Seattle's Intiman Theatre is alive — for now
Intiman Theatre will keep its doors open, despite a funding crisis.
Last week, the nonprofit theater company's board of directors recommended the longtime Seattle institution close its doors.
Intiman had less than $10,000 in the bank, and according to The Seattle Times, the board wasn't allowed to touch that money to help with a budget shortfall.
Staffers, led by artistic director Jennifer Zeyl, urged the board to allow employees and theater advocates to raise money not only to pay off the shortfall, but to position Intiman for 2020.
This week, the board agreed. Intiman plans to raise $200,000 by the end of the calendar year, leaving the theater with $150,000 in working capital. In a news release, Intiman said it has received more than $100,000 since its financial challenges went public last week.
The theater company also has hired local consultant Carlo Scandiuzzi and his firm to take over executive management duties from departing director Phillip Chavira. Most recently, Scandiuzzi headed up ACT Theatre.
Intiman made headlines last spring when it announced a plan to give free tickets to all its productions, an initiative designed to make its productions accessible to a wider audience.
In August, the theater company was one of five winners of the Seattle Mayor's Arts Award, an acknowledgement of Intiman's focus on social justice and racial equity.
