Sacramento Theatre Company managing director Mark Standriff sent an ominous e-mail to STC subsribers and patrons on Monday. Painting a much more dire financial situation than Standriff described to me a week earlier, his message read in part, "Our theater company has managed to barely survive under these circumstances, but right now we're in need of raising a substantial amount of money in a very short time before things become strained beyond the breaking point. Frankly, we're facing the most serious financial challenge in STC's 67 year history."
Standriff then asks for donations and writes, "the rest of our season is in jeopardy unless we raise a significant amount of money in the next two weeks." Contacted today about the e-mail, Standriff said he's concerned about STC's cash flow over the next few months and wants to be "proactive" in his fundraising.
"I'm looking at the general outlook, what's happening to similar theaters and not wanting to put us in a similar situation," Standriff said.
Today STC announced a "restructuring" of the Pollock Stage season that includes consolidating the New Works Festival into one weekend of staged readings and delaying the production "The Illustrated Bradbury" to the fall 2009.
The staged readings for the New Works Festival take place in the Pollock Stage Jan. 16 through Jan. 18 and will be free. The schedule is "Black Pearl Sings" at 8 p.m. Feb. 16, "Brownie Points" at 8 p.m. Feb. 17 and "Beat Aside Apollo's Arrow" at 2 p.m. Feb. 18. For information: (916) 443-6722.
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