WW has obtained a copy of a letter signed by 41 Oregon Ballet Theatre staffers, including dancers, that was delivered to the dance company’s Board of Directors last Thursday, Sept. 17. (Scroll down for full letter on Flickr or click here for a pdf of the letter).
On Tuesday, OBT told WW that letter called for a review of the leadership of both executive director Jon Ulsh and artistic director Christopher Stowell. It does. But the bulk of the letter actually focuses on the staff’s lack of confidence in the skills of executive director Ulsh.
Besant writes (bolding is ours):
“Jon Ulsh has been in the position of executive director of OBT for three years. He obviously works extremely hard for the organization, and is sincerely concerned for its welfare. But I do not feel that he can meet the scope of the position. We must have an executive with top-flight planning skills, who can shape generalizations into specific goals, measurable objectives, and timelines with action plans, both in overall planning for the organization, and in development; and then supervise implementation of those plans over several years. We must have a director who can hire and supervise a development staff that addresses the entire development pyramid, and keep them in position long enough to evolve the trust of donors. And we must have a director who can steadily and consistently support and advise the board of trustees in their governance.
Jon has not been able to do these things. Either he does not have the skill set, or he does not have the capacity to handle all of them at once. It seems to me that if he did, we would not be in such deep difficulty after three years under his leadership. In the last two months, it has been clear that Jon is trying very hard to make changes at OBT, but I do not feel that the organization can afford to be a training ground for its executive director in this very crucial year.”
Also, WW had originally believed that the letter had been signed by 20 of the company’s staffers. It turns out that 41 individuals signed Besant’s missive. Staffers who signed the letter included the company’s director of production Thyra Hartshorn, School of OBT head Demara Bennett, company dancers, ballet master Lisa Kipp and Rebecca Roberts, artistic director Stowell’s own executive assistant. In total, more than three-quarters of the full company’s roster. According to the staff page on OBT’s website, the ballet company employs about 30 people in its admin, marketing and production departments, plus 26 dancers.
The OBT Board met Tuesday night to discuss the letter among other company business. Speculation flew through the arts community that the meeting would lead to the ouster of either Ulsh or Stowell. Wednesday morning, OBT Board Vice Chair Kathleen Cosgrove told WW that didn’t happen. “Neither of the two gentlemen are leaving. We have a great deal of respect and confidence for both of them.” she said.
WW will follow up with Cosgrove to see if the board’s position has changed or when we have more to report.
Click the enlarge icon in the bottom, right-hand corner of the Flickr box to see full-sized versions of the letter.
Image from Oregon Ballet Theatre’s upcoming production of Balanchine’s Emeralds courtesy of obt.org.
[...] Ballet Theatre: $750,000 or bust. Oregon BalOBT staffers call for ouster of Director Jon Ulsh WW has obSlaughter on Tenth Avenue (Oregon Ballet Theatre) [PREVIEW]OOregon ballet theatre [...]
@pdxculture has been both advised and asked to desist from stirring the pot regarding the internal dissention @oregonballet. All in all this seems to us a wise course at this point, now that some modicum of truth and transparency has been forced upon OBT’s administration and board. However, before leaving the subject to the internal workings of the organization we do want to get a few final observations into the record.
During this summer’s funding crisis many, many supporters in the community rallied around OBT, giving extra time and money according to their ability and packing the Dance United concert to put OBT over the top of its emergency fundraising goal. At the time much was said about the need for more transparent administration and community engagement. Indeed much has been done on the latter score due largely to tireless efforts of company members throughout the summer. The current Nixonian stonewalling, deliberate misleading of the press, threatening meetings with staff, and general circling of the wagons is however, sadly, short of the mark on the transparency factor. We believe that the community that rallied to save OBT deserves better than this. The attempt to portray the above letter as being equally critical of Christopher Stowell’s leadership as of Jon Ulsh’s was calculated disinformation. It is clear that the staff and company have expressed an unequivocal vote of no confidence in current administrative (i.e. not artistic) management. As Willamette Week pointed out the full letter shows a majority of employees endorsing the views expressed by Linda Besant. It is not inconceivable that there were more potential signatories, too afraid for their livelihoods to sign. That so many did take that risk is notable.
That OBT exists today to celebrate its 20th Anniversary must be credited in large part to Christopher Stowell. His personal contacts across the country made Dance Untied possible and the strong audience support engendered by his programming and direction lent credibility to OBT’s claim to future viability. Without those components OBT fails to survive the crisis. Mr. Stowell’s work is ably supported by the dedication and talent of the company in turn fostered by Damara Bennett at the school and Lisa Kipp, Ballet Master. Nearly without exception the improvement in the company and the diversity of the repertoire during his tenure has been noted by critics and reviewers alike.
What should be clear to the board at this point is that many people are watching. No attempt at whitewash will be successful or tolerated by this community of observers. The ultimate fate of Mr. Ulsh is neither here nor there. The end of the toxic atmosphere at OBT, the fostering of true transparency, and an end to a barricade mentality is what is called for. Whether Mr. Ulsh or someone else is the engine for these reforms is for the board to determine. OBT must settle down to the next 20 years and follow Mr. Stowell’s lead to destinations only he can discover. His loss at this time means a mass exodus and a decade long setback rather than a decade of accolades. The community will be watching for the low tactics of reprisal and disinformation and for the ugly face of crony –ism, and shortsightedness. We expect transparency and disclosure when all is said and done. Collectively we have earned it. Now go to, go to.
One final note for the record: none of the information used for our tweets or other commentary came from OBT staff. Much of the heavy lifting on this was done by Willamette Week and we combined our knowledge of the organization, our own experience in 501c3 management and board positions and our own observation of the company over the course of some years in making our comments.
I think it’s wonderful and amazing that a majority of the staff and dancers had the balls to risk their jobs and express a vote of no confidence with current administration. I applaud my friends in the OBT arts community who took this risk. My encouragement goes out to the staff at Portland Opera, Oregon Symphony and other arts organizations to put aside fear and stand up for truth, so that our local arts organizations will live strong.
[...] week, WW posted a letter from Oregon Ballet Theater historian Linda Besant and signed by 41 of the company’s [...]
[...] director Jon Ulsh is stepping down. The news comes only weeks after WW broke the news that OBT staffers had sent a missive to the company’s board of directors calling for Ulsh’s ouster. WW also recently reported on financial records that showed that [...]