Award-winning Escondido theater company to downsize and restructure

One of San Diego County’s most award-winning theater companies in recent years, CCAE Theatricals, announced Thursday that is restructuring its operations and downsizing its staff, including the departure of two of the company’s co-founders.

Thursday was the final day of work for managing producer Jordan Beck and artistic director J. Scott Lapp, who started the company five years ago as the in-house professional theater producer at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido (CCAE). With their departure, the company’s operating staff now totals 10, including six part-time workers.

Over the past three years, CCAE Theatricals won multiple top awards for its productions, including “Light in the Piazza” and the world premiere of  “Witnesses” in 2022, “Sunday in the Park with George” in 2023 and “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” in 2024.

In August 2023, the city-owned arts center’s management team eliminated the theater company’s funding from its budget to reduce expenses. CCAE Theatricals’ team struck out on their own and later relaunched the company as an independent nonprofit run by Beck, Lapp, executive director Julianna Crespo and Tom Abruzzo, the director of education and engagement.

But without a new home theater to present a 2025 season, rising production costs and many other economic factors, the restructuring and downsizing became necessary, Crespo said in an interview on Thursday.

“Like many nonprofits across the country, including arts organizations, we are navigating the realities of a shifting economy which affects grants and donor giving patterns, unusual ticket sales trends, contributes to rising production costs, and in turn changes in venue availability and venue relationships,” Crespo said.

“These factors have led us to make some thoughtful structural changes to ensure a sustainable and yet mission aligned future in Escondido. We believe that collaboration will be a crucial element in surviving these times. With resiliency and innovation, our work will continue to have a positive impact on our community and inspire theater lovers.”

As part of the restructuring, the company is launching a fundraising campaign on Friday, Aug. 1. The David T. and Dorris E. Staples Foundation, a longtime supporter of the company, has offered to match every dollar contributed. Proceeds from the campaign will go toward producing a major licensed theater production in the 2026 or 2027 seasons.

Crespo said the company will continue to produce in Escondido at multiple venues.

On Aug. 16, the company will present its second annual Staged Reading Festival at the Ritz Theatre in downtown Escondido. It also plans to produce in two city-owned buildings that are now being refurbished, the Don Anderson Community Center and the Oak Hill Activity Center.

The company’s ongoing cabaret concert series will continue at Bellamy’s restaurant in Escondido, through a partnership with the Grand Restaurant Group. And the company will continue its work with the Escondido Union School District, including summer camp theater programming and an after-school program taking place this fall at eight elementary schools.

Also this fall, the company plans a Theatre for Young Audiences production, followed by a multiweek mainstage production in spring 2026. The show names and locations have not been announced.

Crespo said the company’s goal is to carry on Beck and Lapp’s legacy for producing high-quality, award-worthy work. She also said both men will be invited back in future years to produce and direct shows.

In separate statements, Lapp and Beck described their departures as the end of an important chapter in their lives and they expressed pride in what they were able to accomplish in five years.

“This community — the artists, audiences, and broader San Diego theater family — have meant the world to me … I will carry the spirit of this work with me as I take the next step in my professional journey,” said Lapp, who will soon fly to Tokyo to direct Broadway Asia’s national tour of the musical “Murder for Two.”

Beck will now expand to producing professional theater productions regionally, with a focus in the Riverside and Inland Empire areas. Like Lapp, he thanked the artists and community for their support over the past five years and wrote: “San Diego’s theater community is truly one of a kind and I am honored to have been a part of it for the past five years.”

In the coming months, the company will announce more details on its future production plans and ticket prices. For details, visit theatricals.org.