With audiences rejecting what they perceive as excessive political activism and embracing commercial Broadway instead, major performing arts groups in the United States are facing financial crises. The Public Theater in New York, the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and the Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago are among the non-profit organizations grappling with layoffs and season cancellations. Even the renowned Metropolitan Opera in New York is facing trouble, as its supporting guild recently announced its closure after almost a century in operation.
These performing arts groups find themselves in dire financial straits, largely due to their embrace of wokeness and far-left political activism. By placing these ideologies at the center of their artistic output and public messaging, they have alienated a significant portion of their once-loyal customer base, leading to a decline in attendance and dwindling donations. Adding to their challenges, many of these organizations also implemented stringent COVID-19 restrictions, including mask and vaccine mandates.
While some theater leaders blame COVID-19 for their financial woes, commercial Broadway has managed to regain its pre-pandemic audience levels, leaving non-profit stages struggling to attract patrons. The Public Theater, for instance, recently laid off nearly 20 percent of its staff and significantly reduced its programming. Attendance has dropped by 30 percent, while theater costs have soared by up to 45 percent, according to Artistic Director Oskar Eustis, who directed a controversial production featuring the gruesome stabbing death of President Donald Trump.
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival faced similar problems following the tenure of former artistic director Nataki Garrett, who focused heavily on woke sermonizing and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. This alienated a substantial portion of the festival’s loyal audience and donors, prompting an emergency fundraising campaign to keep the organization afloat.
In Los Angeles, the Mark Taper Forum has canceled its entire upcoming season due to what its leaders call an unprecedented crisis. The theater’s previous production, the transgender musical Transparent, based on the Amazon comedy series, received poor reviews. The Center Theatre Group, which operates the Taper, is also cutting about 10 percent of its full-time staff. The company openly expressed its support for wokeness during the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots. Snehal Desai, the newly appointed artistic director, hinted that audiences can expect even more politically charged productions in the future.
The financial challenges faced by these performing arts groups have attracted national attention and sparked debates among the cultural elite. Some theater leaders continue to attribute their problems solely to COVID-19, suggesting that many theatergoers remain apprehensive about returning or have lost interest in live performances. However, the resilience of commercial Broadway undermines these claims, as it has seen a resurgence in audience numbers. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the embrace of wokeness and far-left political activism by many non-profit organizations has played a significant role in their financial woes.
