The economy continues to cause casualties in the arts in Rhode Island.

This week, All Children’s Theater is cutting back performances of its current production, and cancelling one later production, and possibly a second.

“We’re in a very dangerous place as an organization,” says Wrenn Goodrum, ACT’s founding artistic director.

This news follows last week’s announcement that Providence Black Repertory Company had laid off five full-time staffers and suspended the two remaining plays in its season.

“It’s the economy,” Goodrum says. “I know I’m not spending money as much as I used to.”

So ACT, now in its 21st season, proposes audiences spend less for tickets. It’s reducing ticket prices for adults 20 percent, to $12, and for children, 46 percent, to $8. And it’s eliminating two of its performances (Nov. 14 and 21) of its current production, Disney’s High School Musical.

“This is not what we expected. This is before everything took a dive. We thought this would be our cash cow that would pay for our other productions that barely squeak by.”

Musicals, Goodrum says, are ACT’s most popular production. Last year its production of Annie drew 300 advance ticket purchases. High School Musical has only drawn 70.

“The phones are eerily dead.”

Horton was a harbinger.

ACT’s production last month of Horton the Elephant lost $5,000, according to Goodrum. Its current production of High School Musical is without a corporate sponsor. And membership in ACT, an educational theater organization whose member children pay for participation, is down from 65 to 38. In addition, Goodrum reports, in the last eight years individual donations to ACT have dropped from $16,000 to $4,000.

ACT has taken cost-cutting actions. In addition to cancelling two shows of High School Musical, it has cut its part-time marketing staff from 20 hours to 5 and cancelled its April production of Lorax. And it may also cancel its March production of Seussical the Musical.

“That depends on how High School Musical does,” said Goodrum.

ACT’s presents High School Musical this Saturday and Sunday and next weekend at the Vartan Gregorian School, 455 Wickenden St., Providence. Shows are Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. For tickets, $12 for adults and $8 for children, call 728-1222 or e-mail actinri@gmail.com.