Santa Cruz Shakespeare Raises $1.1 Million for New Outdoor Theater

Santa Cruz Shakespeare (SCS) is pleased to announce that it surpassed its initial goal of raising $1 million to fund its new outdoor theater: The Grove at DeLaveaga Park. The total revenue raised to date is $1,107,273.41. This includes gifts received, as well as outstanding written pledges, which will be paid by donors over three years.

In March of 2015, UC Santa Cruz declined to renew its lease agreement with SCS for the use of the Sinsheimer-Stanley Festival Glen. Thus, SCS embarked on an ambitious plan to raise funds and build a new outdoor venue. SCS solidified a partnership with the City of Santa Cruz, as well as with the Department of Parks and Recreation. An application for the use of an outdoor site within Upper DeLaveaga Park was submitted in October 2015 to Planning, and on February 9, 2016, Santa Cruz City Council voted unanimously to allow SCS to use the site. Lease negotiations were completed by March 23. The company currently holds a two-year lease, with the opportunity to begin negotiations for a longer-term lease in October 2016.

This short timeline for fundraising and construction meant the company had to set an initial goal before the final cost of The Grove was known. After working with fundraising consultants Nancy Loshkajian and Associates, the Board and staff of SCS established a goal for June of 2016 that was both ambitious and realistic. This goal allowed the company to track its fund-raising progress and to proceed responsibly with its building plans. However, in the course of a tight construction schedule and setting the goal in the middle of also costing out the project, expenses will come in at $1,339,000.

"The great news is that SCS can cover the difference between capital raised to date and the true cost of the theater. Covering these expenses, however, will cut deeply into our reserves," reports Mike Ryan, Artistic Director. "In an effort to return to our forward-funded economic model, we will raise the remaining $232,000 for the new site over the next two years, or until our expenses are met." Ryan added, "It is our hope that if you have not given to the campaign, you will still do so. We still have chair-naming opportunities, and any donation of $50 or more to help build The Grove will make you a Founding Groundling."

Donations to the Build The Grove campaign can be mailed to the SCS Administration Offices, made online at santacruzshakespeare.org/buildthegrove, or over the phone by calling 831-460-6396 x5.

SCS's 2016 Summer season begins July 13, 2016 with a preview of A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Terri McMahon, and following in repertory with performances of Hamlet, directed by Paul Mullins, beginning July 26. The inaugural season at The Grove runs untilAugust 28.

"We will have a strong first season and our community will be thrilled with the beauty and amenities that our new theater has to offer," said Aimee Zygmonski, Managing Director. "To date, ticket sales for the 2016 season have exceeded last year's sales by nearly 10%."

Tickets for the 2016 season can be purchased online at santacruzshakespeare.org/tickets or by calling the Box Office at 831-460-6399.

Santa Cruz Shakespeare (SCS), rooted in Santa Cruz, California, is preparing to celebrate its third season as an independent non-profit theatre company. Inspired by Shakespeare, SCS creates and strengthens community by bringing audiences and theater artists together to celebrate stories about our collective humanity. SCS envisions a community where generations are increasingly passionate and knowledgeable about Shakespeare and Live Theatre, a community that engages in active discussion about language and art and reaches for passion, connection, and empowerment.

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