Oregon Shakespeare Festival welcomes incoming artistic director

ASHLAND, Ore. – The Oregon Shakespeare festival’s new artistic director just arrived in the Rogue Valley. Though her work won’t officially begin until August, she’s already adding her own style to the company.

“Capitalize on Shakespeare’s ability to bring us and transform us and ignite our imaginations and remind us who we are at our core, where our empathy lies and the kind of people that we can be,” Incoming artistic director, Nataki Garrett said.

Nataki Garrett is ready to dive into her role as the artistic director. She has a background in the theater in major cities like L.A., Atlanta and most recently Denver, and now she’s bringing her own style to the Rogue Valley.

“I am apart of a dialogue that’s happening nationally in the American theater that is about the change the change of vision the point of view, the necessary change in order to bring a generation into the theater,” Garrett said.

Though the Oregon Shakespeare Festival is well-recognized across the nation, Garrett says she still has her work cut out for her as the new artistic director.

“I do have some ideas about how to ensure the future of OSF through these fire seasons, and I think that’s what it will be is a fire season,” she said. “I do have my own ideas, but I certainly think it’s important to collaborate with the people who know and who have already rolled up their sleeves. I’m just going to roll up my sleeves alongside them.”

Garrett won’t step into the new role until August, in the meantime, she’ll be learning all that she can from the OSF community.

“I want to make those relationships my relationships, I want to get to know this community, get to know the chamber of commerce, get to know the ways that Ashland can thrive with OSF at the center,” she said.

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