Tuesday, October 27, 2009 10:22 PM CDT
Season ticket holders for Rosebud's 2010 schedule won't get money back
Season tickets ranged from
$750 to $5,000
By ASHLEY RUEFF, Staff Writer
EFFINGHAM — The collapse of The Rosebud Theatre is spilling into the lives of its patrons.
Regular customers who prepaid for the theater’s 2010 season likely won’t get their money back, costing some as much as $5,000.
The Rosebud’s investors announced Oct. 5 their plans to close the theater after its last scheduled performance Dec. 5, due to inadequate revenue.
But the theater started accepting payment for 2010 ticket packages in June when the theater’s forecast looked brighter.
“We didn’t go out for the 2010 season ticket sales until we thought we had a plan in place to make it through,” said Dean Bingham, chairman of the theater’s investors’ board. “And unfortunately, in the time period we were selling 2010 season tickets, the conditions of the theater continued to deteriorate.”
A revised sales projection done in September led to the decision to pull the plug. By then, the money from the 2010 ticket sales already had been spent.
“The theater was robbing Peter to pay Paul, if you would, to continue operations in the past,” Bingham said.
Operation of the theater through the end of 2009 is largely being funded by Agracel Inc., an Effingham industrial development company and one of the theater’s 30-plus investors. Bingham serves as its president.
The theater is encouraging 2010 ticket holders to use their tickets for the remaining shows in the 2009 season.
“We’re trying to make a bad situation as best we can,” Bingham said.
But for some patrons, there’s no way to get their money’s worth. Some still have tickets for the 2009 season, and ticket packages for the 2010 season ranged from $750 to $5,000. Plus, there are only 11 shows left on the theater’s calendar.
Mike and Jolie Wilson, owners of Wilson Builders in Paris, paid the theater $4,000 in July for a 2010 season ticket package. The theater had advertised a 2010 lineup to its season ticket holders that included performers Shirley Jones, Kenny Rogers and a Queen tribute band.
The Wilsons filed a complaint with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office in hopes the office can intervene. The Wilsons are suspicious of the theater’s intentions because they said they felt pressure to renew their ticket package in September, and the theater announced its plans to close Oct. 5.
“That’s very, very dirty,” Mike Wilson said.
The theater originally advertised the renewal date for season ticket holders as Sept. 18, with general public ticket sales scheduled to begin the next day.
Theater President Janie Oldfield said in mid-September the renewal date was extended to Oct. 1 to carry through a weekend show featuring Rodney Carrington.
Oldfield said theater administration didn’t realize the business was in danger of going under until the last week in September. The final decision to close was made Sept. 30 at an investors meeting.
“The biggest thing people need to understand is that none of us gave up hope until after that investor meeting on Sept. 30,” she said. “You couldn’t say it was over before that.”
In that last week, Oldfield said the theater continued to sell ticket packages but had stopped processing the orders. When investors decided to close the doors, those customers got their money back.
“We’re exceptionally disappointed, we’re extraordinarily sorry, we’re very, very sad,” Oldfield said. “We all feel terrible about it.”
Natalie Bauer, spokesperson for the attorney general’s office, said the office has received one complaint about the case, and it is being processed.
“The issue with closed businesses is that consumers holding outstanding tickets become creditors of the businesses if the business shuts down,” Bauer said.
She likened the situation to that of gift cards that are not honored because a store goes out of business.
Bauer said people can contact the attorney general’s Consumer Fraud Bureau if they have questions or concerns.
Contact Ashley Rueff at arueff@herald-review.com or 421-6986.
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Peter_Venkman wrote on Oct 27, 2009 10:26 PM: