Dozens of administrators, artists, and creators came together virtually on April 9 for OPERA America’s sixth annual Backstage Brunch: Empowering Women in Opera, a fundraiser that supports OA’s Mentorship Program for Women Administrators. The event featured interviews with past mentorship participants, as well as performances of works by composers who have received OA’s Opera Grants for Women Composers. The centerpiece of Backstage Brunch was a keynote address by stage director Nataki Garrett. She recently directed Anthony Davis and Richard Wesley’s The Central Park Five at Portland Opera, which was in part funded by an OA Grant for Women Stage Directors and Conductors. Garrett, artistic director of Oregon Shakespeare Festival since 2019, reflected on the leaders who helped make her career possible and her commitment to a more inclusive art form. A condensed and edited version of her remarks follows.