Former Oregon Children’s Theatre Artistic Director Stan Foote Has Died

OCT announced the beloved mentor’s passing, but with no word on the cause of death.

Stan Foote (Oregon Children's Theater )
By Bennett Campbell Ferguson

Stan Foote, who served as artistic director at Oregon Children’s Theatre for 28 years, has died. OCT announced his passing in a press release. He was 69.

“It is with heavy hearts that OCT shares the passing of former artistic director Stan Foote,” the release stated. “He led OCT with a huge, passionate heart and changed many lives; he will be missed by thousands of people, including the many artists and youth whom he mentored.”

Foote’s tenure at OCT was prolific. He began working at the company in 1991, then became its first artistic director during the 2001-02 season, serving until 2019. After leaving OCT, he moved to Puerto Vallarta, a resort town on Mexico’s Pacific coast.

At OCT, Foote directed almost 50 plays, including adaptations of novels like Lois Lowry’s The Giver and Louis Sachar’s Holes. He believed that theater for kids should be no less sophisticated than theater for adults, a philosophy reflected in productions like And in This Corner: Cassius Clay (which he co-directed by PassinArt’s Jerry Foster).

There has been no statement on the cause of Foote’s death, but OCT did release a video tribute to his work as a director and mentor of young performers:

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.