Asolo Rep’s Ross Egan on Nonprofit Theater’s Money, Model & Sustainability
Nonprofit theater is having a reckoning. Ross Egan, managing director at Asolo Repertory Theatre (Asolo Rep), sits down with Avery to talk plainly about the business side of the stage—earned vs. unearned revenue, salary realities post-pandemic, and why “the mission is the heart, but the model is the engine.” We also get into site-specific problem-solving (remember drive-in Grease?), co-productions as survival strategy, and why a $5 audience gift could be a radical shift. Plus: Sarasota’s art...
Nonprofit theater is having a reckoning. Ross Egan, managing director at Asolo Repertory Theatre (Asolo Rep), sits down with Avery to talk plainly about the business side of the stage—earned vs. unearned revenue, salary realities post-pandemic, and why “the mission is the heart, but the model is the engine.”
We also get into site-specific problem-solving (remember drive-in Grease?), co-productions as survival strategy, and why a $5 audience gift could be a radical shift. Plus: Sarasota’s arts density, circus kids, and why Come From Away lands differently right now.
Highlights
What a managing director actually does
The nonprofit model: why ticket sales can’t shoulder it
Post-pandemic costs, salaries, and union pressure
Co-pros, consolidations, and adapting fast
Why micro-gifts ($5–$10) matter
Sarasota’s arts ecosystem and local economic impact
Come From Away at Asolo Rep (opens Nov. 15)
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