Met Opera offers buyouts to 21 of 243 administrative workers

New York’s Metropolitan Opera says three days after opening its season it has offered buyouts to 21 of its 243 full-time administrative employees.

A financial report issued in June showed the Met had $294 million in operating expenses in 2015-16, when it operated at a deficit of $177,000. That was down from deficits of nearly $3 million in 2012-13 and about $22 million in 2013-14. There was a $1.1 million surplus in 2014-15.

The company’s percentage of box realized hit a record low of 66 per cent in 2015-16, when attendance was 72 per cent.

Met general manager Peter Gelb said Thursday that box office realized rose 1 per cent last season, when attendance was up 3 per cent.