Schools
UCSC Pulls the Plug on Shakespeare Santa Cruz After 32 Years
Love's labors lost as Shakespeare Santa Cruz loses funding after 32 years on the UCSC campus.
Saying it was a financial drain, the University of California, Santa Cruz, will cut its popular partnership with Shakespeare Santa Cruz this December, ending a run of 32 years of performances.
"The campus has provided Shakespeare Santa Cruz with a large amount of financial support in hopes that the company could become more financially self-sustaining,” said David Yager, UCSC dean of the arts, in a press release. “Unfortunately, with each passing season, it has become clearer that this goal is not attainable."
Five years ago, the series almost died, but the company raised $419,000 in emergency donations and kept it alive. However, campus officials say UCSC's contributions have totaled $2.13 million over the past decade, $1.5 million of which came after the company was saved in 2008. Shakespeare Santa Cruz has a debt of $1.98 million, the campus says.
The school will keep a "Shakespeare to Go" program that brings the Bard to the schools.
Read more here.
For the sake of comparison, see how much UC presidents earn here.
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