Seattle Rep Layoffs To Impact Artistic Staff, Education Programs, and New Works Development

The Seattle Times is reporting that regional theatre company Seattle Rep has announced a series of layoffs and cutbacks which will impact several departments over the course of the next several months.

According to the report the company will eliminate staff positions across a number of departments including artistic and development staff. In turn, the company plans to combine, add, or fill several positions, bringing the number of positions lost to 13, or 12% of the staff.

The company hopes that the strategy will reduce annual operating expenses into the future. Laid-off staff members may continue to work with the company on a contractual or project-by-project basis.

Seattle Rep shares many of the issues plaguing arts institutions post-pandemic, with subscriptions numbers slashed to just below half of pre-Covid levels, leaving the company around $200,000 dollars short of its goal. Single-ticket sales remain steady. 

The Rep’s annual fundraising campaign, is projected to land about $600,000 short of its goal, resulting in a combined shortfall of $800,000 for the fiscal year. The company is currently projecting an operating deficit of $335,000, keeping the organization near its budgeted loss of $297,000 for the season.

Managing Director Jeffrey Herrmann said of the move, “The whole industry has been really struggling coming out of the pandemic, and we’re certainly not immune to any of these forces at the Rep...Expenses are sky high, our subscribers are not fully back yet, and that’s caused a big gap between revenue and expense that has really pushed a lot of organizations to the brink.” 

The company will also pause most of its community and education programming, including the Public Works Program. The new-play development program will also end in its current form, but The Rep will remain committed to developing new work. Its 2024-25 budget currently includes funding to support three to four new-play workshops. 

According to Herrmann, the programs are "not going away," noting that the company is "just going to deliver it differently.” 

Herrmann said that the new season “really represents sort of a pause and a reset,” with the company plotting new and sustainable ways to bring theatre to the community. The Rep is currently focusing its resources on “maintaining a robust, seven-play season.”

Six of the next season’s seven shows will be produced in-house, using seasonal contracts which will increase working hours for technical crews and shops from 20 to 30 weeks per year to 45 to 50 weeks.

Read more at The Seattle Times.

About Seattle Rep

Founded in 1963 Seattle Rep is the winner of the 1990 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. Seattle Rep collaborates with artists to create productions and programs that reflect and elevate the diverse cultures, perspectives, and life experiences of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle Rep’s nationally recognized programs include the New Play Program, Seattle Rep’s Public Works, Youth Engagement programming, Pay What You Choose ticketing options, and numerous audience enrichment and engagement opportunities including post-play panels, discussions, and community events and presentations.