Vista, CA (June 4, 2020) – Moonlight Stage Productions announced today that it is postponing the rest of its 40th Anniversary Season to the summer of 2021 after previously announcing the cancelation of its first two musicals of this summer in May. The Moonlight is in contact with its customers with ticketing options including rolling tickets over to 2021, donating to the Moonlight Cultural Foundation, or receiving a refund.
“Although this is extremely disappointing news to share,” said Producing Artistic Director Steven Glaudini, “we are happy to announce that we are able to postpone Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella,” “Ragtime,” and “Kinky Boots” to next summer. These great musicals were part of this year’s season and were eagerly anticipated. We have extended the casting offers for these productions to those we had cast this summer and hope our brilliant companies of actors and musicians will be able to join us in 2021 to celebrate our 40th anniversary season.”
“We have many people to thank for their patience and understanding as we navigate these ever-changing times the COVID-19 pandemic has created,” said Managing Director Colleen Kollar Smith. “We appreciate the loyalty of our season subscribers as they have stood by in support while we took the necessary time to make this decision. Although we are saddened at the postponement, there will be many great opportunities on the horizon. The Moonlight will shine bright again and we look forward to reopening our gates and welcoming everyone back when it is deemed safe to do so.”
“We share in the disappointment of the postponement due to the pandemic, but we are already looking forward to the time when we can meet again,” said Moonlight Cultural Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Bradford. “We thank those who have risen to the challenge in supporting us through this time and invite others to join the Moonlight family of donors. Every donation will help the Moonlight come back as strong as possible. To thank health care workers who have sacrificed for our community’s safety and well-being, for every ticket donated back to the Moonlight, we will provide a future ticket to them as gratitude for having been on the front lines of this pandemic.”
Production dates for the 2021 summer season are yet to be determined. The Moonlight hopes to return in the fall and winter with a season of concerts and family movie nights. An update will be provided after public health orders from the State and the County provide modified public health orders regarding large public gatherings.
For more information, or to donate to the Moonlight Cultural Foundation, please visit moonlightstage.com. Customer service is currently not available in-person or by phone.
ABOUT MOONLIGHT STAGE PRODUCTIONS
Winner of several San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Awards, including Best Resident Musical for 2019’s West Side Story and 2017’s In the Heights, Moonlight Stage Productions is the cultural arts program of the City of Vista. Named “San Diego’s #1 Outdoor Theatre” by readers of ‘San Diego Magazine,’ Moonlight Stage Productions provides high caliber Broadway musical theatre each summer in the 1800-person capacity Moonlight Amphitheatre, owned and operated by the City of Vista. Audiences attend from San Diego, Southern Riverside, and Orange Counties making the Moonlight a regional destination for Broadway musical theatre. The Moonlight’s season of Broadway musicals is produced in the picturesque Moonlight Amphitheatre, a summertime tradition experienced by more than one million people. Throughout the decades, the Amphitheatre has seen numerous transformations, but nothing as dramatic as the total reconstruction of the stage house in 2008- 2009. With a grand re-opening in June 2009, a state-of-the-art venue was revealed, which included modern stage and audience facilities. Since then, the Amphitheatre has extended its entertainment offerings with the addition of concerts and other special events held throughout the year through Moonlight Presents and ClubM.
ABOUT THE MOONLIGHT CULTURAL FOUNDATION
The Vista Foundation was formed in the mid-1970s to fundraise for the construction of the original amphitheatre stage. That stage, dedicated on July 4, 1976 as a bicentennial project, was a gift to the citizens of Vista. Since the founding of Moonlight Stage Productions in 1981 by Kathy Brombacher, the Moonlight Cultural Foundation continues to share its gifts of supporting live arts and entertainment produced and presented by Moonlight Stage Productions and Moonlight Presents. Through its support of Moonlight Youth Theatre, the Foundation has emerged as a premiere provider of arts education programs for young people from throughout San Diego, Orange County, and Riverside counties. The Foundation works throughout the year in raising funds to support the Moonlight through corporate sponsorship, individual donations, and grants. The Foundation is supported through its auxiliary committee, the Moonlight Angels, who provide fundraising and volunteer support and have been successful at making substantial donations yearly to the Foundation. The Moonlight Cultural Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit tax-exempt organization
