BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – A local theater is asking for community help as it experiences financial hardships.
Theatre Baton Rouge has been around since 1946 and has provided entertainment for several in the capital city. Now, employees are asking for help financially with donations.
“In Baton Rouge in 2023 to say that there are 100 people that care enough about the arts community to give a thousand dollars, I feel like it’s a small goal,” said TBR Transitions employee Pete Rizzo.
Theatre Baton Rouge has been experiencing a surge in production costs over the past months which has affected ticket prices and sponsorships. In response, leaders were forced to lay off the majority of their staff.
“We let them know what was going on, transparency, accountability, everything that we can do, and we started a kickoff for a fundraiser to raise $100,000 in 60 days,” said Beth Bordelon, TBR President of the Board of Governors.
Bordelon said an agreement was made after a recent town meeting that they would do a Light the Stage fundraising campaign. Last year, the theater made up to $800,000 from ticket sales, but some of that money went to stage equipment.
“We wanted to do everything we could, to maintain a lower cost to the public that was buying tickets for our shows while still putting on the highest quality productions and the combination of those two meant we had the same amount of income coming in the door but more money going for the cost of supplies and production,” said Rizzo.
For the next 60 days, officials are asking for the support of the Baton Rouge community to ensure that Theatre Baton Rouge’s stage can continue to shine brightly for the next 75 years.
For those who want to donate, click here.
