The New York City Opera is in financial trouble, and it has turned to Kickstarter to raise $1 million of the $20 million needed to finish this season and pay for their 2014-2015 shows.
"New York City opera was founded as the 'people's opera,'" George Steel, the troupe's general manager and artistic director, told Mashable. "Crowdsourcing for our current campaign made sense."
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Steel added that Kickstarter could not only help them generate cash, but also test the size of its following.
"A broad-based audience has been central to the artistic mission of the company since it was founded," Steel said. "I think if we can demonstrate that we have broad-based support, it would be attractive to the kind of donors who could save the company."
Kickstarter contributors can pay anywhere from $1 to $10,000. For $1, donors will get their name on a web donor wall; for $10,000, donors receive a home opera party, complete with a singer and pianist. Donations at varying prices points between are rewarded with free opera tickets.
The Kickstarter campaign closes on Sept. 30, and even if it's successful, the New York City Opera will need $6 million more by the end of the month to finish its season. As of now, they have enough capital to produce their first show, "Anna Nicole," which runs from Sept. 17 to Sept. 28 at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House. At the time of writing, the Kickstarter campaign had raised about $65,000.
But if the opera doesn't raise enough money, it will be forced to suspend plays such as "Endimione" and "Bluebeard's Castle," which are currently slated for February and March of next year. Then, regardless of whether the September fundraising is successful, the opera has until the end of December to raise $13 million more. That's the expected cost of the 2014-15 performances, which Steel says they want to pay for upfront. If they cannot, he says the company will cancel the season.
Money has been especially tight for the New York City Opera since leaving its former home at New York City's Lincoln Center in 2011. Its performances have dwindled from 100 per year to just 20. But they raised $11.5 million in 2012, according to the New York Times -- more money than it was able to generate in years past. Steel believes that $20 million is the most money the troupe has ever tried to generate.
Despite all this, Steel believes the company has produced some of its best shows over the past two years.
"I believe profoundly that America has something very special to add to this art form, and New York City Opera is the most prime tool we have to advance this," he said. "I believe that New York City opera points to the future of opera, and that means future artists and future works."