Annual Review 2013/14
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Welcome to the Annual Review 2013/14 w The Festival & King’s Theatres, two of Scotland’s leading
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CONTENTS
performing arts venues, along with the new rehearsal and performance space The Studio at the Festival Theatre, are operated by the Festival City Theatres Trust. Artistically led but commercially focused, we are Scotland’s largest independent theatre organisation.
3 A Year in Review – Summary from our Chief Executive
This review marks a celebration of a particularly successful financial year, one in which we increased our ticket income by 65% from the previous year. We hope you’ll enjoy reading about some of our experiences and thank you for your continued support.
14 Edinburgh Sketcher
4/5 Charting our Success 6-9
War Horse
10/11 Celebrating 20 Years and The Studio opening 12/13 The King’s Dome Commission
15 Christmas 2013/14 16-19 A Year of Learning Social and Environmental Impact 20 A Word from our Chair 21 Financial Summary 22 Our Supporters
A Year in Review
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Photo: islam gabi
The year was exceptional both in terms of the breadth and quality of the programme and the attendant financial outcome. This outstanding result was undoubtedly due to a remarkable team effort from everyone involved with the Trust. We continue to strive to bring the best national and international work to the King’s and Festival Theatres and the year’s programme across both venues produced record box office receipts and audience numbers. Over 420,000 customers attended performances at our venues, an increase of 83,000 over the previous year (+25%), and box office income reached £9.594 million, up £3.796 million (+65%). It was a great year for big box office attractions at the Festival Theatre, which celebrates 20 years in 2014 as Scotland’s Opera, Ballet and Event Theatre house. Our Christmas show, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, delighted audiences and added substantially to the festive feeling in the building. It was followed by four sold-out weeks of “landmark theatre event” War Horse, which attracted over 55,000 people, and a 23 show run of the West End hit musical Singin’ in the Rain. Scottish Opera visited four times presenting The Flying Dutchman, The Pirates of Penzance, Don Giovanni and Don Pasquale while Scottish Ballet had considerable success at the Festival Theatre with Highland Fling and Hansel & Gretel. The rest of the programme at the Festival Theatre was varied both in style and genre. A live screening of Rigoletto from Taormina’s Ancient Greek Theatre, Fiddler on the Roof starring Paul Michael Glaser of Starsky & Hutch fame, and the acclaimed Royal Ballet star Carlos Acosta were just a few of the highlights of an eclectic programme. Once again, the Festival Theatre hosted three festivals over the summer – the Edinburgh International Film Festival, the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival and the Edinburgh International Festival – and for the first time, our new Studio at the Festival Theatre was home to Underbelly’s Topside in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In developing such links, the Trust is able to showcase the excellent facilities that our theatres have to offer both to audiences and visiting production companies.
Over at the King’s, our drive to develop a new stream of work coming from Scottish producers was rewarded with the National Theatre of Scotland’s Dunsinane, Rapture Theatre’s The Sash and Communicado’s The Government Inspector. They joined a strong selection of touring drama from England and Ireland including The Pitmen Painters, The Woman in Black, Dial M For Murder and Translations. Musical highlights included a high energy Buddy and Will Young as Emcee in the subversive Cabaret; uproarious comedies Noises Off and The 39 Steps guaranteed the laughs and our younger audience was well catered for by Dora the Explorer, Horrible Histories, The Gruffalo’s Child and the ever popular Singing Kettle. In 2013/14, the King’s panto came courtesy of a new creative team, with Peter Pan delighting audiences of all ages over the Christmas period and garnering rave reviews for ‘the panto A-team’ Allan Stewart, Andy Gray and Grant Stott. We were delighted to open The Studio at the Festival Theatre in July 2013, which provides an excellent new contemporary theatre space for Edinburgh – for rehearsals, presentation of small scale work and education activity linked to the main stage. Our Learning and Participation programme has, once again, grown rapidly and continues to be one of the key goals of our business plan, introducing new audiences to our theatres and widening the accessibility of our activities. Finally, it’s our pleasure to welcome Professor Dame Joan K Stringer DBE FRSE as the new Chair of our Board and Karen Cairney and Gordon Jack as new Directors. Our thanks to them and to all our Trustees for their hard work and support.
Duncan Hendry Chief Executive
Charting Our Success Total
600
544
n King’s n Festival
9,594,622 500,000
10,000,000
n King’s n Festival
n King’s n Festival
Total
420,543
2,804,969
Total
500 400,000
Total
337,367 5,798,893 6,000,000
141,615 Total
122,374
3,778,556
200,000
4,000,000
1,546,354
137
200
260,555
280
0
200
2011/12 |
100,000
208
2012/13
|
2013/14
Number of performances (including rentals) 25% increase
0
173,425
2011/12 |
2,000,000
195,752
2,232,202
100
2012/13
|
2013/14
No tickets sold (including rentals) 25% increase
6,789,653
300,000 200
300
Total
159,988
295,799
Total
337
4
Total
264
2,400,329
408
0
2011/12 |
3,398,564
Total 400
8,000,000
Total
408
2012/13
|
2013/14
Ticket income (FCTT shows only) 65% increase
Accumulated deficit reduction
Charting Our Success
Deficit reduced by
92%
Performance income by Genre
inc
in likes for e s ou a re
book page ace rf
66%
70% increase in Twitter followers
M isc 4%
Pa nt o1 6%
Op era 7%
26 % M us ica l
Total footfall to our venues over the year: 435,000
Reduced from ÂŁ935,000 in March 2011 to ÂŁ73,000 in March 2014
Social media
M us ic 3%
5
Dr am a3 0%
Fa m Co ily 2% me dy 4% Da nc e8 %
Ticket
War Horse
Galloping into hearts & minds If there is one show that encapsulates our success in 2013/14, it’s the National Theatre’s production of War Horse. Staged at the beginning of 2014, the timing, to begin with, was exceptionally good. >
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Photos: Aly Wight
Preston Street Primary School
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It was the beginning of the centenary year of the outbreak of World War I, the Chinese Year of the Horse and we were opening the show hot on the heels of The Lion King run at the Playhouse. People were not only thinking about going to the theatre, but they were thinking about the war. And horses. Confirmed in late 2011, and launched to a rapturous response to our Group bookers in July 2012, we then invited Schools, Groups and Press to ‘an audience with’ Joey, the show’s equine star, in June 2013. Joey and his guests Finn Caldwell (Associate Puppetry Director for War Horse), and Stephen Rebbeck (Managing Director for War Horse around the world) delighted an audience that included pupils from Tollcross Primary School, St Thomas of Aquin’s High School, Preston Street Primary School, Gorgie Mills School and an additional online audience of 650 schoolchildren via a live streamed ‘Glow Meet’ on Glow, Education Scotland’s online digital intranet for schools; illustrious members of the press;
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assembled Friends of our theatres; board members; representatives from arts and cultural organisations from all over Scotland and maybe one or two liggers desperate for a glimpse of the most talked about (and photographed) puppet horse in history. Our favourite moment? When Joey made his entrance from rear stalls and Finn Caldwell said ‘Please feel free to get out your camera phones’. And the crowd went wild. The launch event, which was preceded by a photocall with Joey on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle, set the scene for Scotland’s landmark theatre event of 2014. Sold out before the start of its 31 performance run on 22 January 2014, the remarkable story of courage, loyalty and friendship set on the battlefields of World War I, was able not only to convince audiences that there were real, living horses on stage (such is the amazing power of the puppetry) but it also connected them with the horror and senseless violence of the first world war in a way no other medium ever could.
‘Please feel free to get out your camera phones’. And the crowd went wild.
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Photos: Aly Wight
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was buzzing with energy about the trip. It was a great experience and a huge success.
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War Horse spoke to audiences of all ages, and it was important for us to engage with as wide a public as we could. Cerin Richardson, our Learning & Participation Manager, worked closely with the National Theatre and local schools, artists, industry professionals and various community organisations to devise a programme of outreach work numbering over 90 workshops delivered over a 6 week period. The Start Programme, an initiative working with 305 children from five schools in disadvantaged areas, included 84 of these workshops. Delivered by arts professionals exploring dance, poetry, song, puppetry and movement, the workshops developed the children’s creative responses to seeing War Horse on stage at the Festival Theatre. Pupils from participating Pirniehall, Craigroyston, St David’s and Forthview primary schools have since had their work collated in an exhibition at North Edinburgh Arts and the poems produced by Forthview will be published by Whitewater Books in September 2014.
Photo: Pako Mera
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As we left the theatre everyone
Eileen Littlewood, Head Teacher at Forthview Primary School said: ‘This project has lifted the aspirations of our pupils and as a school we now pledge that every child will be a published author.’ Schools from across Scotland came to see the show – a total of 100 school bookings – and the responses were heartfelt and touching. Aylish Prince and Kathryn Smith from Lockerbie Academy said: ‘The puppetry was extraordinary, although the puppeteers were in view, they seemed to be at one with the horse. By the end we were mostly crying and stood up to give the actors a standing ovation for their jaw-dropping performance.’ Georgina Vernon, an S4 student at McLaren High, Stirling, said: ‘As we left the theatre everyone was buzzing with energy about the trip. It was a great experience and a huge success.’ And Beth Bowers from Clydebank High said: ‘War Horse was an incredible show and we all had a great night. The whole performance was outstanding.’
Joey by Demi Lamb Forthview Primary School, P6
Strong, brave men, struggling to walk, Dead still, cold bodies lying everywhere, Men shaking, men fighting, to save their friend’s life. Injured men crying and yelling for help, Bombs going off, like feathers falling from the sky, Men choking like never before, because of the green gas. Deadly gas swirling around me, Bombs going off everywhere, like rain falling from the sky, Reeking, wet clothes of the poor, dying men. Mud taking over my feet, grabbing my ankles, Albert trying to touch my back, Hungry, and I can’t wait till I get back home…
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90
Performances
workshops
9,000 new customers
55,000 tickets sold
100
School GROUP bookings
9 In addition to our own outreach work, the National Theatre worked with the National Army Museum to deliver workshops based around the theme of World War I in Lothian schools. Elsewhere in the outreach activity, families engaged with War Horse in puppet making and creative writing workshops. We hosted a puppetry masterclass for theatre / puppetry practitioners, and a professional development session for teachers to develop their puppetry skills in the classroom. By chance, puppetry was something of a hot topic in Edinburgh at the start of the year as the run of War Horse coincided with the seventh year of Manipulate, the visual theatre festival produced by Puppet Animation Scotland, and audiences clearly appreciated something of a collective, city-wide celebration of the art form famed for making objects and our imaginations come alive.
War Horse also provided an ideal opportunity for us to launch our Theatre Links programme, an initiative aimed at helping adults who have not previously visited our theatres by giving them free tickets, support and advice. Working with four grassroots community organisations – North Edinburgh Arts, Wester Hailes Arts and Education Centre, South Edinburgh Arts Partnership and Out of the Blue – Theatre Links was met with a very positive response and we continue to support and develop these networks to enable adult learners. Audience engagement was no doubt helped by some incredible positive reviews of the show in the Scottish press. Mark Brown in Sunday Herald appraised the National Theatre production as ‘a work of humane, gorgeously structured, visually spectacular storytelling’; Joyce McMillan in The Scotsman meanwhile said it was ‘a drama of peace and war so vast in its reach, so gripping in its dramatic structure, and so breathtaking in its physical evocation of the horror of the Western Front, that it’s literally impossible to look away from the stage.’
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so vast in its reach, so gripping in its dramatic structure, and so breathtaking in its physical evocation of the horror of the Western Front.
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From generating positive reviews to poetry and puppetry, War Horse reached out to audiences and left a lasting legacy. It has deepened an appreciation of puppetry as an art form, instilled an understanding amongst young people of the horrors of World War I and nurtured a collaborative partnership with the National Theatre that will continue to develop our audiences in the years to come.
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Celebrating 20 Years and The Studio Opening
Key supporter Carol Grigor
The Festival Theatre stands on Edinburgh’s longest continual theatre site, dating back to 1820, before, most famously, becoming the Empire Palace Theatre in 1892. Over a century of famous acts trod the boards at the Empire from stars of stage and screen in the first half of the twentieth century – among them Charlie Chaplin, Laurel & Hardy and Judy Garland – to rock stars and punk bands in the 70s and 80s including Led Zeppelin,
David Bowie, Marc Bolan, The Cramps and The Ramones. Following a £14m development project which created the UK’s then largest stage, restored the elegant Milburn brothers’ auditorium and encompassed new and expansive public areas within an iconic glass façade, the Festival Theatre was founded in 1994 and we’re delighted to celebrate 20 years in 2014 as Scotland’s Opera, Ballet and Event Theatre house. >
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The beautiful new studio at the Festival Theatre is an immensely flexible space.
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The original development proposal for the Festival Theatre included a plan for a rehearsal annex to the rear of the building. It took us nearly 20 years to get there, but in July 2013, we finally opened The Studio at the Festival Theatre, a multi-use facility that has already transformed our activity, providing a much needed rehearsal space for our visiting companies and a flexible, small-scale performance space for local dance and theatre companies. Partly funded by the Theatres Development Fund, over £653K of charitable contributions and a new office development on the ground floor, The Studio was officially opened by key supporter Carol Grigor on 19 July 2013. It quickly earned its stripes as a performance venue in a 6-week stint as the Underbelly’s Topside and came back surprisingly unscathed in September 2013 to host a programme of community arts, stand-up comedy, dance and children’s theatre.
Wee Stories, Scotland’s multi-generational theatre company in residence at the Festival and King’s Theatres, were one of the first companies to work in the new Studio space: ‘ In partnership with the Trust, we created a community project called Once upon a Building Site which brought together a group of Southsiders aged from 6 – 80 to create a performance telling some stories about what happened, or might have happened, on the patch of ground now occupied by The Studio. We then presented The Selfish Giant as the first Christmas show in the new space, complementing the main house offer at the King’s and Festival Theatres. We’re delighted to have been part of the process of establishing The Studio as a regular space for performance work for families, as well as a centre for learning and participation for children, young people and adults of all ages. Verity Leigh, Wee Stories
The Studio was made possible by The Dunard Fund, Creative Scotland, City of Edinburgh Council, The Binks Trust, Cruden Foundation Limited, Turtleton Trust, Ewan and Christine Brown, and Friends and Patrons of the Festival & King’s Theatres.
We’ve been lucky enough to work with some of the city’s leading practitioners in performing arts for children and young people including Imaginate and the Puppet Animation Festival and on the strength of their feedback, we look forward to many productive and creative years ahead. ‘ A great addition to our festival venues; lovely space for performances. We look forward to returning for festival 2015 and beyond!’ Jennifer Cummins, Projects Director, Imaginate ‘ Puppet Animation Scotland greatly enjoyed celebrating the 30th anniversary of its Puppet Animation Festival in the Festival Theatre’s Studio. The Studio’s performing space is ideal for the type of accessible, small scale children’s theatre we present during our festival, especially the raked seating which allows every audience member – no matter how tall or small – to see the stage clearly. The Festival Theatre’s staff were always completely helpful and supportive of our week of performances and we hope we will be able to continue and develop this new relationship with the organisation in the coming years.’ Simon Hart, Festival Director, Puppet Animation Festival ‘ The beautiful new studio at the Festival Theatre is an immensely flexible space, ideal for dance, puppet theatre and every kind of experimentation.’ Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman
The King’s Dome Commission Over the course of 35 days in the summer of 2013, the King’s Theatre was closed to the public for a very special make-over. The 17 metre height of the King’s auditorium was filled with a free-standing scaffold for a major (and now award-winning) restoration of the decorative plasterwork. The icing on the cake was the installation of a new centrepiece for the theatre, the King’s Dome Commission – an original mural designed by acclaimed painter and playwright, John Byrne. >
Photo: Ron O’Donnell
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Photo: Ron O’Donnell
Photo: Amanda Fraser
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We unveiled the new dome design on Tuesday 6 August 2013 with a morning press view and an evening event, hosted by our Chief Executive, Duncan Hendry. The evening – a great occasion to thank the patrons and supporters who had helped fund the commission – included an on-stage discussion between John Byrne and Scotsman critic Joyce McMillan about ‘the theatre’s wonderful and witty new dome painting’. John was in fine form as always and took the occasion to rail against the on-stage smoking ban and the use of film and video sequences in contemporary theatre. ‘I’m tired of coming into the theatre and watching people’s movies,’ he said, to which we all say ‘Bravo!’ (while carefully checking we don’t have too many video sequences in our forthcoming programme). The King’s Dome Commission was documented in film and photography. The BBC used the occasion of the dome mural to commission a documentary film about John as part of their ‘What Do Artists Do All Day?’ series, and the King’s hosted a special screening of the film in October 2013 for Friends of the theatres and Friends of the National Galleries of Scotland along with a panel discussion from the project team including John Byrne and his daughter Celie.
Photographer Ron O’Donnell documented the entire project from the drawing board to the unveiling and we were delighted to open an exhibition of Ron’s photographs at the King’s in 2014. The still current exhibition presents a selection of Ron’s extensive photographs to give a sense of the process of transferring the original 1m2 design onto an 85m2 curved plaster dome. Following scenic artist and project manager, Kevin Leary and his team of six, Ron’s photographs capture the realisation of a major contemporary commission. And we documented the dome mural in our own special way, with a range of limited edition merchandise sold in our brand new online shop! (www.edtheatres.com/shop). The range included highly desirable tote bags, notelets and postcards, and a run of 100 signed digital prints of the dome design which sold like hot cakes and raised over £15,000 to go towards the refurbishment of the King’s. Tote bags and notelets still available. The restoration work at the King’s is ongoing, but as we move towards the next phase of development, we can rest safe in the knowledge that the harlequin and the flame-haired beauty of John’s dome design will be appraising it all from above.
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Ron’s photographs capture the realisation of a major contemporary commission.
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Edinburgh Sketcher The work of Auld Reekie illustrator, the Edinburgh Sketcher caught our eye back in 2012 and we commissioned a sketch of the façade of the Festival Theatre with its festive ‘Snowman’ dress on. Since then the artist also known as Mark Kirkham has sketched the undressed facades of our venues in all their glory and he also did a rather marvellous sketch of Joey, the National Theatre puppet horse. 14
Mark runs a sketch blog (www.edinburghsketcher. com) to document his daily doodles of life in and around the beautiful city of Edinburgh. Rapidly gathering a devoted following in Scotland and all over the world, Mark’s current sketches are available for sale and he also takes commissions for bespoke views of the city.
Christmas 2013/14
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w T otal of 149 performances (Peter Pan, White Christmas and The Selfish Giant) with total attendance across all 3 venues of 135,145
w1 8% increase in Christmas ticket sales for shows at the Festival & King’s Theatres (Mother Goose and The Snowman in 2012/13 compared to Peter Pan and White Christmas in 2013/14)
wK ing’s Panto up 4% on attendance from previous year
w2 6 performances of The Selfish Giant at The Studio at the Festival Theatre, total attendance 2,717
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A YEAR OF LEARNING
Photo: Aly Wight
Social and Environmental Impact
We have developed creative work in schools linked to our shows and pupils and teachers have explored inspiring ways to enhance learning. The DanceQuest project has involved 187 young people in 2013/14, seeing dance performances and then performing themselves on the Festival Theatre stage. It has allowed us to have a sustained relationship with a number of Edinburgh schools over the past 2 years. The Start project has engaged 305 pupils in accessing professional live performance and led to one school publishing a book of poems. Also based in The Studio, our resident youth dance group Scottish Ballet Youth Collective continues to grow and we have established Footworks, a pilot project for young male dancers.
w 223 school parties attended over the year.
3,056
Children & Young People
children and adults involved in Learning and Participation events outside of their seeing the actual performance of War Horse
198 EVENTS
an increase of
57% on last year
Learning and Participation has continued to expand and develop this year with both numbers of events and participants increasing. Our work falls into 4 strands; schools; supporting emerging talent; overcoming barriers to access; and public engagement.
schools
21,460 people took part in Learning and Participation events, an increase of 75% on last year.
supporting emerging talent
overcoming barriers to access
public engagement
27 schools worked with over a sustained period (ie not just one-off workshops)
Photos: Aly Wight
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We delivered 11 masterclasses and continuing professional development sessions in dance and puppetry for further and higher education students and teachers. Two careers days for students looking to theatre for employment have been offered and were over-subscribed.
Older People w£ 152,118 given in concessions to 50,706 over 60s.
Programmed through City of Edinburgh Council’s Adult Learning Programme, the Festival Theatre delivers a ‘Discover Festival Theatre‘ 5-week course, introducing participants to our activities in Development, Marketing, Backstage, Box Office, Education and Programming. The courses are consistently fully-booked and we are planning to introduce a ‘Discover King’s Theatre’ course in the next financial year. In October 2013 we hosted performances as part of Luminate, Scotland’s festival of creative ageing, in The Studio at the Festival Theatre. Comprising an amazing array of dance, theatre, music, visual art and community events and projects celebrating our creative lives as we age, Luminate is a festival for everyone, reaching older people across Scotland as well as audiences and participants from across the generations. Backstage tours and pre and post show talks have remained popular with the general public as have bespoke events for specific community groups.
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The standard of customer service, particularly for a wheelchair user, is second to none. You get great attention from the moment you get to the front door.
Improving access “ Being a disabled theatre lover, I love nothing more than going to the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh. The standard of customer service in general, but particularly for a wheelchair user, is second to none. You get great attention from the moment you get to the front door. Taking you to your seating area, bringing drinks to you at the break and even assisting you with the door to the very roomy disabled toilet – nothing is too much bother and it is all done with charm and a smiling face. There must be excellent training. I go there regularly and often have a different member of staff at each visit but the care is equally as good with all of them. An added bonus is where the disabled seating area is in the theatre – just at the back of the front stalls giving a brilliant view of the whole stage. A definite 5 star experience!” Carol Simpson, Customer
“ We don’t want it to be a struggle for people to come to the theatre. If we can make it easier just getting into the auditorium – and if we can make it easier for them to hear it or see it or feel what they should be feeling – then we will try.” Kim McKenna, Customer Service Manager
w3 3 Access Performances (Signed, Audio described or Captioned) plus 18 touch tours.
w3 ,567 people with disabilities bought 7,667 tickets at a discounted rate.
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Photos: Aly Wight
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The Festival and King’s theatres provide a range of access facilities including audio described and captioned performances, free headsets to amplify sound, wheelchairs for those with limited mobility, braille and large print brochures, audio and signed video brochures and personal service and support.
Every year, we host a very special performance from a very special school. Pilrig Park School provides education for secondary aged pupils with additional support needs. The pupils devise the story, design and create the sets, costumes and programmes, and for those who feel uncomfortable performing, the theatre gives them box office and ushering duties, providing them with a unique opportunity to gain workplace life-skills and training opportunities. We are delighted to welcome these outstanding young people back to our stage each year, giving young people who aren’t in mainstream education the chance to be centre stage. ‘ They get a standing ovation – and it’s absolutely deserved. It’s on those nights that you remember what the spirit of the theatre is all about.’ Graham Raith, Head of Electrics
Over the past financial year we have been working with Changeworks Edinburgh to reduce our carbon footprint and to continue to improve our green credentials.
Photos: Phil Wilkinson
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Our relaxed performances have led to increased access for those not usually attending the theatre and we are very proud of our inclusive approach to theatre going and our relationships with the special schools across the city.
Environmental Impact
w Overall recycled figure of 69%. Other Charities and Community Groups Bucket shakes at our theatres raised £11,500 for charities including MIND, The Lord’s Taverners youth cricket and disability sports charity, Acting For Others, Waverley Care, Edinburgh Sick Kids Friends Foundation, Great Ormond Street Hospital, UNICEF and Philippines Disaster Aid.
Fundraising Overview 2013/14 was a successful year for fundraising, contributing over £236,000 of unrestricted income from private sources (individuals, trusts and businesses) – an increase of 17% compared with 2012/13 – and over £50,000 of income for specific projects. It is thanks to this tremendous ongoing support from our Sponsors, Patrons, Friends and Donors that wonderful learning and outreach initiatives like those outlined above can take place.
› Festival Theatre recycled 74% of its waste. › King’s Theatre recycled 59% of its waste.
w The Festival & King’s Theatres partners with the City of Edinburgh Council to give away 500 complimentary tickets every year so that disadvantaged children and their carers can attend a Christmas show. Tickets are distributed by the City Council’s Children & Families department to those within their care. ‘Looked after children’ include those in foster care, in residential care, or in local hospitals.
w We have introduced mountain bikes for members of staff to travel between venues and meetings around the city.
w There are also plans in place to build a bike shelter in the courtyard of the Festival Theatre, which will be open to use by staff and patrons.
w Nearly £3,000 of prize vouchers and Friends Memberships given to local fundraising groups.
w T heatre staff raised £2,500 for their adopted charity of the year – The Sick Kids Friends Foundation.
A Word From Our Chair
Photo: peter bourhill
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I was delighted to come on board as Chair of the Festival City Theatres Trust in October 2013. The Festival and King’s Theatres are historically important cultural resources and a valuable part of Edinburgh and Scotland’s performing arts community. I have been fortunate to join the Trust at a time when its finances and that of its venues are particularly robust, and my thanks to Dr Chris Masters, our previous Chair, for leaving things on such a positive trajectory.
A further £406,000 was earned for the Theatres Development Fund, in excess of £100,000 of which is about to be used to replace dimmer systems in the King’s Theatre before the Edinburgh International Festival arrives in August. We are also borrowing £350,000 from the fund to buy out the lease on the ground floor of the Potterrow development, to be repaid over a maximum of ten years, and the space is being fitted out for office use to be leased to local organisations. As well as giving us control over the whole building, this move will create a regular source of income for the Trust.
The accounts show a consolidated operating surplus of unrestricted general funds of £400,104.
City of Edinburgh Council maintained their annual grant at £769,576 and have committed to doing so in 2014/15. Creative Scotland continued their Stage 1 funding but changes are currently afoot as they review their business plans. Our Patrons and benefactors were once again very generous in their support and, in particular, provided essential and invaluable contributions when we fitted out our new Studio and repaired the Dome at the King’s Theatre. The latter project, incorporating a much admired and photographed mural by John Byrne, has given a welcome boost to the ambience and customer experience at the Old Lady of Leven Street.
The very strong programme and consequent large increase in box office and audience numbers drove income and surplus to record levels. When activity increases by such a marked amount there is a danger that overhead can expand disproportionately, but our costs were well contained and targeted to earn maximum benefit. As a consequence, the surplus earned made a substantial impact on the accumulated deficit on unrestricted funds and leaves the Trust in a strong position to eliminate the remaining balance of £73,000 during the year 2014/15, twelve months ahead of our original target.
These are all achievements we can be proud of and our thanks go to all our staff, our Friends, our customers and all supporters, including City of Edinburgh Council and Creative Scotland.
Professor Dame Joan K Stringer Chair of the Board
financial summary Unrestricted Designated Restricted Total Total Funds 2014 Funds 2014 Funds 2014 Funds 2014 Funds 2013 £’000s £’000s £’000s £’000s £’000s INCOME 9,595
Box office receipts
704
Other theatre income
1,025
Grants and donations 21
1,003
Commercial trading
- 10,001 6,138
-
- 704 641
- 153 1,178 1,796
227
Friends, Patrons and Sponsorship
-
- 227 202
-
- 1,003 781
16 - - 16 10
Investment income
EXPENDITURE - total
406
12,570
(13,175)
Transfers between funds Defined benefit scheme actuarial loss
1,005
406
-
153 13,129 9,568
(25)
(13,200)
(7) (998)
- (45)
(9,539)
-
-
- (45) (44)
Net incoming (outgoing) resources for the year
400 354 (870) (116) (15)
Fund balances at 31 March 2014
(73)
969
3,549
4,445 4,561
Unrestricted Funds reflect the day-to-day trading activities of the Trust and its subsidiary, presenting shows and providing facilities to visiting producing companies and audiences. Designated Funds comprise the Theatres Development Fund (£1,270,000) less provision for a pension fund deficit (£301,000). The former continues to grow at a healthy rate, contributed £500,000 towards the creation of The Studio on Potterrow, and will be utilised on a variety of additional projects in the future. The latter is a long term liability with no immediate cash effect. Restricted Funds relate in large part to the original 1994 re-development of the Festival Theatre, and are depreciated over the term of the Trust’s lease. Additional amounts relate to the cinema installation, The Studio development and restoration projects at the King’s Theatre. Full details of the Trust’s performance and the Independent Auditor’s Report are contained in the statutory accounts which are filed at Companies House or available on request from the Company Secretary. enquiries@edtheatres.com
Chair Professor Dame Joan K Stringer
Principal Funder City of Edinburgh Council
Board of Directors Professor Dame Joan K Stringer (appointed 1 October 2013)
Programme Supported by Creative Scotland
Cllr Elaine Aitken Joanna Baker (retired 25 March 2014) Philip Bernays Karen Cairney (appointed 25 March 2014) Kate Gemmell 22
Cllr Norma Austin Hart Gordon Jack (appointed 25 March 2014) Cllr Richard Lewis Helen Mackie Dr Chris Masters (retired 1 October 2013) Iain McLaren (retired 25 March 2014) Cllr Melanie Main Alasdair Peacock Colin Ross Chief Executive Duncan Hendry General Manager Brian Loudon Director of Finance and Company Secretary Iain Ross Commercial Director Nick Parr Technical Manager James D Clark
Supporters Binks Trust Comcab Cruden Foundation Ltd. Dunard Fund George Hotel Kempen Capital Management Inverarity Morton Lothian Buses Mackie’s Princes Foundation for Children and the Arts Royal Bank Of Scotland Walter Scott & Partners Administrative Address 13/29 Nicolson Street Edinburgh EH8 9FT ADMINISTRATION: 0131 662 1112 BOX OFFICE: 0131 529 6000 email: enquiries@edtheatres.com
Principal Patrons Sir Tom & Lady Farmer Roger & Jean Miller Chris & Gill Masters 2 Anonymous Supporting Patrons Ewan & Christine Brown Richard & Catherine Burns Sir Gerald & Lady Elliot Jo & Alison Elliot Kate & Gavin Gemmell Hamish & Alison Glen Malcolm & Avril Gourlay Fred & Ann Johnston Donald & Louise MacDonald Fiona & Ian Russell Alastair & Elizabeth Salvesen Barry & Helen Sealey Andrew Shepherd Jim & Isobel Stretton Mrs Eileen Waddell Sarah Whitely & Graham Whyte Hedley G Wright Diana, Viscountess Younger of Leckie 8 Anonymous
Patrons Geoffrey & Tish Alderson The Cameron Family Dennis & Brenda Carmichael Dr Ann C Chandley Reverend & Mrs David Dalglish George Gwilt Shields & Carol Henderson Frank Hitchman John & Fiona Hutchinson James & Felicity Ivory Alan M Johnston Sir Raymond & Lady Johnstone Lesley Knox Christine & Stewart Mackay Shelagh C Mackay Peter & Kirsteen Millar Sir Ronald & Lady Miller Walter & Norma Nimmo Mr & Mrs I F Osborne Christine Richard OBE & Fiona Richard Bruce & Eileen Ritson Jack & Shirley Shaw Derek & Ann Shepherd Margaretha Walker Sir John & Lady Ward 4 Anonymous
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