Round House, Standing Up to the Downturn

The lobby is packed. Patrons munch on stuffed eggplant and sip international wines as a soothing, syrupy Norah Jones song plays at the Round House Theatre in Bethesda. The staff scurries between cocktail conversation and behind-the-scenes troubleshooting.

Trouble: The silent auction at the annual fundraising gala is a little too silent. Bids are low and infrequent.

Round House's artistic director announces there's only 30 minutes left to bid on such items as a week-long stay in St. Thomas (a $6,000 value) or a floor-length fur coat ($1,500).

"We want you to have some good food and enjoy yourselves," says Blake Robison over the mike, "but most importantly we are here to raise $35,000 for our education program, and we can't do that unless you head into the auction room and bid."

St. Thomas goes for half its value. No one bids on the fur coat. That'll go on eBay to bring in something. Every little bit helps. Round House, like every other arts organization, is reefing its sails to brave a financial hurricane. Spend a week with one theater and witness the fear, suspense and determination wrought by a cranky economy.

The gala, on a Tuesday in late April, kicks off seven days of furious activity for Round House at a time when the recession is sinking its teeth into the theater community. The company's big show, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," is closing in the 400-seat main theater. Rehearsals begin soon for the final play of the season. Round House's Silver Spring series is wrapping up at its 130-seat black box on Colesville Road. A couple of blocks over on Wayne Avenue, its dozen summer education programs will endear theater to a new generation starting in June.

Theater ticket sales are steady regionwide, but box office accounts for only 40 or 50 percent (or less) of a company's income. The remaining sources are drying up: Public funding has been cut, and corporate sponsorship for the arts has decreased dramatically. Round House is betting on its diversified, community-centric mission to navigate the storm.

After the gala guests are herded into the theater for the night's entertainment, the Round House staff hurriedly sorts the bid sheets on the floor of a rehearsal room.

"A lot of stuff just did not get bid on," sighs Sara Duke, the individual relations and events manager. "I knew no one was going to bid on that fur coat."

New York-based actor Matthew Detmer, who plays the lead, McMurphy, in "Cuckoo's Nest," wanders through the now-silent lobby. Theaters everywhere are lining up shows with smaller casts, he says, or dropping shows altogether. "Cuckoo's Nest" has 15 actors. Next season, Round House's largest cast is seven.

"We got good reviews, but it's not full," Detmer says. "Sometimes during curtain calls, the seats look really empty. It's too bad this is the thing people cut out. I believe this is the stuff that brings people together and helps them forget."

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