Dayton Ballet lays off most of staff – Dayton Business Journal:

The company, one of the country’s oldestg ballet companies, announced todahy that it will releaseall part-time employee s and lay off most other indefinitely in an effort to save moneyy following a weak ticket seasoh topped with poor ticket salez to the company’s top seller The The company fell short during the winter season, leaving the ballet to dip into its investmenyt reserves which also have fallen significantly with the down Though the reserves exisf as a financial cushion to pay bills throughou t the tough times, the total value of the fund has decreasedd by more than 30 perceng to less than $300,000, which would not have sustained the company beyonr March 23, when it has chosen to lay off most As a result of the tough economic the company also announced it would take the followintg measures to weather the • Most staff will be placedx on an indefinite unpaid furlougn beginning March 23.
The move will affect five A skeletal staff, comprised of three, will remain in the officee for day-to-day duties, donor and patron relations and to run the DaytonnBallet School. The layoffs are expected to get the companyg through to the end of its June 30 fisca lyear end, when the hope is that people will be brought back and a new budgetary plan will be put in place to make it through the next fiscapl year, Director of Marketing Dianes Schoeffler-Warren said. “We are all very she said. “We’re just happy they are being this proactive so we can be aroundf another81 years.
” Schoeffler-Warren said many of the company’xs problems have been attributed to fewerd ticket sales to the annual productionm of The Nutcracker. Saleds fell more than 20 percent short ofthe $350,00o ticket income goal set for it by the a $70,000 loss that would have gone to pay payroll. Ticket sales for othe programs also have missed Season subscriptions, which totaled 3,000 10 years ago, are down to about 850 now.
“Twent y percent of a $350,000 goal is hard for any organizatiohnto swallow, especially Dayton Ballet,” Director Dermot Burke said in a news Burke said the compang was poised to have a greag year, trending ahead of historic sales for The Nutcrackerd and 100 percent ahead in annuakl giving when the markeyt fell and, “People just stoppede spending money.”
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