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SIX MONTHS AGO, David Elliott got the bad news. His landlord was selling the building where his playhouse, the Perry Street Theatre, had existed for 31 years.
Now, when the theater's upcoming show, Treason, closes on July 22, Mr. Elliott and his codirector, Martin Platt, will pack up their sets for good, as yet another off-Broadway theater goes dark.
"It's really sad because it's a wonderful theater," Mr. Elliott says. "But we're just one of many."
Over the next few months, six off-Broadway houses, including the Century Center for the Performing Arts and the Lamb's Theatre, are facing their final curtain call. They share the stage with at least four others which have already shut down and will soon be demolished.
But real estate isn't the only problem. Off-Broadway has been in a downward spiral for the last few years.
With rising costs and dwindling audiences, even the most successful productions are having trouble turning a profit. Shows are closing at record speed, and fewer new productions are in the works, leaving many stages empty.
The plight of the city's commercial off-Broadway theaters is all the more painful because their glitzier counterparts are thriving. Last...