Theater stages fiscal revival

Ticket prices will remain unchanged for the upcoming season.
By GUY D'ASTOLFO
VINDICATOR ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Two years ago, the Youngstown Playhouse was drowning in $255,000 worth of debt, demoralized by weak attendance and on the verge of closing.
But thanks to a remarkable turnaround effort, the theater will soon be back in the black.
Anthony Donofrio, Playhouse board president, announced this week that the theater will pay off its last remaining inherited debt -- $29,000 due the A.P. O'Horo Co. of Liberty for renovation work -- during the upcoming season.
Through negotiations, the playhouse was able to get vendors and other businesses to forgive $98,000 of the debt.
Three facts underscore the theater's comeback:
Revenues for the just-ended 2005-06 season were $380,000, compared with $169,000 two seasons ago.
Season-ticket sales for 2005-06 brought in $73,000, a whopping 83 percent increase over the prior season.
The Playhouse now boasts about 2,000 season-ticket holders, and an average attendance of 265 for mainstage performances. Two years ago, there were fewer than 50 season-ticket holders, and the number of people in the seats was often not much more than the cast.
The theater seats 545, meaning 4,905 tickets can be sold for the typical nine-show run of each production.
Liquor license
The playhouse will be getting a revenue boost from the sale of beer and wine. It lost its liquor license a few years ago, but will get it back for the upcoming season, which starts in August. Donofrio blamed mismanagement by the prior board for the license's loss, and he thanked state Sen. Marc Dann of Liberty, D-32nd, for getting it back.
Donofrio has said that he will not seek nomination for another term at the helm. He has headed the playhouse board since it was re-formed two years ago after the mass resignation of the previous board amid the economic crisis.
At that time, Bentley Lenhoff returned to the playhouse as executive director to spearhead the turnaround. He was replaced by John Holt a year ago.
Guarded optimism
"With everything the playhouse has gone through, I consider the past season a major success," said Holt at Monday night's annual meeting.
But he acknowledged that they are not out of the woods yet. "Parts of the past year were rough," Holt said. "At times, I was looking under chairs for pennies and nickels."
The 82-year-old playhouse -- the oldest continuously operated community theater in the country -- plans to continue the comeback. A community support drive will get under way in coming months to raise donations.
And ticket prices -- which are $15 ($12 for seniors and students) -- will remain unchanged for the upcoming season.
But ultimately, Holt said, the future of the playhouse depends on the quality of its product.
"What's on stage is all we have to sell," Holt said.
Acknowledging that production quality is "turning the corner," Holt let it be known that there is room for improvement.
"[Regional] theater has accepted mediocrity as its standard," he said. "I won't tolerate that here. We've touched on what we can do here. ... I want to achieve excellence because we can and should."