Director of Production and Presentation

Organization

The Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts (PRAx) is located on the campus of Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. Built in 2024, this ultra-modern, 49,900-square-foot facility includes six venues, three of which are dedicated performing arts spaces: the Concert Hall, the largest venue with a capacity of 490 and acoustically engineered as a premier listening environment by Jaffe Holden; the Edward J. Ray Theater, a flexible black box space used for theater, immersive art installations, jazz, cabaret, comedy, experimental music, and electroacoustic multichannel programming; and the Thomas W. Toomey lobby, a public, non-ticketed gathering space with a stage that hosts pre-concert programs, special events, rentals, receptions, and celebrations. In addition, PRAx includes an outdoor concert space, a 3,000-square-foot art gallery, and a demonstration garden and gathering space featuring plants from six discrete ecosystems in the state. The mission of PRAx is to activate the power of the arts across disciplines, and the "x" in the name stands for a vision of an arts space where arts, humanities, science, and technology meet.

Roughly 30% of the content in PRAx reflects transdisciplinary goals, and the organization runs an extensive array of residency and fellowship programs that match artists and writers with scientists and researchers; in 2025-26, PRAx made 93 awards across more than 20 such programs. PRAx is home to the Center for the Humanities, the Spring Creek Project for Nature and the Written Word, and an integrative, discipline-crossing program called PRAx CoLabs.

Despite the specialization of that slice of the programming, which can involve complex or experimental technical setups, most content in the performing arts (70% of the total) will look familiar at a production level. PRAx presents live music in all genres, talks and readings, some theatre, rental and University events, discussions, and workshops. The "PRAx Presents" series of approximately 45 events annually features exceptional professional artists from around the world. PRAx also serves as the home venue for the School of Visual, Performing, and Design Arts at OSU, presenting three shorter "seasons-within-a-season" wherein University ensembles and University Theatre perform their term-end concerts. In total, including PRAx Presents, Student Arts Season concerts and rehearsals, guest presenters, and a robust lineup of workshops and classes that are part of the PRAx Experiences program, PRAx staffs more than 180 events per year. The vast majority of work at PRAx is presented, not produced, by them, and staff move readily from one type of event to another on a near-daily basis. Artists-in-residence at PRAx or allied programs have included esperanza spalding, Andy Akiho, Thomas Lauderdale, and many others.

PRAx recognizes that new work is one of the engines of the arts sector. The organization is committed to using its platforms to lower the barriers to creativity, access, and affordability. As a university-based arts center, PRAx serves the tripartite mission of research, teaching, and outreach. PRAx is partnered with the Associated Students of Oregon State University to keep student tickets to any concert at $5. PRAx is supported by a stable mixture of funds, including direct University support, significant endowments, longer-term grants, and ticket revenue.

PRAx operates with 23 professional staff and around 40 student staff. Due to the unique nature of PRAx’s transdisciplinary mission and the emphasis on residencies and fellowships, some of the professional staff work in units more allied to the research side of the University than the presenting side, making PRAx an especially lively and creatively engaging place to work. PRAx has a 10-member board of advisors led by board chair Patricia Valian Reser. The Director of Production and Presentation has 24 direct reports, including o