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Peninsula Lively Arts announced this week that its full-scale productions of “The Nutcracker” ballet may not happen this year if it does not raise $150,000 in donations before Nov. 30.
In a Nov. 15 press release, the company said that it was making an “urgent appeal for donations and sponsorships to ensure the presentation of its planned ‘Nutcracker’ productions this December.”
Since 2017, the San Mateo-based nonprofit dance company has staged three unique versions of Tchaikovsky’s holiday ballet: a full-length traditional production, an abbreviated “Nutcracker Sweet” version of the classic, and its signature “Hip-Hop Nutcracker.”
“Nutcracker Sweet” performances are still expected to take place Dec. 6-7 at Peninsula Lively Arts’ studio in San Mateo. But the full-length classic production scheduled for Dec. 21, and the hip-hop version planned for Dec. 20, both at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center, need financial support from the community to continue, said Peninsula Lively Arts Interim Executive Director Debbie Chinn.
“We are still rehearsing. We’re still in production mode. We haven’t stopped. We are really, really hoping that the community will get behind us, because it is such a beloved company and a beloved tradition. We just have not articulated our need, which is what we’re doing now,” Chinn said in an interview with this publication.Â
Peninsula audiences may recognize Chinn’s name from her tenure at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley. She helped shepherd the theater company through some financial challenges in 2023.
Peninsula Lively Arts also operates a dance school that teaches ballet, hip-hop and many other styles for all ages, and offers affordable studio rentals to local groups. These operations will continue, Chinn said, who noted that school enrollment has been increasing.
If sufficient donations can’t be raised for the full-length Nutcracker shows by the end of the month, Chinn said that the board would consider what cuts to could be made to try to salvage the productions, but that would depend on how close to the goal the company is. “If we’re close, I would hope we could commit to doing it,” she said.
Familiar holiday favorites like the “Nutcracker” are important because the productions often draw in new audiences and are reliable ticket sellers — to a point. Chinn noted the fact that, anecdotally, there appears to be a trend in the past few years of audiences buying tickets closer to performance dates, which brings additional uncertainty.
Much of Peninsula Lively Arts’ revenue comes from ticket sales, Chinn said, plus a small number of grants. In recent years, those grants had included one-time federal COVID-19 relief funds and two $30,000 grants from the David & Lucile Packard Foundation. Pacifica’s Sam Mazza Foundation funded the company’s Peninsula International Dance Festival in July.
Chinn said that to achieve a steadier financial situation, the company needs to stretch a new set of muscles: creating a development program that will build relationships with donors.
“When you buy a ticket for $40, that does not cover the full cost of production. You have to cover the rest of those costs by donations, and yet this organization doesn’t have a development program,” she said.
Nonprofit arts groups often have a program or staff member that focuses on recruiting donors to provide a base of financial support, but up until now, that has not been part of Peninsula Lively Arts’ business model, Chinn said.
“People give to people, and people give to people who they know and they trust and they like, and it’s hard to develop that if you just sell them a ticket. So what this organization needs to start doing is having a different mindset about its relationship to its people,” she said.
That’s something that Chinn said she is aiming to change.
“This organization has not invested and built a development program and has relied too heavily on government money, which is now gone. (For those wondering) ‘How did we get here?’ The answer is, unfortunately, the organization did not invest in itself. We’re trying to do that now,” Chinn said.
Tickets on their own provide an uncertain revenue source. While a significant amount of expenses must be paid before a production ever gets to the stage, ticket sales come late in a production’s life cycle — after most rehearsals, after the creation of sets, costumes, lighting and sound, and after the venue has been rented.
To help cover up-front costs, some companies offer subscriptions, in which audiences can purchase tickets in advance to a full season’s worth of shows, with perks like preferred seating or discounted prices. Subscriptions can help guarantee some funds to support upcoming productions, but Chinn pointed out it’s not a workable model for Peninsula Lively Arts.
“We don’t do enough shows (for a subscription model), because the shows are expensive to do, and we want to keep ticket prices low. This is the other thing. We could charge Broadway prices of 100 bucks, and maybe have a better return on our efforts, but that would price everybody out,” Chinn said.
“Our mission is to make sure that we reduce barriers to our work, and we don’t want to leave a significant amount of people out of enjoying the show. We purposely keep our ticket prices affordable. We offer discounts, we offer scholarships to our dance classes.”
The $150,000 needed for the two full-length “Nutcrackers” will help cover the up-front costs in staging these shows, and that includes helping to pay artists and crew, Chinn said, in addition to production costs, like sets and costumes, including shoes. Professional ballet, or pointe shoes, for instance, are expensive and wear out quickly. The company has already spent about $5,000 on pointe shoes this year and that number may go up.
Peninsula Lively Arts’ situation may also reflect a changing landscape for philanthropy, as federal grants are farther out of reach, with large organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts unable to fund programs that highlight cultural diversity, which is a key element of Peninsula Lively Arts’ mission, Chinn said. Existing philanthropic organizations may also have more demands on their funds as the federal government has pulled back or shut down a variety of social programs.
Chinn noted that in the nonprofit world overall, the vast majority of donations — around 80%, as a general rule — don’t come from large entities like corporate sponsors, but from individuals and foundations.
Community response to the Nutcracker news has been promising so far, she said, with some donors stepping forward already. The company’s board members have also pulled together their own funds to match some gifts that have come in.
“I believe that we can get there. We’ve got good momentum. We’ve had people step up and to say, ‘I’ve got a company match’ — every bit helps,” Chinn said.
Peninsula Lively Arts’ Nutcracker Sweet takes place Dec. 6-7, 12:30, 2:30 and 4:30 p.m., at Peninsula Lively Arts studios, 1880 S. Grant St., San Mateo​. $38 ages 12 and under/$48 regular admission.
Hip-Hop Nutcracker is planned for Dec. 20, 2 and 7 p.m., at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center, 600 N. Delaware St., San Mateo. $49-$69.
The Classic Nutcracker is planned for Dec. 21, 2 p.m., also at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center. $49-$69. peninsulalivelyarts.org.
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