MANHATTAN, New York (WABC) — The Metropolitan Opera House is laying off staff, cutting salaries and its program, and even considering selling historic pieces of art to make ends meet, according to a New York Times report.
For 60 years, the Metropolitan Opera House has been hitting all the high notes and wowing audiences
Jim Coyle is going to his first performance with his family for his birthday. At $800 a ticket, he understands these largescale productions are not cheap.
“Live performances in New York are very expensive, but at the same time, it doesn’t take a, you know, a patron of the arts to understand how incredible the talent is,” said Coyle, an audience member.
High art comes at a high price and the prestigious opera house is feeling the pinch and is now embarking on some serious belt tightening.
According to the New York Times, 22 members of the administration staff will be let go, there will be salary cuts for executives and the glamorous 3,800-seat theatre will be rented to pop artists when there’s no opera that night. But perhaps the most dramatic exclamation point, the Times reports the Met is considering selling its name for the right price.
“I think part of the problem is also they’re not attracting young people to them,” said audience member, Jasmine Coyle.
Medical student Ronit Sethi has never been to the opera but decided to grab a subsidized $40 ticket offered at his school. He believes if opera can attract audiences when they’re young, perhaps they will be loyal donors later.
“I wouldn’t have otherwise come here if it wasn’t like a $40 ticket, and I’ve never been here before,” Sethi said. “So, I think if it’s something I really like, then, you know, hopefully I’ll come back and, you know, at least it’ll plant that seed for the future.”
The Met had entered a $200 million cultural deal with Saudi Arabia, but that lifeline has still not materialized, and bills are piling up.
In recent years, the Met has also dipped aggressively into its endowment, spending about half the principle just to survive. Clearly, that is not sustainable going forward.
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