13 Employees Axed at Ruth Eckerd Hall

Reduced budgets from decreased donations lead to 13 employees being laid off at Ruth Eckerd Hall Friday.

The nine full-time and four part-time employees were cut from all departments and are not expected to be rehired at a later date, Katie Pedretty, spokeswoman for Ruth Eckerd Hall, said in an email.

The reason for the cuts is a lack of donations from corporate, state and federal sources.

"Just as all non-profit performing arts organizations around the country, we rely heavily on the kindness of private and corporate donations, as well as strong state and federal funding," Zev Buffman, Ruth Eckerd Hall president, said in an email. "These have all diminished as never before. As we come out of the recession to a new normal, we must tighten our belts like so many other non-profits around the country in an effort to become more efficient and effective in our relentless pursuit of our mission."

Even as staffing shrinks for Ruth Eckerd, the number of projects the nonprofit is involved in continues to grow.

State legislators set aside $1 million this year to help with the renovation of the Capitol Theatre, which is run by Ruth Eckerd Hall. The 2013-2014 budget also carved out $500,000 for the Murray Studio Theater at Ruth Eckerd Hall.