Seattle Rep, the city’s preeminent regional theater company, is eliminating 17 staff positions over the course of the next several months, including the majority of its artistic, arts engagement and Public Works departments. According to Managing Director Jeffrey Herrmann, the company will also combine, add or fill several additional positions in the coming months, resulting in a net loss of 13 full-time jobs — a reduction in numbers from 108 to 95, or 12% of the staff. “The whole industry has been really struggling coming out of the pandemic, and we’re certainly not immune to any of these forces at the Rep,” Herrmann said.
“Expenses are sky high, our subscribers are not fully back yet, and that’s caused a big gap between revenue and expense that has really pushed a lot of organizations to the brink.” Subscriptions to the Rep are still hovering just below half of pre-pandemic numbers, Herrmann reported, with 2023-24 subscription revenue landing about $200,000 short of goal. (Single-ticket sales for the season are right on track so far.
) Adding to the financial challenges, the Rep’s annual fund, its general-purpose fundraising campaign, is projected to land about $600,000 short of its goal, Hermann said, largely due to the end of government COVID relief grant programs. That leaves the Rep with a combined fundraising and subscription revenue shortfall of $800,000 for the fiscal year, which ends June 30. But by managing expenses, and with a pending draw from it.