By: Emily Ao

Post-pandemic economic instability has violently struck once again. Soho Rep, a nonprofit theater organization, has announced its sharing of a space with Playwright Horizons, another theater company due to inability to sustain itself. [1] Head managers plan to relocate as soon as possible, though, for a better settlement in the long run.

Soho Rep has never been a very large organization, In fact, since its establishment in 1975, it only has had 5 full time employees and has been presenting work in a 65 seat theater. However, it has accomplished a lot for its size, often introducing influential playwrights to the city like Sarah Kane and Lucas Hnath.

This isn’t the first time Soho Rep has faced location issues. In 2016, they faced a permit issue, but fortunately, they were able to step over the obstacle. They were not so lucky this time, and with the pandemic hitting hard, they weren’t earning enough to profit in such a small location.

Non-profit theaters are not the only ones seeing these problems though. Other non-profit organizations like art exhibits face similar hardships. According to the New York Times, the costs of maintenance are skyrocketing with inflation, and nonprofits have no choice but to figure new approaches to promoting themselves.[2] 

The desire to stay in large, populated cities for increased public attention is starting to look unrealistic for nonprofits.