After an eight year run, the Cutler Majestic Theater is forced to close its doors on January 1 in the middle of its season. The announcement came just before Christmas when the board chair Winifred P. Gray gave the statement that the house faced ‘insurmountable budget deficit.’
Opera Boston first opened its doors in 2003. Over the years it has gained a reputation for supporting less traditional works, such as Hindemith’s “Cardillac” and Shostakovich’s “The Nose.” The house commissioned its first opera in 2010, a piece titled “Madame White Snake” that went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 2011.
The opera house’s budget started off small from the beginning, with a funding of under $3 million. Even still the company attracted the attention of Lesley Koenig, the former stage director of the Metropolitan Opera. Such a factor has not been enough for the house’s survival though.
Offering affordable tickets did not help Opera Boston bring in more revenue, and unfortunately the opera is a business, and businesses must run on money. The country’s economy further inhibits profit and even fundraising. Opera Boston is not the first theater to close and certainly won’t be the last.
