Dallas Theater Center will lay off an undisclosed number of staff, it announced Tuesday, a cost-cutting measure that comes as the organization has struggled to rebound from the pandemic and its chilling effect on attendance.
The layoffs take effect in May, according to leadership.
“Our organization has made the challenging decision to reduce our workforce to ensure the financial stability and future of the company,” executive director Kevin Moriarty said in a statement shared with The Dallas Morning News. “It is very difficult to lose colleagues whose skill and hard work have contributed mightily to the excellence of Dallas Theater Center.”
News of the impending layoffs began circulating on social media over the weekend. Staff members learned of the cuts on Monday. Moriarty said the theater center, “like most performing arts organizations nationwide, continues to face challenges as audiences have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels of participation. These challenges are compounded by the end of extraordinary government support and one-time emergency funding from foundations and individuals during the pandemic.
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“As a result, Dallas Theater Center is proactively restructuring and reducing expenses to align its operations to expected income,” he said.
As for crowd sizes in the post-pandemic era, “70,” he said, “is the new 100.”
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