California Bank & Trust Extraordinary Leadership

California Bank & Trust Reaches Extraordinary Leader Status at The Old Globe,
Surpassing More Than $1 Million in Contributions Since 1987

SAN DIEGO (November 16, 2021) — The Old Globe announced that California Bank & Trust (CB&T), one of San Diego’s premier financial institutions, has given more than $1 million to the theatre since 1987 and has been named an Extraordinary Leader, recognized in the Globe’s program book and with a paver on the Globe’s Copley Plaza.

“This milestone demonstrates the bank’s enduring dedication to the arts,” said CB&T President and CEO Eric Ellingsen. “A strong performing arts scene is an indicator of a thriving community, and theatre has the power to inspire creativity and innovation, disseminate ideas, and stimulate business and economic growth within our city. CB&T is proud to be a longstanding supporter of The Old Globe and the important programs and productions they deliver.”

“The not-for-profit arts sector depends for its very survival on the generosity of civic-minded philanthropists,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “And when a philanthropist makes a commitment over the course of time, they express deep faith in the institution they support and in the community they serve. That’s why it’s such a pleasure to recognize the largesse of California Bank & Trust. For 30 years they have supported The Old Globe, sticking with us through thick and thin to become one of our longest-serving corporate supporters. The bank’s officers who’ve served on our Board of Directors have done so with consummate professionalism, and the funding the bank has contributed—now over 1 million dollars—has helped the Globe become the locally cherished and nationally renowned theatre that it is. On behalf of everyone who loves this institution and is touched by its work, I thank CB&T for partnering with us and supporting our vision of theatre as a public good.”

California Bank & Trust, then known as Grossmont Bank, made its first $10,000 contribution to the Globe 34 years ago. In 1998, the bank was acquired by Zions Bancorporation and became California Bank & Trust.

Since then, CB&T has been a Globe Corporate Partner, providing extensive volunteer and financial contributions to the Globe. Retired Senior Vice President and now brand ambassador Sandra Redman has served on the Globe’s Board of Directors since 2005 and is instrumental in ensuring the bank’s generous support of the Globe, including for the annual fund and the Globe’s Securing a San Diego Landmark Capital and Endowment Campaign. That campaign redesigned the Copley Plaza and built the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, a 250-seat arena-style theatre, at the center of the Globe’s campus, opening in 2009.

In 2021, CB&T was one of the sponsors of Hair, The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical, which played in the outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre. In past seasons, CB&T has sponsored Ken Ludwig’s Robin Hood!, Boeing-Boeing, Antony and Cleopatra, Henry V, Floyd Collins, God of Carnage, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Meteor Shower,and Romeo and Juliet.

Financial support for The Old Globe is provided by The City of San Diego.

The Theodor and Audrey Geisel Fund provides leadership support for The Old Globe’s year-round activities.

The Tony Award–winning The Old Globe is one of the country’s leading professional not-for-profit regional theatres. Now in its 87th year, the Globe is San Diego’s flagship performing arts institution, and it serves a vibrant community with theatre as a public good. Under the leadership of Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein and the Audrey S. Geisel Managing Director Timothy J. Shields, The Old Globe produces a year-round season of 16 productions of classic, contemporary, and new works on its three Balboa Park stages, including its internationally renowned Shakespeare Festival. More than 250,000 people annually attend Globe productions and participate in the theatre’s artistic and arts engagement programs. Its nationally prominent Arts Engagement Department provides an array of participatory programs that make theatre matter to more people in neighborhoods throughout the region. Humanities programs at the Globe and around the city broaden the community’s understanding of theatre art in all its forms. The Globe also boasts a range of new play development programs with professional and community-based writers, as well as the renowned The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program. Numerous world premieres—such as 2014 Tony Award winner for Best Musical A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Bright Star, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!—have been developed at The Old Globe and have gone on to highly successful runs on Broadway and at regional theatres across the country.

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