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Bad economy hits OC arts center
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Bad economy hits OC arts center
Bad economy hits OC arts center
It was a tough fiscal year for Orange County’s largest arts non-profit. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez has the details.
Compared to the previous year, the Orange County Performing Arts Center staged about 100 fewer performances this fiscal year, according to the Orange County Register. Attendance was down and income from ticket sales dropped about half to $15 million.
The tight economy’s zapping people’s entertainment dollars. That’s not the only thing hurting the Performing Arts Center budget. Center president Terrence Dwyer said fewer blockbuster musicals and plays coming from New York City plus an upheaval in the economy left the 23 year-old arts institution with a million dollar deficit.
The organization cut salaries and laid off 13 employees last year. Center leaders hope the economy will improve and bring more people to its multi-venue complex next to South Coast Plaza.
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