May 15, 2011 | Read Time: 2 minutes
When the Baltimore Shakespeare Festival knew it was running out of money last summer, even after trimming costs and its performance schedule, it decided to switch course for at least one more show, spending triple the typical amount on marketing and advertising.
The move paid off, with ticket sales for last fall’s Richard III up by nearly one-quarter over previous shows. Still, revenue did not meet expenses, and after mounting plays for 17 seasons, and foundering over troubled finances for years, the arts organization folded last month.
Peter Toran, president of the board, says he and his fellow trustees last year considered, but ultimately rejected, measures that might have kept the theater group alive longer. For example, he says, the organization could have staged shows that typically bring in bigger audiences than do most Shakespeare plays. And it could have decided to use non-union actors to save money on salaries.
But, he says, the board decided in a meeting last August that it would rather close than go against the theater’s values and mission.
“We are a classical, professional theater,” he says. “If that’s who you are, you don’t do Neil Simon, even if that’s how you might make money.”
As for hiring professional, unionized actors, he says, the board remained dedicated to doing so because it believed in “the integrity and necessity of paying your artists.”
Mr. Toran says that he is proud of what the theater accomplished, the careers it helped launch, and its support for the arts in the area. He says he’s even proud of the way the Baltimore Shakespeare Festival closed.
“We had said that if we need to close, we would close with dignity,” Mr. Toran says. “We would stay true to our mission to the end, and we’d make sure that we provide time and support to our staff. We did that.”
