ASHLAND, ORE.: The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) has announced a transition in its senior executive leadership. Gabriella Calicchio, who began her tenure as executive director in November 2024, will conclude her time with the organization on July 1. Javier (Javi) Dubon will be the interim executive director, effective June 23.
“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,” said OSF board chair Rudd Johnson in a statement. “Transitional moments like these are never easy, but they can be moments of opportunity. They give us the space to reflect, to ask what’s best for the organization, and to move forward with renewed intention. 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.”
“As I take this on, I’ve been struck by how many people have reached out—not just to say kind things, but to offer support, perspective, and encouragement,” Dubon said in a statement. “It has meant more than I can say. I haven’t felt alone in this for a second. That sense of solidarity is shaping how I approach the work ahead. It reminds me that leadership here isn’t about one person. It’s about showing up for each other, and that’s what I intend to do.”
Dubon currently serves as OSF’s director of marketing and sales, where he has led the festival’s brand, public relations, ticket sales, and audience development efforts. Since joining the organization in 2022, he has played a key role in rebuilding audience trust, stewarding the festival’s public image, and helping OSF regain its footing and regrow its audience following the COVID-19 pandemic. In this interim role, Dubon will continue to lead strategy across OSF’s marketing, sales, and communications functions, while assuming broader leadership responsibilities in operations, finance, development, education, human resources, and information technology.
“Javi has been an amazing blessing to this theatre. He brings intellect, passion, and vision to everything he does. He understands the soul of this place. He understands our work on stage, our business model, and most importantly, our people,” artistic director Tim Bond said in a statement. “Javi leads by listening, by showing up, and by creating trust. He is a big-picture thinker who also knows how to execute with precision. His ability to blend strategy with data-driven decision making has been critical to our success.”
Dubon has built his career in marketing and audience development, working with arts institutions including Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Auditorium Theatre, Texas Performing Arts, and more. A classically trained saxophonist, he began his arts journey in music before discovering a passion for theatre and arts administration. He holds a BM in Music Education from The University of Texas at Austin and a MFA in Arts Leadership from The Theatre School at DePaul University, where he serves as a member of the theatre management faculty.
“My work has always been grounded in creating exceptional experiences for audiences,” said Dubon. “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.”
He describes the company as being in “a period of momentum. Audiences are returning. Our teams are growing stronger. We’re meeting and exceeding expectations, and we’re building real excitement again,” and that his role “is to keep that momentum moving, to create the conditions for stability, creativity, and collaboration, and to help lay the groundwork for whoever steps into this role next.”
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) was founded in 1935 in Ashland, Oregon, and has grown from a three-day festival of two plays to a nationally renowned theatre arts organization that presents a rotating repertory season of plays and musicals, including illuminating interpretations of Shakespeare, other enduring classics, and new works. As of 2022, its annual budget is $35.8 million.
