SHAW FESTIVAL TICKET SALES UP $2 MILLION OVER 2012
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON (November 6, 2013) — The Shaw Festival’s 2013 season proved a winner with audiences and critics alike, attracting 270,570 people (71% of capacity) to its 744 performances. With a season running from April 3 to November 3 and ten productions playing in four theatres, box office revenues topped $16 million – the highest ticket sales in The Shaw’s history.
These numbers represent 10% growth in attendance over the 2012 season. The increase came primarily from Canada, where the number of tickets grew by 19% in Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe and 14.3% in Toronto. Nonetheless, audiences from the United States and abroad accounted for one-third of The Shaw’s total attendance.
In announcing these attendance figures, Executive Director Elaine Calder said, “This was one of those successful seasons where the full range of our productions proved popular with audiences. From our core mandate – Shaw, Wilde and Maugham – to that contemporary Shavian Tom Stoppard, from musicals and comedies to serious plays like Major Barbara and Faith Healer, we enjoyed many full houses and very high demand. We announced sold-out performances of our Studio production before Arcadia even opened, and extended the run of Guys and Dolls with 15 additional performances. Critical acclaim and great word of mouth helped drive attendance across all four theatres but as we anticipated, the two Festival Theatre productions with the longest runs – Guys and Dolls and Lady Windermere’s Fan – together attracted over 140,000 people or more than half our total audience.”
A detailed financial report on the season will be presented at The Shaw’s Annual General Meeting on the afternoon of Friday, January 31, 2014.
The Shaw Festival is a repertory theatre company inspired by the work of Bernard Shaw. We produce his works as well as plays from and about his era and contemporary plays that share Shaw’s provocative exploration of society and celebration of humanity. 2013 was the Shaw’s 52nd season and the eleventh under the leadership of Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell.
The Shaw’s 2014 season goes on sale to Members starting Saturday, November 9 and to the general public early in the New Year. Phone lines open Saturday, January 11, 2014. Full details of the 2014 productions, schedule, pricing and ordering information, as well as how to become a Member, are available on our website, www.shawfest.com or by calling 1-800-511-SHAW (7429).
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