The show will continue after a successful fundraiser

Rehearsals have begun for William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” at the California Shakespeare Theater, a production that was nearly canceled when the venerable East Bay company suddenly found itself facing a $350,000 budget shortfall late last month.

But Shakespeare fans and supporters of the company took part in an emergency fundraising campaign that raised all the money needed, said Cal Shakes chief executive Clive Worsley.

“The show will go on,” Worsley said of the Sept. 12-29 production of the Bard’s beloved romantic comedy. As always, the show will be presented at the company’s headquarters at the open-air Bruns Amphitheater in the Orinda Hills.

“It’s incredible,” Worsley said of the show. “The cast is stellar, the design team, etc., is incredible. It’s going to be a wonderful show for our 50th anniversary production.”

The Cal Shakes staff was also touched by the fact that emergency funding came from about 700 people, who made small and large donations of varying amounts. “That tells us that there is still a great desire and support (in the community) for our work to continue. We just need to find a way to make it sustainable.”

In fact, fundraising was a lifeline to keep the company afloat this summer. Like many theater companies in the Bay Area and nationally, Cal Shakes has been in survival mode, since even before the COVID-19 pandemic. As Worsley and other theater directors have explained, audience tastes and habits have changed over the past decade, while production costs have risen.

The company canceled its entire 2020 season due to COVID closures. The company has long been known for putting on four shows per summer. But it was only able to return with truncated seasons in 2021 and 2022 as it also looked to diversify its revenue stream by renting out its amphitheater for comedy shows and productions by other groups.