Despite having had to operate in the red over the past year, Hancher executive director Chuck Swanson is still dedicated to the venue s mission.
“The pandemic really keeps us from generating any revenue. We still have our box office expenses, phone expenses we have all the same expenses that continue, but (none of our typical) income to off-set that.”
Swanson and his staff have been in a perpetual state of planning not just attempting to navigate the pandemic, but also attempting to plan for ongoing budget cuts from the University of Iowa that reduce the auditorium s funding from the university every year until 2023. At that point, the auditorium is meant to become completely self-sustaining.