what drew me to a career in arts marketing and administration, and it’s what informs my approach as an arts leader. At its best, OSF is a place where artists, audiences, and staff come together to build and experience something larger than any one of us. That’s what I want to nurture and protect.”
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