Pros
The mission sounds beautiful on paper. The union (IATSE) provides the only meaningful worker protection that exists here. Some individual colleagues are genuinely passionate and kind.
Cons
The gap between OSF's public-facing identity and its internal reality is significant. The organization presents itself as a leader in anti-racist, equity-centered theater — but behind the scenes, administration is overwhelmingly white, HR is severely under-resourced for an organization this size, and the DEI infrastructure is largely cosmetic. People of color are visible on stage and in marketing materials; they are considerably less visible in leadership and decision-making roles. The season programming raises real questions about who this organization is actually accountable to. One Latino/Mexican American production next season — during a moment of acute political violence against immigrant and Indigenous communities — is not a bold artistic statement. It is the bare minimum, and it doesn't land as intentional. OSF controls a significant number of properties in a town where locals cannot do short-term rentals downtown. Those properties sit empty much of the year. Make of that what you will. Compensation for frontline staff is minimal. Leadership compensation is not. Theater is supposed to be counter-cultural. There is nothing punk about an institution that has mastered the language of liberation while maintaining every structure of the status quo it claims to oppose. Malcolm X famously said that people flee the growling wolf only to end up in the jaws of the smiling fox. The wolf is obvious; the fox earns trust before disappointing you. My experience at OSF felt more like the fox. The organization presents itself as highly supportive and values-driven, but you will often find a significant gap between its stated principles and the day-to-day reality experienced by employees.