Paramount Theatre and its sister venues in Aurora will stage about 200 fewer shows than planned during the next year because of funding constraints, theater leadership with the Aurora Civic Center Authority announced in a statement to subscribers this week.
The theater is putting its Bold Series of performances on hiatus, canceling upcoming productions of “Covenant” and “Ride the Cyclone,” which would have been shown on the Copley Theatre stage. The move will bring the annual number of performances from 900 to 700, theater board members said in the statement.
Theater funding issues begin post-COVID
Paramount Theatre President & CEO Tim Rater said cutting the Bold Series — along with laying off 17 full-time staff members — will help the theater move toward financial solvency. He said, in simple terms, expenses have gone up since the COVID-19 pandemic, and revenue hasn’t risen enough to match. So, using COVID-era funding and other allocations, the city of Aurora was filling the gap.
But now, the city is facing its own financial challenges, and while new Mayor John Laesch said in a statement that he wants to see the Paramount remain successful, his “ultimate objective is to serve as both an advocate for and steward of the city’s taxpayer dollars.”
2026 budget gap at issue
The Aurora Civic Center Authority (ACCA) has asked for $7 million from the city to help balance its roughly $31 million budget for 2026. But the ACCA and the city give different explanations of what happened next.
The theater says “previously communicated municipal support could be reduced by up to 65%. This change comes after we’ve already committed to programming and budgeting for 2026.”
But the Mayor’s office says that isn’t true. Laesch’s office said the theater has never had a budget line in the city’s general fund, and recently provided funds — $10 million in COVID-era funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and $13.8 million from the city this year — were given as one-time approvals. So city council approval would be needed — and has not yet been granted — for any future funding, Laesch said.
Staffing, performance cuts to ‘tighten things up’
Rater said the city and theater leadership are still working on a final number of how much support the municipality could provide next year. But given the funding constraints of both organizations, he said the theater made the difficult decision to decrease performances and staffing.
“We can tighten things up and try to save some resources,” Rater said “Prior to COVID, we were self-sustaining. And we can be again.”
Laesch’s office said it will remain a “collaborative partner” in providing a thriving arts experience in downtown Aurora.
“We have offered a path toward adding a regular subsidy into the general fund for ACCA,” Laesch’s office said. “But that will take an effective partnership and a collaborative, clear plan toward long-term financial stability.”
Next steps for Paramount performance cuts
The move to cut staffing and shows is a reversal of the recent expansion of theater in downtown Aurora. During the past 15 years, the ACCA has increased performances at the Paramount, opened the Paramount School of the Arts and kept ticket prices affordable by offering some shows at a price of “Pay What You Can.”
But for now, the theater is preparing to refund tickets purchased for upcoming canceled shows. Rater said the theater will work to fill the Copley stage with other opportunities, after the Bold Series conclusion of “True West” on Aug. 31. Paramount’s Broadway Series and education programs will continue unaffected at this point.
“We know this is disappointing. It is heartbreaking for us, too,” theater leadership said in a statement. “Yet we remain hopeful. The city’s financial outlook and willingness to support our programming may shift in the future, and we are optimistic that — when it does —we will have the opportunity to bring back the Bold Series and other programs that serve our mission and our community so deeply.”
Photo courtesy: Paramount Theatre
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