After years of nonstop entertainment, Stages Theatre has closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stages Theatres is a non-profit organization in Fullerton and has been running for 30 years and is one of the oldest theatres in Orange County.
It was started as just a small place for actors to work on their projects.
They have provided a variety of theatre entertainment from Broadway musicals, late-night sketch comedy shows, classic comedy, and even original works.
The theatre is run by volunteers usually from local colleges or school and by its board of directors.
“We have worked really diligently to include the local community in working at our space and being a really big part of what made Stages stick around for so long,” said board president, Patti Cumby.
And though they’re non-profit, they’re able to get by thanks to the citizens of Fullerton who attend their performances helping with their ticket sales and donations.
“We can still accept donations that are, for the most part, tax-deductible,” Cumby said. “The predominant amount of funding that was used to run the space and produce shows through space and produce shows was through ticket sales.”
But when the virus now became a pandemic the board members had no choice to close for the safety of everyone who’s participated in it.
They also had some shows they were planning on doing but it sadly had to be put to an end. The organization was working on an Agatha Christie show and some original shows from local writers. They were also doing It’s a “Wonderful Life for Christmas” but that isn’t going to happen anymore.
They have also stopped offering classes since they’ve closed down.
“At this time we don’t have any public offerings for performances or classes or anything that would be virtual,” Cumby said. “There’s nothing virtual right now. And there’s nothing face-to-face.”
“We have people who donate every year. The end of the year is a really good time for people to make donations because obviously, it’s the end of the calendar year when people usually are looking for donations to make for tax purposes,” Cumby said. “We have been accepting and expect yearly donations at this time but we’re not having a specific fundraiser.”
As of now, it’s a temporary closure until the pandemic is gone. But they plan on doing a fundraiser in the future that often happens every end of the year.
