New York’s prestigious Public Theater — which staged the assassination of President Donald Trump in its infamous 2017 production of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar — is laying off 19 percent of its staff as it faces a catastrophic financial crisis brought on by plummeting attendance and soaring operating costs.
Public Theater leaders announced Friday that nearly 1 in 5 workers will receive a pink slip in a bid to save the institution. Artistic director Oskar Eustis told the New York Times that attendance has cratered by 30 percent while the theater’s costs have skyrocketed by as much as 45 percent.
“We have kept our donor base, but it’s static. Put that all together, and you get budget shortfalls — big budget shortfalls,” he said.
The @PublicTheaterNY, an Off Broadway nonprofit that is one of the nation’s most successful theater organizations, is laying off 19 percent of its staff as the field struggles with declining revenues and rising costs. Here’s a gift link to the story: https://t.co/u2TCQZnagX
— Michael Paulson (@MichaelPaulson) July 14, 2023
Eustis directed the Public’s 2017 Central Park production of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in which the title character was costumed to resemble President Donald Trump. The assassination scene featured Trump being stabbed to death in a violent melee of knife play in the U.S. Senate.
Caesar’s wife Calpurnia spoke with a Slavic accent intended to mimic First Lady Melania Trump.
The production shocked many audience members and even provoked conservative influencers Laura Loomer and Jack Posobiec to interrupt a performance in protest.
The Public Theater posted a statement blaming the incident on “paid protesters.”
“While we are champions of the first amendment, this interruption unfortunately was part of a paid strategy driven by social media,” the message read.
The Public is also behind the musical Hamilton, which it initially produced before transferring it to Broadway where it is still running.
The theater’s difficulties come as non-profit and regional theater companies around the country face numerous financial challenges. The Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles recently cancelled its upcoming season due to monetary concerns and weak attendance. The Taper’s last production was the poorly received transgender musical Transparent, based on the Amazon series.
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