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To be or not to be: That, unfortunately, is the question that nonprofit theater group Shakespeare by the Sea is facing due to lack of funding. After ending its third consecutive summer season in a deficit, the nearly 30-year-old organization must raise $200,000 by the end of January or be forced to significantly reduce its performance schedule – or potentially cease operations altogether.
Started in 1998 as a graduate student’s thesis project with two weekends of performances in San Pedro, the troupe is now based in Redondo Beach and has expanded to present more than two dozen admission-free shows per summer across Los Angeles, Ventura and Orange counties. This past summer, 27 performances were spread across parks in 19 cities – including Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo and Rossmoor in O.C. – and watched by a total of over 10,000 audience members. Since inception, almost half a million people have experienced the group’s free Shakespeare in the park performances, which include a comedy and a tragedy each year.
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