MELODRAMA to Go on Hiatus at Santa Fe Playhouse

The Santa Fe Playhouse has revealed the Executive Board decision to put the Melodrama on hiatus. The Melodrama is an annual tradition known as 'The Roast of Santa Fe', that consists of writing and producing an entirely new play, poking fun at life in Santa Fe. The piece is written by anonymous Santa Feans and performed by local talent.

As part of the hiatus, the Melodrama, which was scheduled to open on October 8, will be cancelled. The decision was made by SFP's Executive Board due to financial and organizational challenges that have become apparent over the past couple of months.

SFP's 2026 season and production schedule were built around a staffing model that changed in late June with the absence of a Managing Director, which created significant operational challenges. Coupled with the fact that key fundraising goals have come in under budget throughout the year, the company has reached a point of making difficult adjustments to its programming.

After careful assessment of all options, the Board determined that this year the Melodrama was too difficult to produce due to these challenges. The Playhouse is neither in an organizational position to successfully produce the Melodrama, nor is the Playhouse in a financial position to shoulder the expected loss the tradition generates (a $25,000 loss in 2025 with similar projections for this year).

While a new Managing Director began last week and SFP is in the process of hiring a new Director of Development, onboarding new leadership while reassessing SFP's operational and financial structure is going to take time. The Board will also take this time for real dialogue both internally and externally about how the Playhouse can best support this beloved tradition going forward.

Board Chair Erin Bunkley shared the following, "The decision to put the Melodrama on hiatus is certainly one of the most difficult decisions the Board has made in the more than 6 years that I have served on this Board. We have struggled with the best way to serve this beloved tradition with our limited resources, both human and financial. As we wrestled with the realities of producing high quality live theater in today's world, we realized that both the Melodrama and the Playhouse are best served by taking a pause and working with the community to figure out the best way for this tradition to sustainably move forward. We look forward to engaging in substantive dialogue about the best way to keep this tradition alive."

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