Theater fights for life

Theatre 99 is the only company not in trouble

The Charleston Symphony Orchestra isn't the only arts group fighting for its life.

"Bracing for Bad Days, Operas and Orchestras Batten Down the Hatches," warned a recent New York Times headline.

In the Charleston area, nonprofit theaters and dance companies, with the exception of Theatre 99, have reported budget cuts because ticket sales and donations are down significantly due to the nation's financial problems.

To combat this dreary state of affairs, some companies have gotten creative. For example, PURE Theatre is linking with the Lowcountry Food Bank: bring a canned item to the theater and get $5 off a ticket.

A trio of arts leaders, along with the city of Charleston's Office of Cultural Affairs, the Coastal Community Foundation and the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, are meeting to find ways to ensure quality performances continue through the end of the year.

The Donnelley Foundation is a national philanthropic organization that has long worked with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Charleston Ballet Theatre and Charleston Stage, and the Coastal Community Foundation is a local philanthropic agency. An announcement on a combined solution to attract holiday audiences is expected later this week, said George Stevens, president of the Coastal Community Foundation.

Whether it is a symphony, a ballet troupe or a theater company, each group has its own audience and needs.

Charleston Stage

Considered the wizard of fundraising in the arts arena, Julian Wiles, founder and artistic director of Charleston Stage, reports his group is facing "life-threatening challenges."

"Already this season, corporate and other fundraising for Charleston Stage is down by $200,000 from this time a year ago," said Wiles, who said he had planned his projected finances to allow for the fact that the "home" for his theater company, the Dock Street Theatre, has been undergoing renovations.

"The company's expenses went up almost $500,000 last season, when we had to move our offices and operations, but the real frustration is that we had hoped to stay ahead of these events," Wiles said. "We had already tightened our belts, significantly reducing expenses in July. We also cut our stage productions from 11 to eight this season."

Wiles said the fundraising shortfalls also hamper the education programs Charleston Stage offers to more than 20,00 young people annually.

Charleston Ballet Theatre

Charleston Ballet Theatre is down 20 percent in ticket sales from last season and, with a budget of slightly more than $1 million, ended its year with a deficit. The exact amount hasn't been determined by auditors, said Jill Eathorne Bahr, resident choreographer for the theater. Bahr said sponsorships for the group's program are also down from last year.

"We don't have as many apprentices this year and we cut one full-time dancer," she said.

To cut production costs, the company moved its performances to the King Street Black Box Theatre.

The Village Playhouse

Across the Ravenel Bridge, The Village Playhouse is in its eighth season. It is owned and run by husband-and-wife team Keely Enright and Dave Reinwald.

"Last fall, we had record ticket sales, Enright said. "But this year our general audience attendance is down 30 percent from last season. Fortunately, although we didn't gain any new season memberships, we didn't lose any either.

"We opened our theater the week of 9/11, which was the worst possible time," Enright said. "Also, East Cooper is a hard market for theater. But over the past eight years, new people have come in from Daniel Island, Sullivan's and Isle of Palms. They come all the way from Kiawah Island."

Enright said, however, that because of the strong season last year, they will continue to pay their actors, but need a major benefactor to help pay the rent.

Footlight Players

The Footlight Players, housed in the oldest theater in Charleston, also has been affected by the economy, but not as deeply as others. They have ended in the black the past two years and currently have a $397,000 budget at the 240-seat theater. They also own the building at 20 Queen St.

Executive Director Jocelyn Edwards said ticket sales for the main stage shows are down 22.5 percent from recent seasons, although attendance at the LateNight productions has increased some over last year.

"We know our main attendance is down because the demographic that attends our theater on a regular basis is more affected by the stock market through their 401k(s) and retirement plans," said Edwards, noting that about 30 percent of those who attend are tourists.

"Most at the more cutting-edge LateNight shows don't have a lot riding on the stock market, and the seats are cheaper," she said.

The Robert Ivey Ballet

Although the Robert Ivey Ballet is the company-in-residence at the College of Charleston, and most of its 28 dancers are college students, the troupe does not get any funding from the college.

And the news is not good for the company.

"Our memberships are down by 50 percent," said Ivey, professor of dance at the college. "We don't really know why except for the economic impact, and it seems people are just waiting and buying individual tickets for our four performances."

PURE Theatre

Sharon Graci, co-founder and artistic director of PURE Theatre, which is renting Lance Hall from Circular Congrega tional Church for its performances, said, "Ticket sales are down 10 percent and our S.C. Arts Commission grant decreased 20 percent.

"We are in the process of restructuring and have cut a salaried position to remain sustainable," Graci said.

Theatre 99

The only good theater news is that, according to co-founder Greg Tavares, Theatre 99 has not experienced a downturn in ticket sales.

"We don't know why, but I guess since our ticket prices are incredibly low for live theater, $5 to $10, we haven't been hurt by the tough times," he said. "We're glad to give people, especially now, a reason to laugh."

---

Notice about comments:
The Post and Courier is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. The Post and Courier does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not postandcourier.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "suggest removal" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our Web site.
Full terms and conditions can be read here.

---

Comments

This article has  1 comment(s)