Back row from left: Rhonda Crowfoot, Jonah Duhe, Nicolette Tempesta (president), Samvel Gottlieb, Jean Miller (VP/treasurer), Topher Lyons. – Front row from left: Kira Dobson, Melissa Karas, Janice Peters (secretary). Photo by Rick Bruce
By Janice Peters,
Original board member
By the Sea Productions opened their theater doors in Morro Bay in January 2017, with the production “On Golden Pond.” Previously, the theater company performed as the Pewter Plough Players in Cambria.
We adopted our new business name when we established Morro Bay’s first permanent live theater company in Erickson Hall at St. Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church.
Since then, we have staged 63 shows, ranging from comedy to tragedy, love stories to political themes, musicals to murder mysteries, and built a loyal audience of both residents and visitors. We are a non-profit organization, run entirely by volunteers who love theater and want to share that love with our community.
We are members of the Chamber of Commerce and make it a point to use local businesses so that we contribute to the city’s economy. We also donate tickets to numerous fundraisers during the year and join with the church in awarding annual scholarships at Morro Bay High School.
I’m the last of the original BTSP board, but it is both exciting and gratifying to see the enthusiasm and creativity of our new members, and to know they will continue to keep live theater thriving in Morro Bay. Our 2026 season is posted on our website at bytheseaproductions.org. If you’d like to be involved, let us know, we welcome new volunteers.
We are continually grateful to our generous donors and sponsors, to St. Peter’s for our venue, to grants from the City, to our dedicated volunteers, and most of all to our supportive audiences. We look forward to entertaining you for another ten years!
