“Reacting to economic pressures and fallen ticket sales, Michigan Opera Theatre on Wednesday canceled its scheduled spring production of Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci and announced staff layoffs and other budget cuts. David DiChiera, MOT’s founding general director, said it was the first time in the company’s 38-year history that it had canceled an entire production. He said dropping Pagliacci would save $400,000 to $500,000.”