The Voice

The New York State Theatre Institute as it is today will cease to exist if Gov. David Paterson’s plan to cut state funding to the Troy theater becomes reality.

So says NYSTI Chapter President John Romeo.

Romeo would know. He has fought his share of budget battles, including Paterson’s unsuccessful 2009 attempt to merge NYSTI with The Egg.

The stakes are much higher this year.

Under the governor’s proposed Executive Budget, NYSTI would lose all state funding by 2011-12, leaving it to operate as a self-supporting entity dependent on ticket sales, corporate donations and government grants. NYSTI, created by state legislation in 1974, relies on state funding for about 85 percent of its budget.