Gabriella Calicchio is returning to the theater space after working in other cultural institutions for over 10 years.
Courtesy of Oregon Shakespeare Festival
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland announced Tuesday that it’s hired a new executive director. That’s after a nearly two-year national search.
Gabriella Calicchio will become the fifth executive director at the 89-year-old theater institution in Southern Oregon.
Calicchio said she’s wanted to come work for OSF ever since spending her honeymoon here more than two decades ago.
“I would say that my dream of one day being the executive director probably started that long ago, in 2003,” she said.
Calicchio will be taking the place of Tyler Hokama, who’s been the interim executive director since June of 2023.
OSF’s previous executive director, David Schmitz, stepped down early last year during a time when the company was facing major financial difficulties.
Calicchio said she’s already taken a look at OSF’s financials and things are looking healthier than 2023, when the company was still recovering from a drop-off in attendance from the pandemic, an issue faced by theaters nationwide.
“That’s probably one of the first things that I’ll be doing, is getting more intimate with our financial position so that I know what we’re working with and where we need to go and what kind of plans we need to put in place to get there,” she said.
OSF has managed to turn around its finances after two emergency fundraisers last year. 2024 featured the first full season since the pandemic, with nine shows and an emphasis on one-person plays. They’ll be celebrating the theater’s 90th anniversary in 2025, which will also feature a full lineup of shows and bring back a rotating repertory style of theater, where actors perform in multiple shows.
Calicchio is coming from the Bay Area, where she was the executive director and founder of the Marin Cultural Association. She’s also worked as an executive at other theater and cultural institutions, including The Walt Disney Family Museum and the Children’s Theater Company in Minneapolis.
Calicchio said she’s looking forward to inviting in young audience members and working with donors who are just as passionate about theater as she is.
“Her extensive background in the arts, combined with her passion for theatre and her infectious spirit, make her an ideal partner as we continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible on stage,” said OSF Artistic Director Tim Bond in a statement.
Calicchio will officially start in November. But she’ll start onboarding immediately to get up to speed on the organization’s current operations.