Box Office Revenue Totals $2.4 Million

Box office revenue for Opera Pacific’s 1988 season totaled $2.4 million, general manager David Dichiera has announced.

In a printed statement, Dichiera said the opera company sold 59,123 tickets for 31 regular season performances of “Aida,” “Kismet” and “Die Fledermaus,” all at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa. In five performances, “Aida” had capacity audiences but still lost money because of high production costs, Dichiera said.

In 18 performances, Dichiera said, “Kismet” did not draw as well as the company would have liked. However, he added, the musical earned “nearly a quarter of a million dollars” because of its relatively less-expensive production.

Opera Pacific raised $1 million in contributions from July 1, 1987, to March 31. This compares to $750,000 raised during the entire fiscal year ended June 30, 1987, Dichiera said. The company has until June to reach its fund-raising goal of $1.1 million this fiscal year.

He noted that Opera Pacific earned more than 65% of its budget through ticket sales and related activities. “The national norm for opera companies is below 50%,” Dichiera said.