THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 15, 1994 TAG: 9412150406
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
The state-subsidized Richmond Ballet grudgingly gave Gov. George Allen 13 free tickets for its profitable ``Nutcracker'' after an Allen aide repeatedly pressed the ballet for the tickets.
``They were fairly insistent about the request,'' ballet director Phil Crosby said. ``We didn't feel pressured into it, but what are you going to do? It's cost-benefit analysis at this point.''
The administration had requested 14 freebies from the ballet, which receives 5 percent of its annual $2 million budget from the state. Crosby said he considered Allen's request for the $36 choice-seat tickets unreasonable, but allowed most of it ``for public relations reasons.''
``When we asked whether there would be payments for any of the tickets, the staff member was a bit taken aback and informed us that we should consider it an honor for the governor to attend,'' Crosby said.
Karen Van Veldhoven, spokeswoman for the ballet, said the freebies were mailed Tuesday.
Allen spokeswoman Melissa Herring Dickie said she knew nothing about free tickets. ``Thirteen tickets have been ordered and paid for,'' she said. She said private funds paid for the tickets and no state money was used. But she could not say on Tuesday when they had been bought or provide proof of payment.
``I don't know if it was a staff error or a mix-up at the ballet,'' she said. If a batch of free tickets arrives with those that have been bought, the free tickets will be returned, she said.
Crosby said he felt when the request was made several months ago that Allen's office should pay for some of the 14 tickets. He did not recall the name of the Allen aide who made the request, but said neither Allen nor his wife, Susan, contacted him.
Crosby said the dialogue with the governor's office ``went back and forth'' before he decided to provide the tickets.
``The Nutcracker'' is a holiday favorite and is a major revenue source for performing arts groups across the nation. Crosby said it is the largest moneymaker of the year for the Richmond Ballet. The governor's request for complimentary tickets came as Virginia arts organizations reel from sharp reductions in their state subsidies.
Peggy Baggett, director of the Virginia Commission for the Arts, said the state's annual appropriation for the arts fell from $5.3 million in fiscal 1990 to $1.4 million in 1992. It has crept back up to $2.1 million for the current fiscal year.
Cuts in arts subsidies directly affect the Richmond Ballet, which receives about $100,000 of its current budget from the arts commission.
Crosby said only three states - Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi - spend less per capita on the arts than Virginia does. That makes box office receipts from the year-end ``Nutcracker'' even more vital.
``It's the show we're tightest about giving tickets for because it accounts for 25 percent of our annual income,'' Crosby said. ``Needless to say, watching those dollars and cents is important to us.''
It won't be clear whether the arts will take another hit until Allen releases his state budget amendment proposals on Monday. However, the governor's first year has been marked by an emphasis on reducing the size of government and boosting reliance on the private sector.
The value of the tickets given to Allen's office for the Dec. 26 performance totals $468.
Crosby said the ballet was told the free tickets would be used by the Allens, their two children, about three security guards and ``friends and guests.''
Other politicians, including Allen's predecessors, have received free tickets to the ballet in the past - but apparently not in such large quantities. by CNB