Page 50 - SOUTHERN OREGON MAGAZINE SPRING 2022

neck of the woods | prof ile
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we must engage with. We must have that in our lives to understand why
we get out of bed in the morning. I love theater because you have to do it
with the other people around you. You have to engage with other human
beings through their lived experience.
WHAT OR WHO CREATED AN INTEREST IN THEATER FOR YOU?
NATAKI: My grandmother. My grandmother raised four kids, from
the point my mother was 13, she raised them on her own. She would
always get tickets to dress rehearsals for the opera or the ballet or a play.
If asked, “Who would like tickets?” my grandmother would be the first
to respond. My grandmother would put me in the car and we’d go to the
ballet or the symphony.
My first live performance was Swan Lake at the Kennedy Center. My
mother and I sat way, way in the back, in a balcony that was maybe on
the other side of the Potomac. I remember the little twirly things on the
stage, I might have been four. And the next day I said, “Mommy, I want
to take ballet.” I did, I took ballet.
HOW DO YOU NURTURE A YOUNGER AND MORE DIVERSE
AUDIENCE AT OSF?
NATAKI: It is a challenge. And it’s a challenge for the field. For the
last 50 years, we have nurtured a very specific demographic. When you
center one group of people solely, you forget to tell them that their job
is also to invite the people around them to be there. That generation is
my mom’s generation, and that is a very generous and loving group of
people. So, it’s about teaching that generation of audience to be ambas-
sadors for the other people who are coming. And that it’s okay to have an
experience with people who are not exactly like you.
I just had a friend relay a story. They had a traditional audience with a
group of students, who expressed feeling mistreated by them. Things like
over-shushing or glaring when moving a phone from one pocket another.
If you’re young and excited about attending a play and you’re sitting next
to somebody who’s glaring at you, you don’t feel so welcomed.
If you’re only inviting one group of people, chances are you’re not doing
very good marketing. We do not market well to diverse audiences. I’m a
Gen Xer, and theater doesn’t market to my generation. We have to shift
our marketing. I want you, your daughter, and your granddaughter to all
be in the theater at the same time. We have to invite all groups. I want to
shift the dynamics around welcoming people.
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR TENURE AS ARTISTIC
DIRECTOR OF OREGON SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL TO BE
REMEMBERED?
NATAKI: That we’re still here and that we got through one of the worst
moments for OSF, one of the worst moments in history, and it was dev-
astating. But we’re still here and we’re thriving. If I can be the catalyst for
that – that’s what I want. I’m setting it up for a generation that’s going
to bring a generation, that’s going to bring another generation. I want to
be known for making sure that we’re still here. I can’t look back and say,
“I did the razzle dazzle.” I didn’t. I just have to save and rebuild. We’ll do
the razzle dazzle once we’re stable and people are back in our theaters
sharing the joy that only live theater can bring.