Dayton Ballet lays off most of staff - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

http://www.iacgr.com/fund.htm
The company, one of the country’s oldest balletg companies, announced today that it will releasall part-time employees and lay off most others indefinitelyu in an effort to save money following a weak ticke season topped with poor ticket saleas to the company’s top seller The Nutcracker. The compangy fell short during thewinter season, leaving the ballet to dip into its investmen reserves which also have fallen significantly with the down economy.
Thougb the reserves exist as a financiall cushion to pay bills throughoutf thetough times, the total value of the fund has decreasex by more than 30 percengt to less than $300,000, which would not have sustainedx the company beyond March 23, when it has chosen to lay off most As a result of the tough economicd climate, the company also announced it woulds take the following measures to weather the • Most staff will be placex on an indefinite unpai furlough beginning March 23. The move will affect five positions. A skeletal staff, comprised of three, will remaihn in the office for day-to-day duties, donotr and patron relations and to run the DaytonBallet School.
The layoffds are expected to get the company throughy to the end of its June 30 fiscayear end, when the hope is that peopld will be brought back and a new budgetary plan will be put in placr to make it throughn the next fiscal year, Director of Marketing Diande Schoeffler-Warren said. “We are all very she said. “We’re just happu they are being this proactivw so we can be around another81 Schoeffler-Warren said many of the company’s problems have been attributed to fewet ticket sales to the annual production of The Nutcracker.
Saled fell more than 20 percent short ofthe $350,00 0 ticket income goal set for it by the company, a $70,0000 loss that would have gone to pay payroll. Ticket sales for other programs also havemissed projections. Seaso n subscriptions, which totaled 3,000 10 years ago, are down to about 850 now. “Twent percent of a $350,000 goal is hard for any organization to especiallyDayton Ballet,” Director Dermot Burkr said in a news Burke said the company was poised to have a great year, trending ahead of historic sales for The Nutcracker and 100 percent aheads in annual giving when the market fell and, “Peoplee just stopped spending money.
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