Shakespearean festival in Stratford announces 2012 deficit
By
Mark Schadenberg
It
is certainly possible that the toughest entertainment business is the movie
theatre game as you open the doors everyday to your 7-plex (Woodstock) movie
house and just hope the movies in current release will attract a crowd.
You
can’t sell popcorn and nachos with a fake cheese dip if all the movies
available are a disappointment.
Avid
movie folks will still see just about everything and anything as it arrives on
the big screen, but most will want a good review, a popular cast and positive
word-of-mouth advertising.
On
the flip side, could you imagine operating an entire stage theatre festival season
in a slow economy – fewer disposable dollars available for entertainment.
At
The Stratford Festival (www.stratfordfestival.ca; 1-800-567-1600) in
2012, there was a reported deficit of $3.4 million due in part to a reduction
of about 5% in total ticket sales.
The
2013 lineup appears to be very strong with Shakespeare productions of Romeo
& Juliet, Othello, Measure For Measure, and the old ‘pound of flesh’ (0.4536
of a kg) Shylock show known as The Merchant Of Venice (Starring this time Brian
Bedford and Tom McCamus). If you add in Fiddler On The Roof, rock opera Tommy, Waiting
For Godot, Three Musketeers (Alexandre Dumas), and Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit,
this calendar year should be a strong rebound.
Having
said that, the 2012 lineup was strong (Much Ado About Nothing, Henry V, Pirates
of Penzance, 42nd Street), but the number of visitors was down and a
news story I watched on local CTV stations noted that theatre fans were also simply
watching fewer shows – maybe picking the best three to enjoy instead of a
longer list on stagings.
Could
it be possible that the crowds are seeing the same show too often? My
speculation solely as The Merchant Of Venice was last produced as recently as
2001 when Al Waxman was slated for the marquee lead role before passing away
and being replaced by Paul Soles. Also, Brent Carver starred in Fiddler in
2000.
At
the end of the analysis, it’s a difficult juggle between which shows are the most
recognizable and well-known storylines that draw a significant audience, compared
to which lesser-known Canadian playwrights deserve a major boost with a summer
Stratford season appearance.
Also,
are there enough attractions in Stratford (championship golf courses, etc) and
quality high-end hotels to create a one-destination vacation. Or, do visitors
spend two nights in Stratford on their way to Toronto or perhaps
Niagara-On-The-Lake and The Falls. Does the Stratford Festival advertise itself
in southern Ontario with the increase in stay-cations? One can not say the
prices are too high because this is the best level of acting and overall
productions available anywhere.
I
was just three years old when The Who recorded Tommy, so the pinball wizard is
a draw to all demographics now. Tommy along with Fiddler and The Bard are great
anchors for 2013.
Here’s
the press clipping from the Stratford Beacon-Herald:
()()()()()()()()()()()
Stratford Festival
looking for box office turnaround
By Donal O'Connor, The Beacon Herald
Saturday, March 9,
2013
STRATFORD -- Despite
acclaim from theatre critics and audiences the Stratford Festival experienced a
5% drop in attendance in its 2012 season that has resulted in a $3.4 million
deficit.
The fall in attendance
has not been a secret but the official accounting for the Festival's 60th
season was presented to members Saturday at the theatre's annual general
meeting.
The revenue shortfall
occurred in spite of donor contributions to operations totalling $13.3 million
– the highest in the Festival's history – and the transfer of $2.3 million from
the Endowment Foundation.
Treasurer Dan
Bernstein reported that expenditures were about $57.7 million and revenues,
including government contributions of 5.4 million, amounted to about $54.3
million.
Undaunted, artistic
director Antoni Cimolino noted in his address that the theatre has faced and
surmounted economic challenges before.
“It is often in the
face of adversity that we achieve the most clarity – a principle that is right
at the centre of drama, from the ancient Greeks to William Shakespeare and to
plays that were written yesterday,” he said. “Hard times have a way of
stripping away superfluities and requiring us to confront the essence of who we
are and what we're doing.”
Cimolino outlined a
vision for the Festival that includes seeking out the most talented theatre
artists in Canada and from around the world and providing them with unsurpassed
opportunities to hone their skills even further.
And citing the
Laboratory program that he'll introduce this year, he suggested it will enhance
the Festival as a home for the re-invigoration of the classics and
work-shopping of new large-scale works with a potential to be staged around the
world.
In a written address
to the board, past artistic director Des McAnuff expressed regret the 2012
season did not do as well at the box office as it did critically.
Although it was not an
unreasonable decision to stage 14 productions for the theatre's 60th season, he
said, it proved to be “overly ambitious.”
In a message delivered
by board chair David Goldbloom, McAnuff challenged the Festival to find new
ways to attract philanthropic gifts and other sources of revenue such as grants
from foundations and governments so that the theatre is less reliant on ticket sales
and market conditions.
“It must be more
widely recognized that the Stratford Festival is one of the great artistic
institutions of Canada and a formidable cultural resource in North America,” he
said. “In a healthy society a leading theatre is not a luxury.”
Also addressing the
membership at the AGM was Festival executive director Anita Gaffney who cited a
number of special events and marketing initiatives designed to attracted new
audiences and re-attract lapsed patrons.
Gaffney said there's
already an 11 % increase in U.S. ticket sales so far this year, a 100% increase
in “lapsed patrons” and some increase in new patrons as well.
The average number of
tickets that people are purchasing is also up, she reported.
"I think we're
seeing some very promising signals for the season ahead.”
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