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Palo Alto Online

Arts bruised, but not broken

by Bill D'Agostino

Empty seats dot once-full opera and theatre auditoriums, as the economic downturn slogs on and art-lovers inspect their checkbooks and make sacrifices.

It's a tough time for the local arts community, which is being hit with a double whammy: Ticket sales are down, and so is fund raising, especially from foundations and the government. Still, no local organization contacted last week is threatening to close its doors or make sweeping cuts to its performance schedules. But that could change if things don't turn around soon, some warned.

Even the venerable West Bay Opera is hurting, despite its nearly 50 years of success, General Director David Sloss said of the impact of the economy.

"Like everybody else, we've had a very tough year," he said. "We've had to do some hard planning and make some tough decisions.

"But one thing we can feel good about is that we have a two-year plan" that reflects the fiscal realities, he said. The plan kicks in next year, when West Bay will do just two full opera productions instead of the usual three.

The regular productions will be in the early part of the year, but the fall production will be replaced with an "Opera Festival" -- significantly less expensive to produce but consisting of a lively mix of recitals, orchestra-backed performances and a grand finale "Opera Survivor" event, Sloss said.

In response to "softer" single-ticket sales, Stanford Lively Arts is shrinking its season next year, inviting four fewer companies to come to campus.

"We are looking at our budget, anticipating we won't have the same level of enthusiastic support we've had the last couple of years," said Martin Wollesen, director of education and associate director of programming.

While the educational portion of Stanford Lively Arts hasn't had to cut any programs, one concern is that fewer students will come to the school-day matinee performances, as schools cut funding for field trips. Around 1,700 elementary school kids came to performances on Stanford's campus last year, but as schools face daunting budget cuts, the arts is often the first red line administrators draw.

"One of the reason it's easy to cut the arts is that the arts, by its nature, is not quantifiable," Wollesen said.

That's unfortunate, since the arts force kids to look at their lives differently, he said.

"I literally get to see how arts change people's lives. It's not just a notion we throw around."

One positive sign among arts organizations is subscriptions from enthusiastic supporters remain strong, as the most adamant art enthusiasts continue to sustain their favorite groups.

That hasn't been enough for the Palo Alto Philharmonic. In the past it relied heavily on grants to support the group's seven-performance season. Geri Actor, president of the orchestra's board, is trying to procure more individual donations to make the group's budget more sustainable.

"We didn't send out an end-of-the year donation letter until this year," she explained.

One positive side of the downturn is that it's easier for the philharmonic to find volunteers, as people who are laid-off have unexpected time on their hands.

More free time leads to less disposable income. Like many downtown Palo Alto businesses, Hang Gallery, which opened on University Avenue six weeks prior to the Sept. 11. attacks, has seen fewer walk-ins.

"University Avenue itself seems very quiet," Christian Frock, associate director of the art gallery, said.

As the downturn continues, painting rentals have become a popular option for Hang's patrons.

"We've noticed people being very creative with their budgets," Frock said

Bus Barn Stage Company in Los Altos is not panicking -- at least not yet.

"We're not doing as well as we would like to be doing," said Business Manager Kristin Reams. "However, we're not suffering in a dire way."

The semi-professional company recently announced its next six-show season. For the first time there will be two musicals, as the theatre's artistic director responds to the subscribers' desires for more escapist entertainment, Reams said.

The theatre has also reached out to those subscribers, asking them to make donations to fill the gap made by the slower ticket sales, down approximately 15 to 20 percent. If things don't turn around soon, though, that might not be enough.

"We're looking at doing everything we can to avoid shutting doors," Reams said. "However, we do need to see an upswing the next year or two so we don't have to make drastic changes." Bill D'Agostino is a staff writer at the Weekly. He can be e-mailed at bdagostino@paweekly.com.