Shakespeare by the Sea is in financial trouble.
For nearly 30 seasons, the nonprofit has entertained nearly 500,000 theater-goers with free outdoor productions of William Shakespeare’s comedies and tragedies across the South Bay and beyond.
SBTS and Little Fish Theatre co-artistic directors Stephanie Coltrin and Suzanne Dean say they need to raise $200,000, just for pre-production for the 2026 season, which is expected to begin in June.
Dean said they had hope to raise the $200,000 by Jan. 31, but are still $127,000 short.
“We did not finish last year having met our budget, and we haven’t met our budget the last three years,” Dean said. “But last year was the biggest deficit, even though we began a very rigorous end of year campaign.”
They ended 2025 with a nearly $28,000 touring deficit for SBTS.
The Little Fish Theatre also ended with a deficit last year and is also in financial straits.
The deficit last year for SBTS and Little Fish combined was $56,000, according to Coltrin.
“I think what most people don’t understand is when they come to the park, just because the show is there, does not mean it has been paid for,” Dean said. “The entire year is spent fundraising for these shows. But over the last three years, getting to that point of opening, we’re further and further behind.”
The pandemic hit SBTS hard, but there are a variety of reasons why it is getting financially problematic to produce SBTS shows.
Insurance, tour costs and materials for production have increased as has payroll, while government support, sponsorships and donations have decreased.
SBTS has been through some significant changes in recent years who SBTS founder Lisa Coffi retired as producing artistic director following its 25th season in 2022.
The SBTS and Little Fish found a temporary home base in Redondo Beach in 2025, thanks to the Beach Cities Health District, after more than 20 years in San Pedro.
Coltrin said individual support is important, but now they need more help from city governments that host SBTS and local businesses because they are running out of options.
“We’ve said for many years that the individuals are the ones that make the magic happen,” Coltrin said. “Because we don’t have as much corporate support as a tour of our size should have, so local businesses who would be interested in sponsoring is very important.”
Last year’s production by SBTS was “Julius Caesar” and “As You Like It,” which traveled from San Pedro to Altadena and with many stops in between for 27 shows, but they are unable to announce this year’s potential lineup.
One option is to reduce the number of shows that SBTS produces, Coltrin said, but that would impact the number of new parks they can add to entertain “underserved communities.”
“We’ve seen year after year, the impact that these performances have, not just on individuals, but on entire communities,” Coltrin said. “It’s just vital to the success of a community to have free access to the arts.”
For more information, visit shakespearebythesea.org/contribute/big-fish/, or shakespearebythesea.org/contribute/corporate-support.