SANTA ANA, Calif.—Although Orange County arts institutions have weathered economic storms fairly well in the past, this time around they are struggling more than ever. Among the changes wrought by the recession have been the closing of the Opera Pacific; layoffs of full-time employees and salary cuts at the Orange County Performing Arts Center (OCPAC); positions left unfilled, salary reductions, and the cutting of production runs at South Coast Repertory; and the Laguna Playhouse's sale of a piece of prime real estate adjacent to its aging main stage, which was to have been the site of an expansion project.

According to Terrence W. Dwyer, OCPAC's president, the situation is troublesome not just for the severity of the cuts but also for the way in which those changes are affecting institutions' priorities. “Many organizations [feel] forced to neglect the audiences and patrons of the future, as well as their role in the community, due to short-term [economic] pressures,” he says. “Once we come out the other end, we could easily face an even greater challenge: the loss of a generation of future arts supporters and patrons.”

Read more at the Orange County Register.