SAVE ROYAL STAGE: FAQS
Below please find some FAQs about what is going on, why we are struggling financially, and how you can help.
SCROLL BELOW THESE FAQs FOR SOME FURTHER READING ON OUR CURRENT SPACE CHALLENGES.
1) Isn’t the mall being torn down? No. This is a constant rumor on social media, resulting in part from the popular Sunrise Tomorrow plan that was developed a few years ago. To date, the ONLY investor interested in the mall is Ethan Conrad, and they are planning a development using the current building. Sunrise Tomorrow was a city/mall-sponsored concept, which always required an investor to come in and implement it. This has not happened.
2) Why don’t you just move the theater? Unlike our dance studio, the theater build required massive permitting and a change of assembly type. We raised over $80,000 to build our little theater, and we would need to raise that again if we moved, plus find a similar good deal in rent. The only exception would be to find a closed church or other assembly-permitted site. Moving the theater requires permitting, installing a city-required alarm system that costs approximately $20,000, and plans designed and signed off by both architects and electrical engineers. We just went through this process in 2022 and do not have the funds to do it again. We also hope to stay in Citrus Heights, as we have built great relationships here.
3) What about grant funding? Royal Stage has applied - and successfully been awarded - grants from the California Arts Council, the City of Roseville, the City of Citrus Heights, and the City of Sacramento Arts and Culture. We apply for these each time period we are able, and funding is always uncertain. After receiving the CAC grant for three years, we did not receive it this year due to funding cuts. Most grant awards are operating off of reduced funding this year forward, due to budget cuts to the arts.
4) What about selling ad space in your playbills? We do this! If you are interested in purchasing ad space, or know somebody who is, click here.
BUT HOW DID THINGS END UP LIKE THIS?
CHALLENGE ONE - UNFINISHED THEATER IMPROVEMENTS
When we acquired our current theater space in 2022, we received an incredible deal on rent. One of the reasons we received such a great, reasonable price, was that the HVAC system only worked at half capacity. An 8,000 sq ft building in the Sacramento Valley gets very hot and very cold. We moved in with the agreement we would be responsible for these repairs. Last year, we had raised enough funds for this repair, and used TC Heating and Air. To date, this company has been paid $15,000 to repair our two HVAC systems. The left side of the building was repaired, but done poorly and needed to be redone. The right side of the building never received the repairs promised. After 6 months of allegedly waiting on parts (and the company refusing to provide receipts of proof that parts were ordered), we canceled our contract, and were never refunded the majority of what we paid. We have pursued every avenue to be refunded, and while portions of the money owed have trickled in, we have still not received the majority back. As summer is once again quickly approaching, we still, 16 months after initial contract, have a faulty HVAC system and a large portion of the money we are now considering stolen.
CHALLENGE TWO - NAMDAR REALTY AND CURRENT LEASE STATUS
The current portion of the mall where the theater is located is owned by an outside company. We have never missed a rent payment, and have worked well with the mall/this rental company and have encountered no issues. In July of 2024, the owners mailed us a letter stating that we owed almost $8,000 for water. Water was not included in our lease - we were instructed to pay utilities, but water was never charged nor listed. Following an audit/load study of the mall, it was decided that all tenants of the mall were required to immediately pay for monthly water charges dating back to the start of their lease. This amounted to a huge bill that we just could not pay. We asked for clarification from them - meter readings, a copy of the load study, any determination as to how this monthly fee was reached. All emails were ignored until several weeks ago, when they refused to answer questions regarding determination, but offered a settlement amount of $5,386.00. The settlement amount is only on the table if we pay the entire sum at once. Payments are not an option, and we do not have this money to spare.
Our lease is up for renewal end of April. This disputed water bill will undoubtedly determine the outcome of that. We are fighting paying this bill until proof is provided, but also live in the current reality that we could be evicted or have our lease terminated at any point if we do not agree to pay it. We have continued to pay rent, and have also paid the monthly water charge every month since receiving notice, but this back bill is looming, and we do not have the funds to pay it. Please pray that the owners will have grace on our ministry, and that we can arrange payments or be absolved of this bill altogether somehow.
CHALLENGE THREE - NEW MALL OWNERSHIP
The Sunrise Mall is very likely to be owned soon by Ethan Conrad Properties. We have no idea what this means for our lease. We could relent on the fraudulent water bill and pay the current owner all they demand, and then have our new lease canceled and replaced at a monthly rate we cannot afford. We have introduced ourselves to Mr. Conrad, and have had a friendly response. Please pray that we can continue relationship, that escrow on the mall goes smoothly, and that we can continue to keep our theater. This will all be determined likely over the summer. We are in strong support of Mr. Conrad’s renovation plans for the mall, and wish him success at bringing the mall back to life.
CHALLENGE FOUR - DECREASE IN FUNDING
For almost three years, we had a regular subletter in the theater space that paid a large portion of our expenses. That subletter has moved on from our property, leaving us with approximately $1600/mo less income. We have also had several monthly supporters drop from our giving program due to job losses, retirement, and health issues. With COVID funds depleted, most grant programs have less to award than they have in previous years, and we are not eligible for many grants in the first place because we are a Christian organization. We are applying for all that we can. Our expenses have also gone up - the licensing houses we are required to use for our shows, utilities, construction materials, our liability insurance - everything has increased.
What happens if you cannot secure additional funding?
It’s already happening. Some of our wonderful staff members have asked to work as volunteers (thank you!), we are not able to order any of our summer materials needed to run camps and shows, and we have - for the first time in 14 years - limited our scholarship program. We have also paused additional sign-ups for our pro-bono counseling placements, as well as various aspects of our benevolence and outreach funds. In other words, the ministry aspects of Royal Stage are falling away until we can identify an additional $2,000-$3,000/mo in giving or income.
If we continually cease to find further support, we will:
Start canceling dance classes if we do not have enough funding to support our many classes that contain 50% or more scholarship students. This in turn also reduces opportunities for our staff members who are recovering from trauma or other struggles who work at RS to heal and finance their independence.
Cancel 2 of our 4 summer camps, our main outreach program of each calendar year.
Raise the registration fee/add a costuming fee to our stage productions, which will drive away the low-income and recovery populations we aim to serve.
Surrender one of our locations, which will mean either a dramatic reduction or the complete elimination of either our dance or theater programming.
What can i do to help?
Partner with us monthly! This is the absolute biggest need we have. You can sign up here .
Attend one of our shows! Click here to purchase tickets to one of our plays/musicals.
Pray! We believe in the power of prayer, have seen God move mountains for Royal Stage, and know He will work this out. However, we know He often uses people to make things happen, and we thank you for taking the time to read this.