Dear Friend of PacRep,
As Pacific Repertory Theatre prepares to celebrate its 45th Season in 2027, I find myself reflecting on the extraordinary journey we've taken together. When I founded PacRep in 1983, I could never have imagined all we would accomplish, or the challenges we would overcome. Through remarkable successes, unexpected setbacks, and even a worldwide pandemic, one thing has remained constant: the generosity, loyalty, and love of the community that has made PacRep what it is today.
Last year, I wrote to you about the unprecedented challenges facing regional theatres and introduced a new program called The Golden Circle. I hoped we could build a community of sustaining supporters to help secure PacRep's future, one gift at a time.
What happened next was extraordinary.
By the end of last year, 137 supporters had joined The Golden Circle, helping us surpass the $50,000 matching challenge generously offered by our longtime friend Roberta “Bertie” Bialek Elliott. Today, that circle has grown to 186 members – a community of people who believe that live theatre belongs at the heart of our region.
It’s also been wonderful to hear our Golden Circle members’ enthusiasm for the benefits at the various giving levels—from wine vouchers for a toast before the show to invitations to private rehearsals for a glimpse behind the scenes, and even that coveted private parking space! These benefits are our way of saying thank you and bringing you closer to the theatre you help make possible.
Our members' gifts are already at work, supporting the artists, productions, and educational programs that bring PacRep to life. And with each new member, we strengthen the foundation for everything still to come.
I cannot begin to tell you what that means to me personally, or to everyone who works on our stages or behind the scenes. If you haven’t yet joined, I hope you’ll become part of this growing circle today!
And look at what we've accomplished together!
Our 2026 season, A Season of Wonder, has brought audiences the hilarious Noises Off, Beetlejuice JR., Young Frankenstein, the magic of The Little Mermaid, and the classical power of Medea and A Midsummer Night's Dream. And this November, we’ll share the extraordinary humanity of Come From Away.
Along the way, PacRep earned honors for Best Theatre Company, Best Performing Arts Group, and Best Production of 2026 for Young Frankenstein! We're enormously proud, and these awards belong as much to you, our supporters, as to the artists on our stages. Your generosity makes this level of artistic excellence possible.
Nick Mandracchia, Sarah Gaudoin, and Travis Poelle* "Puttin' on the Ritz" in Young Frankenstein!
Onward and upward
Looking ahead to our 45th Season, we're planning an ambitious 2027 lineup, including Les Misérables and Dear Evan Hansen. Our School of Dramatic Arts will also finally bring Matilda Jr. to the stage – the very production we were forced to close when the pandemic shut down our theatres in March 2020.
And our commitment to young people is growing, too. Later this month, through Monterey County Gives!, we'll announce plans to expand our successful Esperanza Carmel Tix4Kids program from 1,000 to 2,500 free theatre tickets for young people throughout our region. Thanks to generous local grantors and donors, children receive not only admission but educational materials and even transportation, which is so desperately needed. Our program motto says it all: "Every Child Deserves a Seat at the Theatre." And we can't wait to welcome them!
Unfortunately, the well-known adage is true – none of this happens "on ticket sales alone." The pain that regional theatres are feeling hasn't disappeared. Rising costs, changing audience habits, and uncertain funding continue to affect theatres nationwide, including PacRep. Producing professional theatre, maintaining our restored Golden Bough Playhouse and historic Forest Theater, and bringing the arts to thousands of young people require resources beyond ticket revenue.
That's why joining The Golden Circle,
particularly choosing to become a sustaining member,
is so important.
Monthly giving provides stability and helps us meet expenses throughout the year and make commitments long before the first ticket is sold. Annual gifts help us plan confidently and compensate our artists and staff fairly.
And remember – even modest monthly gifts, combined with the generosity of others, make an extraordinary difference. A modest monthly gift can help put a costume on an actor or a script in a student's hands; a larger gift can help bring an entire production to the stage. Every gift plays a part in making the wonder possible.
Our goal isn't simply to weather the storm facing regional theatre. It's to build a stronger, more financially secure PacRep for generations to come.
As we launch our 2026 year-end fund drive, I'm asking you to help us build on this remarkable first year of The Golden Circle. If you're already a member, please consider increasing your monthly or annual gift. If you haven't joined, I hope you'll become a sustaining supporter today. Whatever the amount, your generosity will help ensure that the wonder continues.
Join, renew, or even increase your gift at PacRep.org/golden-circle, or call 831-622-0100.
On behalf of our artists, staff, students, and volunteers, thank you for believing in PacRep and standing with us through challenges and triumphs.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Stephen
Stephen Moorer
Founder and Executive Director
Pacific Repertory Theatre
P.S. Please join us for the best holiday party in Carmel – PacRep's 2026 New Year's Eve Bash, The Beat Goes On, with our very own "Sonny and Cher"! Tickets are available at the box office and online at pacrep.org/new-years-eve-bash
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PacRep performers featured in top panel: Julie Hughett, Maxsim Blatt, Travis Poelle*, Ethan McDaniel, Teagan Cox, Jennifer Le Blanc*, Keith Pinto*, Paul Barber, Davitt Felder and Lydia Lyons*.
*Members of Actors' Equity Association
