A theater in Hungary’s capital is likely to go unused through a cold and quiet winter. Theater operators have decided to close buildings rather than pay high prices for heating and electricity. High energy costs are making it hard for many businesses and cultural institutions across Europe to stay open. The 111-year-old Erkel Theatre in Budapest is one of three performance spaces of the Hungarian State Opera that will close in November. The operators can no longer pay to heat the 1,800-seat building. “We had to decide how we can save,” said Szilveszter Okovacs, the director of the Hungarian State Opera. “Even though it hurts...to close Erkel for a few months,” he said, it makes sense. He added that people’s pay is “the most important.” The group’s energy bills have become eight times and sometimes 10 times more costly than usual. The temporary closure of the Erkel Theatre is one of many cases involving cultural institutions in Hungary. Many are struggling to stay open. High inflation, a weakening currency, and energy costs are hurting many businesses and groups. This situation is taking place across Europe as energy prices skyrocket, or greatly increase, because of Russia’s war in Ukraine. High energy costs are forcing some factories to shut down, making products more costly and fueling fears of a recession.