By Team ASR
The treasured company has avoided a potential shutdown due to financial issues, according to an August 14 press release from the company’s media contact Robin Dolan:
BERKELEY, CA (August 2024) Berkeley’s acclaimed Aurora Theatre Company (Artistic Director Josh Costello) announced today that the 32-year-old organization will stay open to start its 2024/2025 Season after a successful emergency fundraising campaign, support from the City of Berkeley, and a restructure of its administrative staff.
Since the pandemic, theaters across the country and in the Bay Area have faced a delay in audiences returning and a consequent loss of income, even as expenses have skyrocketed due to inflation and other factors. In the first four years of the pandemic, Aurora survived on large deficit budgets thanks to one-time windfalls (such as the Shuttered Venues Operating Grants) and a substantial amount of pre-pandemic savings.
“We figured the only way to survive in the long run was to rebuild our audience,” said Josh Costello, Aurora’s Artistic Director since 2019. “And we wouldn’t be able to bring back our lapsed subscribers or welcome new theatregoers if we weren’t presenting plays.”
Over the past four years, Aurora has presented a heady mix of highly-acclaimed productions, including Liz Duffy Adams’ BORN WITH TEETH, Dominique Morriseau’s PARADISE BLUE, and the world premiere of Dustin Chinn’s COLONIALISM IS TERRIBLE, BUT PHO IS DELICIOUS. Single ticket sales have been inconsistent, but subscription numbers have been increasing over the last two seasons and 2023/2024 season closer THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT sold well in July. Meanwhile, Jonathan Spector’s EUREKA DAY, which Aurora commissioned, developed, and premiered in 2018, had a star-studded run at the Old Vic in London and will open on Broadway this December.
In spring 2024, Aurora’s savings dropped to a level that prompted an emergency fundraising campaign. “First we needed to raise extra money to be able to finish out our 2023/2024 Season,” said Managing Director Robin Dolan. “And then we needed to raise more money and make a new plan for a 2024/2025 Season that does not depend on audiences suddenly returning to pre-pandemic numbers. The new budget is still very tight and depends on continued support from our community.”
Aurora raised over $200,000 from a group of major donors, and as much again from a public emergency fundraising campaign, attracting donations from hundreds of supporters. Aurora’s Board of Directors offered a $57,000 match as part of the campaign, and a longtime supporter offered an additional $25,000 match, which took the total over $250,000. Separately, a group of former board members also convened and contributed over $40,000.
At the same time, Aurora petitioned the Berkeley City Council for emergency funding, with a change.org petition attracting over 1,800 signatures. Councilmember Sophie Hahn introduced a budget referral for $150,000 for Aurora, which she described as “a vital addition to Berkeley’s arts and culture scene for 32 years.” Her referral continued, “Berkeley cannot lose another vibrant cultural asset. A thriving arts district is essential to downtown Berkeley’s continued recovery and revitalization.” The council unanimously passed the budget with the funding for Aurora on June 25.
“This has been a difficult time, to say the least,” said Rebecca Parlette, the company’s interim Board President. “But this is such a beloved organization. We are so pleased to see the community come together to save Aurora.”
These successes were one-time windfalls. To create a sustainable future, Aurora is going through a major restructuring of its administrative staff in order to address the structural deficit it has faced since the pandemic. Layoffs include the Marketing and Development departments as well as one of the two Co-Managing Directors. The remaining Managing Director and the Artistic Director will be taking significantly reduced salaries, and the remaining staff will be taking small furloughs. In a cost-saving measure, Aurora is contracting out large portions of the work formerly done by staff members.
The production department remains intact, and Aurora’s 2024/2025 Season will proceed mostly as planned. Costello will not be directing in 2024/2025, in order to spend more time on administrative duties. He was previously announced as the director of Noël Coward’s FALLEN ANGELS, opening in October 2024; a production that will now be directed by former Aurora Artistic Director Tom Ross. Jennifer King (HURRICANE DIANE) will direct THE SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE, previously announced with Tom Ross directing. Lloyd Suh’s THE HEART SELLERS (a coproduction with Capital Stage and TheaterWorks Silicon Valley) and Lynn Nottage’s CRUMBS FROM THE TABLE OF JOY will continue as planned, under the direction of Jennifer Chang and Elizabeth Carter, respectively. The season also includes a workshop performance of a new hip-hop musical commissioned by Aurora from Bay Area troupe Felonious.
Aurora also announced a staged reading of the Broadway draft of EUREKA DAY, featuring the cast of Aurora’s world premiere production, as a fundraising event (with special guests to be announced) on September 23.
“I am so moved by the way this community has stepped up,” said Costello. “Artists, patrons, donors, and even city officials have all gone out of their way to let us know how much this organization means, and how much they want us to continue. We’ve had to make some very difficult choices to create a path forward, and we’re all very sad to say goodbye to staff members who have done years of tremendous work with Aurora. I am optimistic about our future and I can’t wait to share more inspiring plays with this beautiful community.”
Aurora’s new season begins October 19 with Noel Coward’s FALLEN ANGELS, directed by former Aurora Artistic Director Tom Ross.
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