SAN DIEGO — It's the end of an era for the Ocean Beach Playhouse after their lease runs out at the end of the year. About a month ago, members of Wildsong Productions, the team that works to put together the shows, found out rent was going up.
Wildsong Productions pays $8,000 a month, now it's increasing by a couple thousand. The venue is already listed online for lease.
“There's no way we could afford that were still too young, most grants like non-profit grants you have to be around for at least two years before you can start applying even,” Wildsong Productions Board of Directors, Sarah Hayes said.
Hayes tells CBS 8, that even with the amount of money they are paying for rent, its still a lot of money. Wildsong Production is a non-profit community theater organization made up of a team of volunteers with a passion to create art.
“We were honestly covering it barely, we were scraping by based on ticket sales and some very generous donations that we got,” Hayes said.
The OB Playhouse and the ‘E-bike’ business next door are both under the same lease. Bill and Jennie Connard ran the theater since about 2016 and closed it down during the pandemic, that's when Wildsong Productions moved in and began doing performances.
“They were like come here make art, we need someone to come and do this and keep art alive here so it's been truly wonderful to work with them,” Hayes said.
CBS 8 called the number on the front ‘For Lease’ sign and left a voicemail, we are still waiting to hear back. In the meantime, the production team is continuing their rehearsals for their upcoming shows.
“If we are successful and we are able to secure a space, we need to keep the momentum going. Every show that we’ve done here we’ve gotten more and more people coming,” Hayes said.
December 23 is the final show scheduled at their Newport Avenue location, showcasing the rock musical ‘Rent’.
“The OB playhouse and this space has been such a staple for the community for so long and we've been honored to take it up for them,” Hayes said.
Sarah tells CBS 8 that Wildsong Productions is in talks with the landlords to see if they can work out a deal and stay in Ocean Beach.
WATCH RELATED: San Diego County rent reaching record highs