State of the Strand
The Strand Center for the Arts is facing an immediate financial crisis. Without substantial support from the community NOW, we may not have the resources necessary to meet our current obligations and continue operating. There is a very real threat of us closing our doors.
Timeline
March 2026, at the end of the first quarter, we noticed a drastic decline in ticket sales in the theatre. Our organization has always relied on revenue from the theatre to support general operations throughout the year. We immediately started cutting back on expenses and have been running on scarce resources since.
Friday, September 4th, we made a public announcement via a video that was posted here on our website and social media channels. The announcement was also sent out to our newsletter list.
Friday, September 11th, we hit our first fundraising milestone of $50,000. With nearly 300 donors we were able to raise $50,000 in one week.
Friday, September 18th, we’ve raised $68,085. Our appeal goal is $100,000.
Current Actions & Next Steps
Board of Trustees is working on a sustainability plan based on current and projected revenue trends. Expenses will continue to be cut. This plan will be published here on our website for the community to view and updates will be shared regularly.
Executive Director is meeting with business and grant advisors from AEDC and Cloudsplitter Foundation.
Leadership is meeting with stakeholders.
All programming is moving ahead as scheduled. Nothing is being canceled, this includes theatre events and art classes!
Fundraising efforts are an ongoing priority. Please donate to our annual appeal if you’re able.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The Strand Center Theatre and the arts center are buildings on our campus. Our organization, the Strand Center for the Arts, is facing a financial crisis.
We purchased the theatre building in 2004 to both enhance our mission and to be an additional revenue stream for our organization and it has been that since the early 2000s. We have admittedly relied too much on the revenue from the theatre and that is why in our current 2025-2030 Strategic Plan financial stability is a priority. We were not expecting the severe decline in ticket sales this year and the current efforts of adding additional revenue streams and increasing fundraising wasn’t able to happen fast enough to make up the difference. This is what we are actively working on and as we have updates we will be sharing them with the community.
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First, Plattsburgh LOVES tribute bands and has for years. We sell more tickets to tribute band shows which is revenue we rely on for general operations.
Second, we specifically work with tribute bands and not cover bands. Tribute bands are not only talented musicians but incredible theatrical artists! They recreate the experience of the original bands. It’s impressive and a lot of fun to experience!
Script from Announcement Video for Reference
It’s Annual Appeal season and this year our need is great and critical for our continued operations. We need your help TODAY! The world is changing around us and we need to change with it but first we need to be able to exist beyond this year. This is not the message we thought we would be sharing with you now but, here we are.
Across the country, performing arts organizations are navigating changing audience and ticket-buying trends, and we are experiencing some of those shifts here as well. Our theatre revenue has historically made up 60-65% of our organization’s annual revenue. Just last year it was 66%. We need your support to help us continue investing in the artists, performances, programs and experiences that bring our mission to life.
The Strand is fortunate to have a committed and hard working staff, and our class, youth camp and event offerings in the arts center are often sold out fairly quickly. However, the theatre, where most of our profits come from, is underperforming considerably when compared to last year and compared to trends over the last three years. This reflects a national trend in declining ticket sales and The Strand is not immune. Theatre revenue through July is down 27% since last year, equating to a loss of about $140,000 in revenue. # of shows 2025: 31 vs 2026: 30
As a mission-driven non-profit organization, we have always relied upon grants, sponsorships, and donations, both small and large, to supplement our earned income and support our efforts. Fundraising, while higher than our 4 year low in 2024, is lower than last year by about 30%.
Programming revenue in the arts center remains steady, which reflects the community’s desire for more classes and youth camps, but the revenue and profits from those efforts is significantly lower than those driven by the theatre. We rely on grants and other forms of income to supplement our efforts, but those have decreased versus last year by 75% as funding is limited and more arts centers, like ours, express greater needs.
In order to continue our mission to enrich, energize and engage our community through the arts, we’re asking you to donate what you can to help us get through this tough time. The Strand has been a Plattsburgh destination for the arts and entertainment that attracts over 35,000 visitors a year for the last 26 years, and we hope to keep that going for another 26 years into the future.
To get there, we need your help. Depending on which platform you’re watching this on, please use the QR code, follow the links, or navigate to our website StrandCenter.org to donate to our annual appeal today!
