Curtain Coming Down On Surflight Theatre In Beach Haven

by Patricia A. Miller

It was the news no one wanted to hear.

After 65 years of entertaining residents and visitors, the historic Surflight Theatre will close due to financial problems, the chairman of the Board of Directors said.

“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I regret to advise you that due to continuing difficult financial circumstances, Surflight Theatre is forced to cease operations after 65 seasons and file for bankruptcy,” said Dave Kreines in a message on the theatre’s website.

Theater officials tried ”every possible action” to keep the theatre going, Kreines said in his message.

“Over the past few months, we and Surflight staff have worked tirelessly to improve the theater’s financial condition through a variety of means, including appeals for emergency funding, seeking refinancing of our burdensome debt and making cost reductions,” he said. “Unfortunately, these efforts were unsuccessful.”

It was no secret the Surflight had been struggling financially over the past few years. Surflight filed for Chapter 11 protection in 2011 - a move that allowed a reorganization and continued operation. But this time the theatre filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy which means operations must be shut down and creditors paid off, according to an article in The Sandpaper.

“We sincerely thank you and all in our community who have supported Surflight through the years,” Kreines said on the website. “This generous support has enabled Surflight to impact the careers of aspiring actors and others involved in live theater – a large part of our theater’s mission.”