A longtime performer and booster in Merced’s arts community is returning to a leadership role at Playhouse Merced, after a public fallout last year raised questions about the nonprofit’s future.
Playhouse’s board leadership brought on RC Essig to serve as interim executive director at the Jan. 14 board meeting. It’s been nearly two years since an executive director has worked at the organization, and it’s not Essig’s first time in the role.
Essig had a stretch of experience as executive director after being named to the role back in 2018. Plus, he’s been an actor in numerous productions at Playhouse going back more than a decade.
“My job at Playhouse Merced is to get (it) back to the place that just creates magic that kids love and need, that adults love and need, and that the community showgoers love and need,” Essig said.
Essig co-owns both The Partisan and 17th Street Public House in downtown Merced. He’s planning to be in this role with Playhouse temporarily so the public can provide input on who the full-time director should be. Essig is also known as a mainstay in Merced’s downtown music scene, often performing under the name “Ahwahnichi” and fronting bands like “El Olio Wolof.”
In the meantime, the remaining Playhouse Merced board members have adopted new leadership roles as they plan for main stage productions to return.
The former board members were automatically removed after they missed three consecutive meetings, The FOCUS previously reported.
A board election in February will cement roles for the local theater organization’s band of leadership. The board also is recruiting additional board members, according to a social media post.
Playhouse Merced will bring back shows to the theater by August, Essig said. “Oliver! Jr.” is slated to return as well, after employee resignations halted production.
A stream of theater partners severed ties with the organization after a tumultuous board meeting in September. The board majority attempted to remove its president and her allies, who in turn alleged racism.
The public spectacle also spilled into the city’s school system with parents calling for the resignation of Merced City School District board Trustee Allen Brooks. He is married to former Playhouse board president Sheilah Brooks and played a primary role in the raucous September meeting.
Monthly meetings resume, with new shows on the horizon
Uncertainty still looms over the organization, particularly because it has a tight budget to work with.
Playhouse Merced contracted with a payroll group and an accountant to get finances in order.
The board rehired Rose Pino as education director to help bring in funds by resuming the Conservatory program, which casts community children in shows, according to interim president Sam Yniguez.
Full-time employees include Pino, outreach coordinator Marcelle Griffin and his three outreach team members.
Playhouse Merced currently isn’t earning any revenue from shows and concession sales, Yniguez said. The organization has about $27,000, plus additional funds for scholarships. It can cost between $15,000 and $23,000 to put on a show, The Merced Sun Star reported.
Additionally, rent is increasing at a storage unit the organization uses, according to Essig. All production costumes, set designs and props will have to be relocated by mid February.
Community members regrouped on Zoom about two weeks in the wake of the explosive board meeting. It was during this meeting that remaining board members passed two resolutions to temporarily elect the four individuals to leadership positions.
Now, Debbie Bier is the interim vice president, Brooke Gutierrez is the interim treasurer and Stacie Guzman is the interim secretary.
The new board positions will become official during the organization’s annual election in February, Yniguez said. Current leadership hopes to also expand the number of board members.
The organization’s bylaws state there must be between seven to 12 board of directors. The current board of directors, a total of four, amended the bylaws to temporarily allow for fewer board members.
At least 30 people attended the Sept. 24 meeting, according to Mikee-D Love-Asenjo. It focused on how the board was going to continue operations – and figuring out tasks ahead, such as solidifying funding.
“I am so happy and so proud that these guys were willing to step up,” said Love-Asenjo, who’s been involved with the organization for more than 27 years.
“It would have been so much easier to walk away,” she added.
In the weeks following her resignation on Sept. 18, Rose Pino stayed in contact with Playhouse Merced leadership. She did contracted work and was rehired as education director.
Moving on from past leadership fallout
When Pino and the two employees resigned, it halted production of “Oliver! Jr.,” which meant 41 kids could no longer act at Playhouse. In the immediate aftermath, surrounding organizations opened their doors to aspiring youth performers.
Accessible Arts Merced Executive Director Katy Uyeno met with Pino after she resigned. The organization opened five to 10 spots for kids to act in “Press! Start the Musical”. Uyeno formed the organization in August 2024 after being involved with Playhouse Merced for 11 years.
“We just wanted to make sure that we had a safe space available for the kids, because it’s not their fault that anything was happening,” Uyeno said. “We wanted to make sure that they still had a creative outlet, even in the uncertain times and the turmoil and everything.”
Playhouse Merced opened its doors to 22 youth in December for a day-long winter workshop Pino taught. Parents told The FOCUS that it was exciting to see their kids act again.
“I do feel like we definitely have some things to do before we get back,” Pino said. “I think a big part of that is reaching out to the community and asking them what they want the future Playhouse to look like, and if they can help us shape that vision. It takes a village.”
The “Oliver! Jr.” show will resume in the coming months, with priority for the kids who signed up before the show halted, according to Essig.
In April, Playhouse Merced will announce their season preview of main shows to start in August.
Lingering questions and outstanding issues remain, board members say
Playhouse Merced leadership says they still do not have access to key information.
They do not have access to the organization’s Instagram account, website, or Google Drive, according to Essig. The board primarily communicates with community members through Zoom and Facebook pages.
Two laptops and one desktop computer were reported stolen from the building on Sept. 28, according to a Merced Police Department report.
Former board members do not appear to be in contact with current leadership. The FOCUS reached out to former president Sheilah Brooks three times through email for an interview, but she never responded.
The last time Brooks responded to The FOCUS was right after employees resigned following the tense September board meeting. Brooks alleged that her removal as president was rooted in racism. During a prior interview last year with the Merced FOCUS, Brooks did not provide details on specific incidents of racism, when asked.
“I can say that this is a hard and dangerous time to stand up for what’s right,” she wrote in an email on Sept. 17. “The weight of opposition, the fear of retaliation, and the uncertainty of outcomes make it difficult for some,” she wrote.
