San Diego, CA – May 14, 2026 – San Diego Musical Theatre, the only year-round musical theatre nonprofit organization in San Diego, today announced the launch of an urgent fundraising campaign, “The Show Must Go On!,” aiming to raise $100,000 by June 30 to sustain its upcoming production of Rock of Ages.
After the pandemic, the Horton Grand Theatre, where San Diego Musical Theatre produced their shows, permanently closed forcing the organization to consolidate production in a smaller space in Kearny Mesa. Producing in a small venue with limited seating, coupled with rising production costs following the pandemic, have outpaced earned revenue from ticket sales and donations. Due to proposed arts and culture funding cuts by the City of San Diego, San Diego Musical Theatre stands to lose approximately $72,000 in funding, further deepening the organization’s financial challenges. After almost 20 years serving our city, San Diego Musical Theatre will not be able to move forward with Rock of Ages without community support to bridge the current financial gap.
San Diego Musical Theatre provides artistic opportunities to over 300 artists annually, including Actors, Directors, Choreographers, Music Directors, Set Designers, Costume Designers, Lighting Designers, Sound Designers, Property Masters, Hair and Wig Designers, Stage Managers, Audio Engineers, Deck Crew, Spot Operators, Dressers, Teaching Artists, Interns, Staff and more. Keeping talented artists in San Diego keeps our city vibrant and successful. The loss of a year-round musical theatre organization will shrink opportunities for these artists who will likely leave San Diego in search of sustainability.
Erin Lewis, one of San Diego Musical Theatre’s founders and CEO stated, “SDMT has been deeply impacted by rising production costs since the pandemic, the City of San Diego cutting our arts funding, and a decline in available grants. Even with the generosity of our loyal donors, the financial burden has reached an unsustainable level. We are launching an emergency campaign to raise $100,000 to ensure Rock of Ages can take the stage.” Without immediate support, Rock of Ages, which has a cast, musicians, creatives and designers ready to start rehearsals in July, faces cancellation.
Founded in 2007 by Erin and Gary Lewis, San Diego Musical Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to producing Broadway-quality musical theatre, nurturing local talent, fostering the next generation of artists and enriching the cultural landscape of San Diego. Through its productions and youth musical theatre education program The Academy, the company engages
approximately 19,000 patrons annually.
