Cheap Seats, Staff Cuts on Tap for U.S. Nonprofit Theaters

Most of the theaters predict that ticket sales and fundraising from individuals and corporations will fall short of initial projections. Nearly a third said they’ll substitute small-cast shows for larger ones. More than half plan new ticket discounting.

Lower Salaries
Theater salaries are headed lower, even though much of the non-unionized rank and file barely earn a stipend as is. (TCG won’t release salary statistics it collects.) According to the survey, 69 percent of theaters said they’re reducing or freezing salaries. And 48 percent will reduce administrative staff.