“Officials aren’t sure what impact last-minute, lacerating budget cuts will have on the historic Victory Theatre,” writes Zach Evans in Wednesday’s (10/28) Evansville Courier & Press (Indiana). The Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra is the theater’s main tenant. “The City Council on Monday night approved the 2016 budget, but not before slashing several line items, including the Victory Theatre.… The cuts … [trim] the Victory’s operating budget in half—from $700,000 to $350,000.… The money cut on Monday funds the basic operations of the historic facility.… Gary Wagner, the philharmonic’s executive director, said cuts to the Victory directly impact their organization. ‘If we’re not able to maintain the quality of the concerts and our performances, then our function as an arts organization is limited greatly,’ Wagner said. The City Council also cut $9,300 from its usual $20,000 grant funding to the Evansville Philharmonic.… Maestro Alfred Salvia, music director for the philharmonic, said that money goes toward the Young People’s Concerts, a series of shows free to elementary-aged students. ‘We’ve done Young People’s Concerts for 80 years at no charge to students. So we may have to look at charging students,’ Savia said.”
Posted October 30, 2015
