Seattle Opera Lays Off Remaining 24 Employees on Furlough

Seattle Opera has revealed that it is laying off the remaining 24 employees it had on furlough due to the pandemic. The announcement was made in a Seattle Opera Blog post on the company's website, written by the director, Christina Scheppelmann.

"Because we must be a much leaner operation for the near future, we do not see a path to rehire the staff members who are currently furloughed. Nor do we believe we can keep them on furlough for more than a year," she writes. "Thus, we will be laying off the remaining 24 people on furlough. This is a very hard and emotional decision for Seattle Opera."

She goes on to say that the company had hoped that health conditions would improve and it would be safe to return to the theater in the first half of 2021. Now, they see this is not the case. Live performances will likely not resume until next season.

Read the full statement on the Seattle Opera Blog.