OCEANSIDE — A local theater company and other local nonprofits are bracing for potential impacts to their programming following recent federal spending cuts to national arts, education and humanities initiatives under the Trump administration.
Alex Goodman, managing director of the Oceanside Theatre Company, which operates out of the historic Sunshine Brooks Theater, issued a public letter on March 19 calling for community support amid growing financial uncertainty.
“Recent federal actions threaten the future of arts, culture and education,” Goodman said. “As an organization committed to creativity and community, we need your support more than ever.”
Goodman pointed to several actions the administration took that raised alarm among local arts and cultural institutions. These include a March 14 executive order dismantling seven federal agencies — among them the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Agency for Global Media — and the March 12 removal of Shelly Lowe as chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities, which Goodman said creates “uncertainty about future arts funding.”
Other moves include the shutdown of five offices under the General Services Administration’s Fine Arts and Preservation division, impacting more than 26,000 federally owned artworks, and workforce cuts at the Department of Education under Secretary Linda McMahon, which threaten federally funded arts education programs.
The cuts have also drawn concern from other regional organizations, including Library Foundation SD.
“Without IMLS funding, the 37-branch San Diego Public Library system will lose a significant tool for maintaining, delivering and developing innovative services for its patrons,” said Patrick Stewart, CEO of the Library Foundation SD. “These cuts will impact a wide range of San Diegans — from a parent whose child relies on the Homework Center at their neighborhood library to the entrepreneur learning how to write a business plan at The StartUp center at the Central Library at Joan Λ Irwin Common. The library is a core public service and a community cornerstone that needs to be safeguarded for our city’s future.”
According to the foundation, IMLS funding supports programs including Lunch @ Your Library, adult literacy initiatives such as READ/San Diego, youth training and career development, the Media Arts partnership at Heights/Weingart Library, and workforce development efforts.
Goodman emphasized the need for local support as federal dollars become less reliable.
“OTC remains dedicated to enriching lives through performance and education,” Goodman said. “Your contributions help sustain the arts.”
The Oceanside Theatre Company offers a range of performances, arts education and outreach programs each year. In his letter, Goodman noted that a $75 donation could fund a day of after-school enrichment at a local elementary school, $250 could support new sound equipment, and $1,000 would underwrite 50 free tickets for veterans and active-duty military through the company’s Military Matinees program.
Community members can also show support by attending the company’s next mainstage production, “Once on This Island,” running from March 28 through April 13.
