Theatre Baton Rouge Will Close Its Doors This March

Theatre Baton Rouge Has just announced, in the midst f its 79th season that it will officially close its doors on March 23, 2025 due to its "current financial situation. Read the statement in full below:

Dear Theatre Baton Rouge Community,

For seventy-nine seasons, Theatre Baton Rouge has had the honor of bringing stories to life on our stage, creating unforgettable moments, and serving as a home for artists, audiences, and dreamers alike. It is with an incredibly heavy heart that we share the news that due to our current financial situation, Theatre Baton Rouge can no longer continue producing shows and offering educational programming at this time. As a result, we must end our 79th season early after the final performance of Xanadu on March 23rd, 2025 and will be unable to proceed with our 80th season.

The impact of the pandemic has been devastating to the theatre industry, forcing many beloved institutions across the country to close their doors. TBR has always relied heavily on ticket sales and subscriptions to sustain the high- quality productions that have brought joy, inspiration, and connection to so many in our community. But the challenges we face go beyond lost revenue during the pandemic. The rising costs of production, materials, and operations in the wake of the pandemic have placed an unbearable strain on our ability to keep the stage lights on. Everything from set construction and costumes to utilities and maintenance-has become exponentially more expensive, making it increasingly difficult to sustain our productions, even as we fought to rebuild.

While the Light the Stage campaign allowed us to clear past debts, it could not provide the long-term stability we desperately needed to move forward. We have exhausted every option, and despite our deep desire to continue, the reality is clear: there is no feasible path that allows us to keep creating art under these financial constraints. This is a decision. we never wanted to make, and we do so with profound sadness, loss, and grief.

TBR staff and individuals involved with our current or future productions have been notified. We are working on a plan to contact season subscribers and patrons regarding options for their purchased tickets.

We will need our community's support now more than ever to ensure a smooth transition in the coming months. Please stay tuned for additional information on ways you can help during this difficult time.

We hope you will join us for Theatre Baton Rouge's final production in the coming weeks and fill the seats one last time in honor of the cast, crew, and creative team who have poured their hearts into Xanadu. Let's celebrate this final chapter together and give it the send-off it deserves.

Whether you stepped onto our stage, worked behind the scenes, ushered patrons, designed sets, directed, choreographed, taught, or supported us as an employee, sponsor, donor, or audience member over these past 79 years, you have been part of something truly special. Theatre Baton Rouge has never just been about the shows-it has been about the people, the passion, and the lifelong friendships built here. The memories we have made together will live on far beyond our final curtain call.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Theatre Baton Rouge