What’s next for Cal Shakes? That’s a work in progress

What can theatergoers expect to see at California Shakespeare Theater next summer?

The answer to that is yet to be determined, says Clive Worsley, the popular stage company’s new executive director.

The troupe, which operates out of the scenic outdoor Bruns Amphitheater in Orinda, sent shockwaves through the Bay Area theater scene recently with the announcements that two key leaders — artistic director Eric Ting, who had held the position for seven years, and managing director Sarah Williams, who had been in the post three years — were stepping down.

Worsley, a longtime Bay Area director, administrator and teacher, was essentially named to bridge the two posts in the newly created executive director position, which the company says will oversee a “comprehensive reimagination” of the company. What the announcements did not entail were any plans for what will take place next season, and whether Cal Shakes fans can look forward to any productions helmed by the company.

“Those are conversations we are just beginning to have,” Worsley said in a recent interview, adding that continued strategy sessions are going on this month. No. 1 on the agenda is to achieve financial stability and find a business model more in line with the changing times in the entertainment world.

The COVID pandemic has upended all facets of the live entertainment scene, and Cal Shakes’ previous two seasons have reflected that. The company staged fewer shows than normal and in 2021 made the Bruns Amphitheater available to a variety of other entertainers, ranging from the West Edge Opera Company to Bay Area musicians and comedians, in a move Cal Shakes dubbed “the season of shared light.”

Worsley said all options are on the table for next season, including a company production or two, a co-production with another stage company or no Cal Shakes productions at all. The company will also consider seeking guest artists to perform at the Bruns. Last season saw Cal Shakes perform two shows that featured the adventurism that had been a hallmark of Ting’s tenure as artistic director: a bilingual take on Romeo and Juliet (“Romeo y Juliet”) and a reinvention of “King Lear” set in San Francisco during a time of racial upheaval (“Lear”).

Previous seasons – usually running May through September – typically saw four company productions each, offering a blend of Shakespeare standards and shows from playwrights ranging from George Bernard Shaw and August Wilson to the agitprop productions from the Culture Clash troupe. Boasting strong production values and the Bruns Amphitheater’s charming (if chilly) environs, Cal Shakes has for years been one of the highlights of the Bay Area summer season.

Worsley said Cal Shakes has not forgotten that. The company recently sent out an email to subscribers and followers titled “We’re still Cal Shakes” and invited theatergoers to share their goals for the company.

“What’s clear is our responsibility as a community culture resource is unchanged,” Worsley said. “It’s something that we have been for about 50 years.”

And while next season might be another light one for Cal Shakes – Worsley said he could offer no details on the scope of the season or whether staffing levels would remain the same – the company’s long-term goal is to achieve post-COVID financial stability and then return to staging its own productions. One big motivation: Cal Shakes marks its 50th anniversary in 2024.

In the meantime, company leaders have begun organizing a series of strategy sessions, both in-house and with subscribers, longtime followers, theater artists and more, termed “listening circles.” The idea is to figure out what will and won’t work for the future of a company that, like most live arts presenters, is grappling with the aftermath of COVID as well as such long-term challenges as aging audiences and dwindling subscriber bases, rising costs and heightened competition for entertainment consumers.

Strategy sessions have been slated for early and mid-November, Worsley said. Find more information at calshakes.org.