Opera Pacific Whittles Away $1.2 Million of Goal

Through a combination of fund-raising efforts and deep cuts in staffing and other overhead, the financially ailing Opera Pacific has accounted for $1.2 million toward its Aug. 31 goal of $1.7 million, Martin Hubbard, interim executive director, said Monday.

“I’ve been very encouraged,” Hubbard said. “But we have a lot still to do.”

The company hopes to raise another $20,000 at a fund-raising luncheon hosted by famed American opera star Beverly Sills at 11:30 a.m. today) at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Tennis Club.

In April, Opera Pacific was forced to take drastic measures to cope with a deficit of nearly $2 million and the abrupt departure of general director Patrick Veitch after 15 contentious months in the job. The company puts on four productions a year at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa on an annual budget of $5 million to $6 million.

The company fired six full-time staff members in the finance, data-processing and ticketing departments, among others; moved to smaller headquarters in Costa Mesa; and worked out an administrative cost-sharing partnership with the arts center.

Hubbard, a board member, volunteered to run the company for $1 a year until a new general director was hired. He said then that the company had hoped to raise $1.5 million by August. On Monday, he said they determined the amount needed is $1.7 million “after crossing all the Ts and dotting all the I’s” in the budget.

Further staff cutbacks have occurred this month. Productions director Dan Duro left to become director of production at the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C. He will be replaced, Hubbard said. Education director Michael Harrison’s nine-month contract was not extended.

The company has a full-time staff of 10, including music director John DeMain and chorus master Henry Venanzi, besides Hubbard.

After the Sills’ luncheon, the company’s next major fund-raising event will be the Opera Ball at the Four Seasons hotel in Newport Beach on Nov. 14.

The opera company’s season is scheduled to open Nov. 3 at the center with Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.”

“We’re still bullish that our ticket sales for this coming season will be better than our previous season’s,” Hubbard said.

* Tickets are $75 for the Sills talk and fund-raising luncheon today at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Tennis Club, 900 Newport Center Drive. For information, call (949) 760-8665.