2021-22 at a Glance

Message from the Chair

I’m pleased to be presenting my first Annual Report as Chair of Darwin Entertainment Centre (DEC).

This last financial year 2021-22 has been a success for DEC, despite the ongoing impact of the pandemic and all the necessary public health measures associated with its management. While some shows were cancelled, there were many that were not and were warmly welcomed and supported by our audiences.

That so many shows made it to our stage is a real tribute to General Manager Mike Harris and his resilient team. The DEC Board is only too aware of the effort and commitment it took from all staff to achieve that result. Our sincere thanks and congratulations.

And there were some great shows: Dead Puppet Society’s The Wider Earth; The Pulse from Adelaide’s Gravity and Other Myths; Victorian State Ballet; and the irrepressible Wiggles – just to mention a few.

So, success for DEC has had two key elements this financial year. The first to continue operations and present the number of shows that we did. The second to survive financially and as outlined in our 2021-22 Financials we did that as well. A great result.

An important task for both board and staff over the year has been the review of our current Strategic Plan and work on our new strategy for the next four years. At this stage, 2023-26 is still a work in progress, but key areas of focus are around how to maintain and expand our Entertainment Centre as the premiere arts venue in Darwin: bringing the best of national and international shows to town; strongly supporting our local arts community; growing and diversifying our audiences; and creatively expanding our revenue sources. To the Northern Territory Government and the City of Darwin, thank you for your continued and vital support. It underpins our success. But there are immediate and long-term capital issues that need to be addressed and which we’ve discussed with both Council and Government over the past year. DEC and the Darwin Amphitheatre will greatly benefit from further investment and allow us to expand the offerings we can bring to the people of Darwin and the Top End. Our advocacy around that investment will continue this financial year.

And finally, my thanks to my fellow directors over this past challenging year for your committed and careful governance of the wonderful Darwin Entertainment Centre.

CLARE MARTIN AO Chair

Message from the General Manager

The term The Tale of the Tape is used in the pugilistic arts to describe the combatants’ vital statistics, and in some ways the use of this term seems appropriate for a reflection on the year that was 2021-22.

In the red corner we have the first seven or eight months of the year where the impact of Delta and Omicron strains of Covid and their associated lockdowns and border closures ripped a hole through DEC’s activities; and, in the blue corner we have the remainder of the year where we sought to recover to a balanced position through rescheduled events and operational efficiencies. The blue corner won on a tight points decision.

The cancellation and postponement of shows, especially those from interstate, coupled with lower sales and attendances at many events had a massive impact on DEC this year. The visible impact was loss of revenue but the impact on staff of seeing many shows that they had worked so hard to secure fall away – sometimes on the day of the event – was enormous. That we recovered to the position we did is testament to the hard work and dedication of the team at DEC.

This said, we laughed loudly at Aunty Donna and Urzila Carlson, were astonished at the death-defying performances of Gravity and Other Myths’ The Pulse (part of Darwin Festival), cheered ourselves hoarse at Baker Boy and Bjorn Again, and were very excited to see the OG Wiggles dust off their instruments and grace our stage.

DEC finished 2021-22 with a cash trading position of $31,774 in surplus and when non-cash items such as depreciation are taken into account the overall deficit position was $210,629. Whilst a deficit is never a preferred position, the priority for 2021-22, once we understood the extent of what was happening in terms of event cancellations and audience uncertainty, was to protect existing levels of equity and trade to a cash breakeven or better position. To achieve this result is testament to the efforts of all DEC staff to ensure efficiencies, savings and revenue opportunities were identified and achieved.

I want to acknowledge Clare Martin and the Board of Directors, whose support, strategic oversight and guidance is integral to DEC’s successes and future direction; and the leadership team and staff at DEC, who go above and beyond to ensure DEC is in a position to successfully present the best events on our stages with complete professionalism and dedication.

Thank you to our core funders City of Darwin and Northern Territory Government - your investment is ensuring Territorians have a fantastic asset to be proud of. To our audiences, thank you for your ongoing support of DEC and what we do, it is very much appreciated, and we look forward to seeing you at DEC more in 2023 and beyond.

MIKE HARRIS General Manager

This award-winning drama told the story of the rebellious 22-year-old Charles Darwin on the HMS Beagle’s voyage and the story behind one of the most important discoveries in history. An ensemble cast, remarkable puppetry, cinematic projections, and an original score by Lior and Tony Buchen, all combined to bring to life uncharted landscapes and incredible creatures in a creative and exceptional theatrical event.

THE YEAR IN REVIEW

The ongoing reality of change, disruption, and delays saw DEC continue to demonstrate agility, humour, teamwork, and innovation to provide exceptional experiences and create enduring value for all.

image Prudence Upton

The 2021-22 financial year looked promising with a total of 209 performances programmed. However, due to Covid-19 lockdowns interstate and then locally, challenging event cancellations and rescheduling were the reality in the first half of the 2021-22 financial year.

In the second half of the year, the Northern Territory was impacted by the inevitable entry of Covid-19 to the community. For DEC, that meant event reschedules and cancellations due to performer and crew illnesses and promoters scaling back national tours. An example was the cancellation of the Midnight Oil Resist tour on the morning of the event when Peter Garrett tested positive to Covid-19.

Overall, of the 209 performances programmed in the financial year, 156 proceeded as scheduled, or were rescheduled within the year. Of the remaining 53 performances, 15 were rescheduled into 2022-23, and 38 were cancelled altogether. Despite all of the event movements, 2021-22 was a positive year for creating and continuing partnerships with local festivals: Darwin Festival, Darwin Fringe Festival, Top End Pride Festival, and the inaugural Sugarbag Festival. All four festivals went ahead despite being disrupted by cancellations, reschedules and/or program changes.

A significant operational success for the DEC team was the eventual delivery of Territory Day in partnership with local company LACT Holdings on Sunday 29th August 2021. Territory Day had been cancelled twice (July 2020 and then again in July 2021) due to Covid. The second cancellation, just four days out from the event due to lockdown, meant load-in had already commenced. The event, when it finally proceeded, was highly successful with around 14,000 people in attendance.

In December 2021, the DEC Presents 2022 program was launched simultaneously with the launch of DEC's new brand. This was a worthy introduction to the new branding,

highlighting events programmed by DEC as quality performances curated for enduring experiences.

We worked hard to bring to life professional customer service experiences for patrons, cast and crew. Ticketing and audience information was improved and enhanced. Engaging performances were paired with beverage experiences. Intermission experiences were tested. Multi-sensory and multi-industry experiences were prioritised for spaces, people, and performances.

At the 2022 Garrmalang Festival program launch, we announced the success of obtaining Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) funding of $304,345 from the Commonwealth Office for the Arts to support the 2023 Garrmalang Festival. The festival celebrates music, dance, art, cabaret, and theatre and develops the arts sector. The funding will also allow a program of First Nations works across the following year to be introduced as Garrmalang Presents. The Board welcomed Clare Martin AO as the Chair who brings with her significant leadership experience as a previous Chief Minister of the Northern Territory and a unique ability to advocate for the Centre. Terri Layman stepped down after two years, Jane De Gault joined the board in May bringing with her significant Media, Communications and Public Relations experience.

Despite the challenges in the year, DEC staff bound together exceptionally to make everything work. At times their substantial effort was affronted with event cancellations outside of their control. Throughout the year though, the team continued with resilience and good humour, and worked cohesively to achieve an undeniably positive outcome for DEC with all shows that did go ahead brought to life with full front of house, production, and technical service. This exceptional outcome occurred because of the determination of the DEC team.

VICTORIAN STATE BALLET — BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Darwin loves ballet and proved so yet again with large numbers coming out to see two performances of this much-loved fairy tale. Recognised artists in leading roles performed this classical ballet with skill, supported by excellent staging, beautiful costumes, and superb choreography.

In Motion, image Helen Orr