Despite cost-saving closing, BoarsHead likely faces deficit
Barbara Wieland bwieland@lsj.com
November 07, 2009 20:32 PM

A BoarsHead Theater spokeswoman says the temporary closing of the theater will save the financially struggling organization $77,000.

But it still faces a deficit by the end of its fiscal year if it isn't able to raise more money.

The 43-year-old professional theater decided Tuesday to lay off most of its workers through the end of year and scrap the production of a Christmas play in an emergency effort to cut expenses. The theater has 13 employees on staff.

According to Internal Revenue Service filings, BoarsHead has struggled to turn around its finances in recent years.

It managed to work its way out of a deficit for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2008. But the theater's small cash balance of $10,824 has been depleted in the face of low ticket sales and scarcer arts grant funding for the current budget year.

Financial information has not been filed for 2009.

BoarsHead officials have told actors that the theater plans to resume stage productions next year. The theater's technical director, carpenter, and crew will return to work Dec. 1 to start construction of the set for BoarsHead's next play, "The Nerd," which is slated to open Jan. 28, 2010.

"They're anticipating that at the first of the year, a number of corporate donations will come in," theater spokeswoman Kelly Rossman-McKinney said. "The bottom line is we have no money."

If the theater hadn't taken the emergency steps to cut spending and find more funding, it was projected to end the current fiscal year on June 30, 2010, with a $100,000 deficit, Rossman-McKinney said.