The same scenario is playing out nationwide for both theater and opera companies now facing shutdowns, season cancellation, layoffs and shrinking audiences
have permanently closed, including San Diego Repertory Theatre in June 2022. Many theaters have canceled entire seasons, including CTG’s Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, Cal Shakes in the Bay Area and Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre Company. And dozens of others have announced layoffs, like the recent 19 percent staff reduction at New York City’s venerable The Public Theater.
Over the past two months, we surveyed and interviewed San Diego County theater leaders about the many challenges they’re facing today and the solutions they’re mulling for the future. Many expressed optimism that theater will return to its former glory, but some expressed pessimism, saying there are too many obstacles to overcome this time and some companies will not survive the current shakeup.
“Basically AB 5 is killing us,” she said. “Don’t get me wrong. I want actors and directors and designers to be paid as much as we can afford. It still won’t be what they’re worth. But I don’t know that it’s in their best interests if we’re out of business.” Drexler and Tibbitts say that comedies, musicals and classics — like this past season’s “The Outsider,” “Lucky Stiff” and “Lost in Yongers” — remain the most popular with audiences. The two darker, more social justice-oriented shows on the ‘22-’23 season bill — “Extreme Home Makeover” and “Neat” — sold only about 55 percent as many tickets as the other three.
Darvas said the company’s financial challenges began to multiply over the past year. Rent rose significantly, ticket sales for the season were down and several board members expressed a desire to move away from presenting the social justice-oriented plays. Over the past five months, Darvas has continued to volunteer his time as artistic director and a diverse and mostly new board of directors has signed on. On Sept. 1, OnStage will open the world premiere play “Mugre,” its second fundraising production of the summer. All tickets will be sold for a minimum $20 donation to benefit theater operations.
Back in early 2020, regional theater producers Jordan Beck and J. Scott Lapp were hired at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, to create an in-house professional theater company under the name CCAE Theatricals. Then the pandemic arrived. Lapp, who before launching CCAE Theatricals was producing theater with Beck in Temecula for several years, said making theater in today’s market is exorbitantly expensive, so starting a new theater is risky and daunting.
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