When America went into lockdown in March 2020 in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools, corporate offices and all non-essential businesses closed their doors for an extended period.
Many businesses, schools and even medical professionals were able to carry on working remotely from home. But for theaters, digital alternatives could never replace the live experience of give and take between actors and audience.
San Diego’s theaters stayed closed for 12 to 15 months, and some for even longer. During that long dormancy, many local theater artists moved away or changed careers. And when theaters finally reopened, they were crushed by rising labor, rent and productions expenses, smaller audiences and declines in donations and season subscribers. And just as many theaters are now back on solid ground, the federal government has withdrawn many of its previously pledged National Endowment for the Arts grants, and the future of the national arts-funding agency seems increasingly bleak.
But there are bright spots. Over the past five years, local theaters have banded together to one another by sharing resources and planning co-productions. They’ve revamped how and what they produce, and they’re heartened by the funding of donating organizations that have stepped up funding in recent years, like the Conrad Prebys Foundation.
To get a feel for how theaters are holding up five years after the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, we sent a questionnaire to the leaders of dozens of San Diego theater companies to learn how they’re feeling five years post-lockdown. Here are their edited responses.
Q: Looking back over the past five years since COVID-19 shut down San Diego, what has been the biggest change in how you do business?
Barry Edelstein, artistic director, The Old Globe: As we’ve watched these shocks roil the sector, resulting in contractions, cutbacks and even closures, we’ve understood how fragile the American theater really is. This has led us to a deep period of reflection about our institutions and how they are structured. We’re thinking about how to build more robustness and resilience into the way we work. But this has also led us to value what’s so wonderful about what we do. The theater is a special place where communities gather and share common experiences: we are focusing on that with a new intensity. The shows we do need to really reflect all parts of our community. And our institutions need to think about community-based work and professional performance as living together on one spectrum of activity. The post-pandemic change, in other words, is about a new understanding of the holistic nature of our companies.
Bill Schmidt, executive director, Cygnet Theatre: The biggest change for us has been our capital campaign and exciting () move to The Joan in Arts District Liberty Station. While our programming remains strong — last season’s all-musical lineup resulted in our highest-ever ticket sales by income — we are in a growth phase, which isn’t typical for theaters right now. If not for the move, we might have explored cost-cutting models as material and labor costs have risen over 40% since 2020.
Maria Patrice Amon, artistic director TuYo Theatre: Honestly, when the pandemic hit, we thought it might be the end of our scrappy little theater. But ironically, being small made us more adaptable. While mid-sized companies struggled to survive, we had the flexibility to shift gears and provide space for artists whose work no longer had a home. That shift allowed us to grow in unexpected ways. We leaned into our identity as a company that takes risks, uplifts underrepresented voices, and centers community-driven storytelling.
Cecelia Kouma, executive director, Playwrights Project: Playwrights Project is primarily seen as an arts education organization. We produce professional productions (plays by young writers, adult writers in disenfranchised communities, and commissions by professional playwrights). We’ve been presenting more productions than ever before. What we put onstage has not changed significantly. In of content, writers (young and old) have been more forthright about social justice issues since the murder of George Floyd and have been more openly addressing gender identity in their scripts in recent years. Business-wise, we are doing much more with very little; most of our istrative staff also work as artists in our programs and the number of productions has grown each year since COVID-19.
Dori Salois, executive director of Vantage Theatre: Vantage Theatre has just become fully active again with its latest production of “Best Laid Plans.” During COVID we did no productions, only staged readings. We produced, acted and directed for other theaters. For us, a small professional theater that usually produces one or two productions a year with our use of full Equity contracts, we could not afford a COVID interruption. So we didn’t want to risk it.
Casey Tibbitts, board president, Scripps Ranch Theatre: Three major events happened in quick succession in 2020, and all have dramatically impacted our theater and its programming: First, the outbreak of COVID and subsequent jump in inflation. Second, the enactment of the California labor law AB-5 and its requirement that actors be classified as employees rather than independent contractors, substantially increased what we pay to each individual so we have focused on smaller-cast productions. In our most recently-completed season (2023-24) we employed fewer than half the number of actors we employed in 2018-19. And third, the social justice movement and subsequent push for more BIPOC representation in all areas of the industry. COVID has impacted revenue, AB-5 and inflation have increased costs and the social justice movement has led to changes in production content. The result of all this is that our theater has gone from turning a modest profit each year to losing a substantial amount, a pattern that is not sustainable.
Sean Boyd, executive artistic director, Trinity Theatre Company: The community aspect of the audience experience has become so much more important. For us, we open the lobby earlier than we used to. That lobby experience is really important and continues to be one of the biggest bonding experiences. Before COVID, we were so focused on creating a home space. And now we have one (in the Mission Valley shopping center). And while it’s everything we’d hoped it’d be, it is not a replacement, but rather an expansion of our programming.
Kevin “Blax” Burroughs, artistic director, Oceanside Theatre Company: The cost of producing theater has nearly tripled for us due to skyrocketing labor and material expenses. Producing large-scale musicals independently is no longer financially viable, which has pushed us to explore co-productions to share costs and opt for smaller shows. We’ve also embraced creative solutions, like casting actors in multiple roles to maintain high-quality productions within tighter budgets.
Alex Goodman, managing director, Oceanside Theatre Company: Beyond production challenges, the landscape around us has shifted dramatically. Advertising has become more complex with the decline of local publications, making it harder to predict where audiences look for event information.
Q: How have San Diego theatergoers’ tastes, interests and attendance habits changed since March 2020?
Robert Smyth, producing artistic director, Lamb’s Players Theatre: Audiences have fallen off by 25 percent. People wait for “hit” shows and don’t attend on a regular basis anymore. We continue producing musicals and comedies primarily. The first four years (post-COVID), we did primarily 90-minute shows. We have broken out of that this year and have also reintroduced beverages and snacks in the theater.
Barry Edelstein, The Old Globe: Advance booking and the purchase of large subscription packages are on the decline, but they haven’t disappeared. In fact, in 2024, the number of subscription seats sold was only slightly below our pre-pandemic levels, and overall ticket sales closely matched those of 2019. I don’t believe there’s been a major shift in audience taste. Initially, I thought there might be a stronger demand for comedy and escapism, but that hasn’t really been the case. Instead, I think we’re seeing a broader range of interests. Audiences are recognizing that theater offers something unique — something you can’t get from a 60-inch TV in your living room: the immediacy and intimacy of live, spontaneous, three-dimensional human connection. There’s a genuine enthusiasm for boldly contemporary, vividly theatrical work that embraces the power of the live experience.
Bill Schmidt, Cygnet Theatre: San Diego audiences continue to favor lighter fare and musicals, a trend that existed before the pandemic but has intensified as people seek joyful, escapist experiences. While our audience’s tastes haven’t drastically shifted, their habits have — subscriptions are slower to recover and the economic landscape remains uncertain.
Maria Patrice Amon, TuYo Theatre: There’s a clear hunger for joy and hope. We’ve seen that reflected in attendance. Comedies and uplifting stories are drawing in audiences in a way that feels very different from before. I think people want theater to be a space of celebration and connection after so much uncertainty. At the same time, audiences are more intentional about what they . They want their time and money to go toward work that feels meaningful.
Cecelia Kouma, Playwrights Project: We have found that public audiences have great comion for the communities we serve and interest in the work our participants create. We have added new patrons to our numbers and retained long-term patrons/donors. While schools had veered from public performance in the years immediately following COVID, we had a surge in demand this year.
Dori Salois, Vantage Theatre: During the COVID years, audiences were looking for light entertainment. As the audience felt less threatened by COVID, the plays produced were of more substance.
Casey Tibbitts, Scripps Ranch Theatre: Our audience has long been dominated by seniors living in the immediate area. Many have returned, but not all. We took a big hit in ticket sales during our first season post-COVID (2021-22), dropping 33%. But it has steadily moved back up, and in our 2023-24 season we exceeded 2018-19 by 8%. But the split between season and individual ticket revenue has shifted. In 2018-19 season ticket subscriptions were 57% of total ticket sales, in 2023-24 they were just 40%. This indicates that many people are taking a wait-and-see approach before deciding to see a show.
Sean Boyd, Trinity Theatre Company: Comedian Tom Segura has a joke that goes something like “I wish I was home right now. No offense, that’s just my first thought whenever I go anywhere. I hope this is good, but also, wrap this […] up.” I think there’s truth in it. … What can theaters do to compete with the luxury, comfort and convenience of staying home? This is where theaters have to focus on the full community.
Kevin “Blax” Burroughs, Oceanside Theatre Company: In the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, there was a push for theaters to produce work that reflected social and political issues, but this wasn’t always embraced by existing audiences. Our production of “Songs for a New World” — while not inherently political — was interpreted through a lens that emphasized social and racial themes, which created some hesitation among patrons who were still adjusting to returning to public spaces.
Alex Goodman, Oceanside Theatre Company: There’s still some lingering anxiety about large public gatherings and, statistically, patrons are attending fewer shows than before. According to the New York Times, Broadway’s overall attendance is still down about 17 percent. I would venture to say that number is even greater in San Diego.
Q: What are some of the biggest challenges you’re facing now in 2025 that weren’t as big a factor five years ago?
Barry Edelstein, The Old Globe: Cost increases have been significant. Since 2019, production costs are up 40%, and non-production costs have risen nearly as much. This reflects broader economic inflation — materials like wood and paint, as well as fuel for transportation, have all become more expensive. We are hiring more local San Diegan artists than before, and our istrative and production workforces are entirely local. Since San Diego is such an expensive place to live, we’ve seen increased wages generally. And 70% of the Globe’s annual budget is spent on personnel.
Robert Smyth, Lamb’s Players Theatre: We consider 2025 to be the sixth year of COVID. All of our costs are up. Grants are harder to come by, but donors and patrons are ive when asked.
Bill Schmidt, Cygnet Theatre: We are balancing rising operational costs with ongoing fundraising efforts. Theater in San Diego has returned to pre-pandemic levels or better, with new funding sources like the Conrad Prebys Foundation.
Cecelia Kouma, Playwrights Project: Last year we invested in larger office space to host our own rehearsal space … but our rental costs more than doubled. With the increasing minimum wage and the high cost of living in San Diego, staff retention continues to be a concern, especially for part-time workers. We worked diligently to keep programs running through the COVID-19 closure, even as we reduced our istrative staff. We’ve gradually increased staffing to pre-Covid numbers and increased artists from pre-COVID levels of 105 to 143 in fiscal year ’24 (an increase of 36%).
Maria Patrice Amon, TuYo Theatre: We never operated on a subscription model before the pandemic, and now it feels like we never will. That means every single show we produce has to find its audience from scratch, which makes marketing a much bigger expense. We’re constantly thinking about how to reach people in new ways, how to make each production an event that people feel they can’t miss. The cost of materials, labor, and rentals has also skyrocketed, making it harder to stretch our budgets while keeping our work accessible.
Casey Tibbitts, Scripps Ranch Theatre: Donation revenue, typically from our audience base, was down 30% in 2022-23 versus 2018-19, but rebounded last season to approach pre-COVID levels. Grant revenue, typically from the city and county, was down 30% in 2023-24 versus 2018-19. Fortunately COVID-related grants were substantial in 2022-23, which has helped us weather that downturn, but we know that, given the budget shortfalls of the city and state, grant revenue may be hard to get for some time and may never fully rebound.
Sean Boyd, Trinity Theatre Company: The biggest challenge is the uncertainty of government budgets at the city, state, and federal levels. Funding freezes and revised guidelines from the NEA, changes in funding priorities from the California Arts Council — these all have significant impacts on our nonprofit arts organizations. Usually, we create a 3-year ability plan to measure out what to accomplish and how to use our limited resources. This year, with the neck-breaking speed of change, we’ve implemented a 1-year plan, knowing that the following year will likely require something different.
Alex Goodman, Oceanside Theatre Company: Taking risks is harder now. Our staff relies on the theater to their families, so if a show doesn’t sell well, it impacts more than just the actors performing to smaller audiences. It affects our entire team. Every production carries higher stakes, and balancing artistic ambition with financial sustainability has become increasingly difficult.
Q: Many theater artists left San Diego permanently or changed careers when theaters shut down for more than a year. Has this situation changed?
Bill Schmidt, Cygnet Theatre: The pandemic had a major impact on the artist community in San Diego, with many leaving when work disappeared. Those who stayed hoped for a smoother recovery, but now face rising living costs and low wages, even when opportunities arise. Many artists are juggling multiple jobs just to make ends meet, leading to a noticeable shortage of artists who can fully commit to the craft without financial strain.
Barry Edelstein, The Old Globe: The artistic community here is robust and always replenishes itself. In the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, Hollywood opened much sooner than the theaters, and many of San Diego’s skilled production workers went there and seized opportunities. In turn, this has created openings for many new production workers at the Globe.
Maria Patrice Amon, TuYo Theatre: It’s definitely felt like a thinning out of artists. While there are always new voices emerging, the overall ecosystem of theater-makers in San Diego feels like it’s still in recovery mode. The mid-sized theatre closures really changed the landscape, and we’re still feeling that shift.
Cecelia Kouma, Playwrights Project: While we lost a significant number of artists to full-time work or relocations from San Diego, we’ve engaged more new artists and increasingly more BIPOC artists and we employ justice-impacted artists who are often overlooked and struggle even more than others with finding employment.
Dori Salois, Vantage Theatre: I think there is a shortage of set, lighting and sound designers, and well as stage managers.
Sean Boyd, Trinity Theatre Company: Lots of people left, and many have not returned. But, Trinity likes to prioritize hiring local, and in many of our cases (such as our teaching artists), we need them year-round for our school partnerships. When teaching artists can’t afford to live here, they leave.
Kevin “Blax” Burroughs, Oceanside Theatre Company: The post-pandemic focus on social justice and equity in the arts has brought more diverse artists to larger stages. However, because there’s still a limited pool of local BIPOC performers, these artists now have the opportunity to be more selective with the projects they take.
Q: Has the fundraising climate changed for you since March 2020?
Barry Edelstein, The Old Globe: San Diego’s philanthropic community was extremely generous during the emergency period of the pandemic, and has stuck with us since. The current stock market decline is a worry and we’re seeing some evidence of individual philanthropy flattening. There’s no doubt that institutional and corporate philanthropy is declining in the current economic context but it’s early to tell if that’s a temporary or long-term response. Some institutional philanthropies are redirecting resources away from the arts and toward places that government funding formerly ed: medical research, healthcare, etc. COVID-era federal funding plans (like the Paycheck Protection Program and Shuttered Venue Operators Grants) saved The Old Globe, and the American theater generally, during the pandemic. Some of that funding stretched as far as 2024.
Bill Schmidt, Cygnet Theatre: We haven’t seen a major shift in fundraising challenges. Early in the pandemic, donors focused more on social services, but for the arts in San Diego has largely returned to pre-pandemic levels or better. Additionally, new funding sources, such as the Prebys Foundation, have provided additional opportunities for arts organizations.
Maria Patrice Amon, TuYo Theatre: We’re deeply concerned about potential cuts to federal arts funding, especially with the new istration in Washington, D.C. because we are a culturally specific theater and diverse representation is a part of our literal mission. But at the same time, there’s been a shift in state funding priorities toward greater equity for smaller organizations, and that’s been an incredible boon for us. TuYo’s mission is rooted in diversity and representation, and it’s encouraging to see more funders recognizing the value of that work.
Cecelia Kouma, Playwrights Project: Funding in 2024 was fairly robust for Playwrights Project, primarily due to more government grants from the state and city. However, funding has become increasingly uncertain in 2025, with the changes at the federal level and concerns about how that will continue to impact state and municipal funding.
Dori Salois, Vantage Theatre: California Arts Council and the Conrad Prebys Foundation have done much to keep theater alive in San Diego.
Sean Boyd, Trinity Theatre Company: Fundraising has definitely changed, and will continue to be challenged with economic uncertainty. But, just like at the start of the pandemic, where organizations received wonderful generosity from individuals, I have a feeling that’s where we will once again thrive. As long as we are focused on the community, that same community will and uplift our missions. A donation to any nonprofit is always a social investment, and that trust is something we must continue to deliver upon.
Alex Goodman, Oceanside Theatre Company: At a recent conference in Chicago, it was reported that government, foundation and individual donations were down across the board, but the amount that individuals are giving per household has risen. We’re now seeing 80% of donations coming from the top 10% of donors. This creates a double-edged sword — sustaining relationships with a small group of major donors can keep us afloat, but losing even one of those ers can have devastating consequences.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to say about how the local theater industry has changed for you since March 2020?
Barry Edelstein, The Old Globe: The Old Globe is its people, and so is the San Diego theater broadly. I could not be more proud to be part of a community that’s shown grit and resilience and a deep commitment to the values that make theatre so important. Your readers should know that they are living in one of the most vibrant theatre communities in the nation, and in a city that has weathered the crisis better than most.
Robert Smyth, Lamb’s Players Theatre: Even with the current unease ,San Diego continues to be an exciting theater community.
Bill Schmidt, Cygnet Theatre: It is much more challenging for all organizations due to rising costs, but we are excited about the future. Moving to a state-of-the-art facility represents not just growth, but a renewed commitment to serving our audiences and ensuring the sustainability of theatre in San Diego.
Maria Patrice Amon, TuYo Theatre: The past five years have shown us how fragile and resilient theater can be at the same time. We lost a lot — spaces, artists and companies — but we’ve also seen a reinvention of what theater can be. For us, it’s meant doubling down on what we do best: creating work that’s rooted in community, adaptability, and the stories that aren’t always given space. The landscape has changed, but the need for theater that speaks to our moment has never been stronger.
Cecelia Kouma, Playwrights Project: Performance space continues to be a challenge. The loss of the Lyceum Theatre was huge. We moved our annual production of Plays by Young Writers to the Salvation Army’s Joan B. Kroc Theatre. Costs there continue to rise each year. We’ve consolidated the performance schedule from two weeks into one week to keep costs down, and from two separate programs into one. This latter has made it necessary to assure all plays are suitable for younger audiences, which has required ing over more sophisticated or “edgy” scripts that serve older teen audiences, but wouldn’t be appropriate for or of interest to younger audiences. We would love to be able to return to our two-program format to include a wider range of content.
Also worth noting, we have found great and encouragement from larger theaters. We presented a devised play from our incarcerated writers in La Jolla Playhouse’s 2023 WOW Festival (which sold out within 24 hours) and we returned in April to this year’s WOW Festival. We presented “The Pros and Cons of Feeding Stray Cats” at The Old Globe in their 360 Project this week. We commissioned Christian St. Croix to write the play, focused on teens in a work program for youth struggling with drug and alcohol use. The larger theaters’ greater focus on social justice and community engagement is very appreciated and a welcomed .
Dori Salois, Vantage Theatre: We are all in this together. The Globe opened its set and props warehouse for my production. TuYo offered extra lighting equipment. Project BLANK offered special tables and chairs and UCSD’s set design department offered their expertise. I was asked to give a speech at a San Diego Performing Arts League event and I spoke about how the league never makes us feel we are out of our “league” among the larger theaters. The interconnectedness of us all is needed to survive.
Casey Tibbitts, Scripps Ranch Theatre: I think that many theaters in the industry, particularly those that operate on a smaller scale, are facing a serious existential crisis. We will probably see a reduction in the number of theater companies in operation, or at least a consolidation. The theater industry (and all nonprofits) has always had difficulties raising enough money to remain relevant, but in this day and age the issue seems especially acute.
Sean Boyd, Trinity Theatre Company: In March 2020, I heard predictions that as many as 80% of our nonprofit arts institutions would permanently shutter. That estimate proved to be extreme. We did lose a great many … but, many of the industry workers were able to find employment. I sometimes worry that we are going to see the continued shuttering. I hope I’m mistaken, but it continues to be a concern.
But from a financial perspective, here’ a moment of hope. I did a little research on San Diego theater revenue as reported on public tax records. In 2020, all theaters in our city (that I could find) generated a combined revenue of $45 million. This last reported tax return (2023), that number has grown over $91 million. That’s a 100% rebound that I think demonstrates great things for the arts, and from a sector that was thought “doomed to fail.” It should be noted this is not “net” (which paints a slightly different picture), but the exciting news is, a large portion of expenses for companies is towards its employees, making sure that a human-based industry is actively ing the individuals that make the magic happen.
Alex Goodman, Oceanside Theatre Company: Since the shutdown, Oceanside Theatre Company has undergone a complete staff transformation, with a new managing director, artistic director, technical director, marketing manager, and most of our front-of-house and education teams. This new team is far more diverse, which has influenced our programming and outreach in meaningful ways. We’re also forging deeper partnerships with local nonprofits, the school district, and higher education institutions. Moving forward, I believe these collaborations will strengthen our ability to serve our community and navigate the ever-changing arts landscape.
