Oregon Children’s Theatre Will Pause All Programming Beginning in September

Oregon Children’s Theatre has announced a pause to its programming after the conclusion of its Summer Camp season on September 1, 2025—including all productions and education programs—as it begins an organizational restructuring and strategic planning process. The largest youth-serving nonprofit theatre company in the state of Oregon continues to face financial shortfalls and challenges, and is launching a major fundraising campaign to safeguard a future for the company.

“We are in a position where we must pause our work so that we can be intentional and strategic about how we move forward,” commented Jenn Hartmann Luck, Producing Artistic Director at OCT. “We have been facing these challenges for many years, and in order for us to create a way forward we must stop and assess who we are as an organization, what we need in order to continue producing shows and providing educational programming, and create a financial model that works so that we can come back stronger, ready to serve the youth and families in our community.”

OCT is launching a major giving campaign in tandem with its pause to help rebuild its financial strength. In addition to calls for individual donations, the organization is working with local and regional foundations, securing available grant funding, and pursuing other revenue sources such as partnerships and sponsorships. “We continue to receive funding from foundations who believe in us and our mission, and we are grateful for their support,” expressed Luck, “and we are excited about any new partners or supporters we meet as we move through this process.” OCT estimates that it needs to raise $1 million to sustain the organization now through the end of the year and position itself to reopen in the future. Without this financial support, the company will not be able to continue operations.

The organization has recently appointed several new members to its Board of Directors who are excited and proactive about the upcoming challenges, including Nik Whitcomb (Artistic Director with Bag&Baggage Productions), Board Secretary Amy Davidson (Hampton Lumber), Board Treasurer Murad Pirani (Villa Serena, LLC), and Board President Katie Slavin (Portland State University Foundation). OCT’s previous Board President Dré Slaman, who took the lead in 2022, is encouraged by the additions to OCT’s Board of Directors. “I am excited for Katie and the new officers to lead this company,” Slaman stated. “As my tenure as Board President comes to a close, I am confident that they will lead this organization into a new chapter.” Slavin comes full circle with OCT, having been involved with the organization as a young person, performing in shows and taking classes with the company. "Being part of OCT productions like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Charlotte’s Web as a kid helped me build confidence and skills that I still use today. I took my daughter to her first OCT show in 2024, and it was magical to watch her experience live theatre for the first time. I joined the board because I believe deeply in the power of theatre to inspire and spark imagination for young people in our community,” she shared.

Following an urgent call for donations in the summer of 2024, OCT was able to present TheaterWorksUSA’s production of Cat Kid Comic Club: the Musical, with sold-out performances at the Newmark Theatre at Portland’5 Centers for the Arts in November. The show brought over 20,000 youth and families downtown; however, OCT was unable to produce any additional Mainstage shows at Portland’5 for the remainder of its 2024-2025 season.

“We are so thankful to the community for rallying over the summer, helping us raise nearly $130,000 to support the production, as well as support our education programs through the remainder of the year,” said Luck. “However, we know this financial model is not sustainable, and we have made the difficult decision to release our performance dates with Portland’5 over the next few seasons. The reality is that we simply cannot afford to perform in that venue currently and must preserve the funding we have in order to survive as a company.”

OCT’s Education Department, which offers year-round classes and camps to youth ages 3–18 and serves over 1,200 kids each year, will also pause its programming after the conclusion of its Summer Camp season in August 2025. Additionally, the Young Professionals Company, a year-round mentoring program for approximately 60 teens that includes professional-level training, education, and public performances, will not continue in the fall of 2025. “The pause to our Education programming is particularly hard to imagine,” said Luck. “Education is at the heart of everything our organization does, and the youth involved in these programs have truly transformational experiences. We are dedicated to reestablishing these programs as soon as possible.”

For the remainder of 2025, OCT plans to reflect and evaluate its financial business model, as well as possible changes to its programming, productions, and further activations in service to the community. As part of that process, OCT plans to survey its patrons, families, and the broader community to determine how best to serve them in the future. “We recognize that, while we cannot afford to continue forward with ‘business as usual,’ our families and community may also need something different from us,” said Luck. “We want to create an organization that serves the community in the way they want to be served.” Meanwhile, the organization and its Board of Directors will work to secure funding, evaluate its business plans, and create a path forward. “No one involved in this process is interested in closing OCT altogether,” affirmed Slavin. “We know what the loss of a youth-serving organization like OCT would mean to the community, both in Portland and beyond. We are going to do everything in our power to keep going, and we are going to need the help and support of many people—donors, foundations, partners, and more—to keep the company open into the future. We have a plan, we can see a way forward, but we will not be able to take that journey without the support of our community.”

Individuals interested in donating financially to support Oregon Children’s Theatre can do so on their website at octc.org/donate. For more information about major giving and foundation support, contact OCT at development@octc.org.

 

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