For 36 years, performers at the New York State Theatre Institute have enthralled audiences in December, like they did this year with their presentation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Unfortunately, it will likely go down as the institute’s final production.

NYSTI’s loss of more than half of its state funding—part of the budget cuts in former Gov. Paterson’s 2010-11 state budget—proved to be its undoing.

UUP took a series of actions to keep NYSTI alive. In addition to pressing lawmakers to restore funds to NYSTI, UUP contributed nearly $8,000 to help mount a fundraising drive to keep NYSTI in business until the end of its fiscal year, March 31, 2011. UUP President Phil Smith also issued a final appeal to Paterson asking that he use some of the $9 million in his discretionary account to continue NYSTI’s operations.

“It has come to my attention that you have, in recent weeks, allocated resources for museums and other similar cultural purposes from your discretionary fund,” Smith wrote. “I strongly urge you to allocate a portion of those funds to continue NYSTI’s operations.”

NYSTI Producing Director and UUP member David Bunce presented a proposal to NYSTI’s board that would have secured a $350,000 revolving line of credit by mortgaging NYSTI’s assets. But the board—with eight of its nine members from the Paterson administration—refused to consider the idea. Instead, they voted to shut down NYSTI effective Dec. 31, 2010, and put its assets in escrow.

“NYSTI was always much more than a theater company,” Smith said. “It provided theater education to thousands of students in their schools, and technical assistance to schools’ theater productions. NYSTI’s contributions to arts education will be sorely missed.”

Despite these setbacks, NYSTI could conceivably come back. Legislation that established NYSTI as a public benefit corporation remains in force. NYSTI’s assets were not liquidated, and its supporters hope that the new governor may see his way to restoring some state funds.

— Donald Feldstein