September 28, 2017 - 1:52 PM
New York's Metropolitan Opera says three days after opening its season it has offered buyouts to 21 of its 243 full-time administrative employees.
A financial report issued in June showed the Met had $294 million in operating expenses in 2015-16, when it operated at a deficit of $177,000. That was down from deficits of nearly $3 million in 2012-13 and about $22 million in 2013-14. There was a $1.1 million surplus in 2014-15.
The company's percentage of box realized hit a record low of 66 per cent in 2015-16, when attendance was 72 per cent.
Met general manager Peter Gelb said Thursday that box office realized rose 1 per cent last season, when attendance was up 3 per cent.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017