CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - In a notice on August 21st sent to season ticket holders by Blake Flores and Vanessa Voetsch, founders and executive directors of Theatre in the Heights, the only community theater in Citrus Heights, the pair have announced being “retired from theatre permanently,” and that “Theatre in the Heights has now ceased to be.”

Theatre in the Heights, founded in 2016, was located at 8215 Auburn Boulevard, Suite G in Citrus Heights. The website address theatreintheheights.com has not been updated to reflect the recent management change.

“As we already informed our season ticket holders, the theater space and the 2023-24 season will be taken over by a new group, Vivid Flare Productions, which will be led by writer, actor, and director Shane Robert. They (Vivid Flare Productions) will send more details soon,” the pair wrote in a prepared statement.

“We thank our patrons and artistic collaborators for your tremendous support throughout the last seven years. We have so many great memories to take away as we embark with joy on a new chapter in our lives,” they wrote.

Shane Robert, who directed two recent plays, “Private Lives,” and “Weekend Comedy” for Theatre in the Heights and has also self-produced shows he has written in the Sacramento area, will lead the new theater company. Robert was also unavailable for further comment.

“We hope you will embrace the new direction of the theater. We hand-selected Shane (Robert) to carry the torch, and believe your theatrical future is in good hands. Much love to all.” Neither Flores nor Voetch responded to requests for comment regarding their future plans.

Theatre in the Heights featured a 52-seat auditorium and was tucked away next to a barber shop in the Aquarium Depot shopping Plaza on Auburn Boulevard. The theater was shuttered for more than a year, following COVID-19 shutdown orders and ran on donations from its many loyal fans who helped keep the theater alive.

In an earlier news interview, Flores said none of the actors and actresses who regularly performed at Theatre in the Heights were paid for their roles. The group frequently held auditions to bring in new local talent, and the theater’s Facebook page had regular announcements with casting calls for upcoming shows.

Flores, who performed as an actor and director in countless shows at Theatre in the Heights, told the Messenger in an earlier interview how very much appreciative the Citrus Heights community has been towards his theater, sticking loyally with it through the pandemic, as it offered attendees a welcome chance to “enjoy quality live theater without going into downtown Sacramento.”