Buoyed by an outpouring of support, California Shakespeare Theater has extended its emergency effort to raise $350,000 until Monday, Aug. 5, hoping that it can still produce its one play this summer season and save itself from the possibility of closing for good.
The venerable East Bay theater company had given itself a deadline of Aug. 1 to raise the $350,000, which it needs to stage its 50th anniversary season production of “As You Like It” at its Bruns Amphitheater in Orinda. As of Thursday afternoon, the company had raised $238,000 from pledges, individual donors and through a GoFundMe campaign launched last week, said executive director Clive Worsely.
“We have picked up a ton of momentum,” Worsely said in a statement to his news organization.” Because of the success thus far we’ve decided to extend the campaign until Monday, Aug. 5.”
While the $350,000 will help Cal Shakes produce the Bard’s beloved romantic comedy Sept. 12-29, the company, realistically, needs to do this show in order to survive in the long-term, executive director Clive Worsley explained earlier this week.
If the show can’t go on, some 100 Bay Area actors and crew members will lose work, and the company will have to lay off staff. But even more, permanent closure of Cal Shakes is “definitely in the realm of possibility, sadly,” Worsley said. He explained that it would be very hard for the company to mount a comeback next summer if it cancels “As You Like It.”
Cal Shakes didn’t produce a season in 2023. In past years, Cal Shakes was known for producing four works per summer, but the company canceled its entire season in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It returned with truncated seasons in 2021 and 2022, as it also sought to diversify its revenue stream by renting its Bruns amphitheater to comedy acts and other groups’ productions. Like many performing arts companies around the country, Cal Shakes’ finances were hit hard by the pandemic. But in the decade before, the company had begun to grapple with changes in audiences’ tastes and habits.
The company’s current crisis erupted when expected funding for “As You Like It” suddenly didn’t come through, Worsley said. The shortfall came after the sets had been designed and were being built and the actors had been cast and were preparing to begin rehearsals on Aug. 13, he said.
“It’s a big ask in a very short period of time,” Worsley acknowledged about the $350,000 fundraising goal. “The last thing we wanted to do is an emergency fundraising campaign.”
Over five decades, Cal Shakes has became known for offering a unique theatrical experience. It showcases top Bay Area artists performing Shakespeare’s great dramas and comedies, as well as works by other playwrights. The plays unfold under the night sky in its outdoor amphitheater, located in a picturesque valley, surrounded by hills and oak trees.
The company also has become known as an important training ground for Bay Area theater artists and future Hollywood luminaries, such as Zendaya, Mahershala Ali and Annette Bening. In February, Cal Shakes jubilantly announced that a $100,000 donation from Zendaya, the star of “Challengers,” “Dune” and “Euphoria,” would help fund its production “As You Like It,” featuring Rosalind and Orlando in the Forest of Arden.
