FAIR OAKS, CA (MPG) - The Fair Oaks Theatre board has made the difficult but necessary decision to dissolve the nonprofit Fair Oaks Theatre Festival, according to the festival’s website, after more than 40 years of providing quality community theatre to the Sacramento area.

The nonprofit organization was dissolved because of higher production costs due to the COVID-19 pandemic and because the Fair Oaks Fair Oaks Recreation and Park District 's Veterans Memorial Amphitheatre rental space was unavailable, according to board members.

The pre-COVID cost to put on a single play was more than $26,000 and the post-COVID cost probably rose to more than $30,000, according to the Fair Oaks theatre Festival website

The theatre festival was founded by a group of local businesses and community leaders. When Wendell and Lois Frazier, the original founders, began Fair Oaks Theatre Festival, it was their vision to be primarily Shakespeare and to provide quality theatre, mentoring, educational, cultural and performing arts opportunities for theatre students, local actors, and the community.

The Fraziers’ mission was continued by Tony and Barbara Sestito, past presidents responsible for the original upgrades to amphitheater.

Former board member Chrysti Tovani in her I Love Fair Oaks website page, wrote, “For more than 40 years, the Fair Oaks Theatre Festival in Fair Oaks Village, California; known as Theatre Under the Stars, was a beloved summer tradition. Families, neighbors, and visitors gathered at the Veterans Memorial Amphitheater to enjoy plays, concerts, and community performances... In the heart of summer, Theatre Under the Stars was our Village rhythm. The Veterans Memorial Amphitheater became more than a stage, it was where neighbors, friends, and families gathered beneath the night sky. The air carried laughter, live music, and moments that could only belong to the fine folks of Fair Oaks, California.”

The board sends their heartfelt gratitude to the following creative visionaries for their decades of support, among many others: Robert (Bob) Irvin, artistic director Maggie Upton, director and actor Deane Calvin, assistant artistic director and actor Joe Hart, assistant artistic director and actor Beth Duggan, artistic director and costume designer Mike Dixon, long-term sound and lighting director, stage manager and facility manager Jeff Karl, set construction and technical director Lucy D’Mot, vocal and music director Sunni Smith, choreographer Kathy Burleson and the local actors who participated in the productions for decades.

“As we say in the theatre, this was a good run,” the Fair Oaks theatre Festival website stated.