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# SM Playhouse reaches $100K fundraising goal One step at a time
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/sm-playhouse-reaches-100k-fundraising-goal-one-step-at-a-time/
- Published: 2002-07-31T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T00:34:43.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Entertainment, Downtown, #archive-import

*Group meets first benchmark, still needs to raise $300K more*

*By Daily Press staff*

Santa Monica Playhouse officials announced they have raised $100,000 in an effort to buy their theater and remain in the city.

But theater officials warn that even though the group has reached one of the largest fundraising milestones, they must still raise $300,000 more in one year to buy their theater.

“The key thing is that by making this goal, this benchmark, it keeps the deal on the table,” said Sandra Zeitzew, the theater’s spokeswoman. “We’re still in the running to buy this building.”

Six months ago the Santa Monica Playhouse was told its rent would be increased to more than $12,000 a month starting this January, but the venerable theater group can barely pay the $10,000-a-month rent for its prime downtown location on Fourth Street between Wilshire Boulevard and Arizona Avenue.

However, the theater group’s landlord, local attorney Jules Kievits, isn’t viewed as the villain. He is giving the theater group 18 months to raise $400,000 to buy the building. Every six months the group must reach fundraising milestones, or risk losing it all.

The city council has donated $75,000 to help save the Santa Monica Playhouse, which would be fully refunded if the theater does not make its goal. Besides the city’s donation, the majority of the theater’s fundraising has come through pure grassroots efforts.

“We’ve had school kids give us pennies and audience members give us big checks,” Zeitzew said. “We’ve been lucky to have a lot of different people giving us very different amounts of money.”

To learn more about how you can help save the Santa Monica Theater please call (310) 394-9779 or visit the group’s Web Site at www.santamonicaplayhouse.com.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/073102-05_01.jpg)

to the Daily Press Exercise enthusiasts run up and down a steep set of stairs by Fourth street and Adelaide Drive on Tuesday afternoon. (Photo: Seth Kotok/Special)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 31, 2002.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/073102.pdf?ref=smdp.com)