Shaw Festival fundraising efforts take centre stage

After years of pandemic lockdowns and restrictions, it would appear theatre fans’ appetite for live performance is back with a vengeance as Shaw Festival organizers announced their best fundraising year ever.

Noting that it was the first time audience members physically gathered in the Festival Theatre lobby to hear the financial results of the previous season since March 2020, treasurer Greg Prince said in a press release that they reached operating revenues of $35.7 million in 2022, which is a record for the festival.

They also saw a $7,000 operating surplus for 2022, even with the season being “the most multi-faceted and extensive” production yet.

“This year continued to be unpredictable and saw dramatic increases in sick time and related staff coverage, so it is heartening to see any kind of surplus,” Prince said.

The encouraging numbers were reached through a combination of $13.54 million in ticket sales and earned revenues, a record-breaking $11.8 million in donations, $8.1 million in COVID-19 support and $2.2 million in provincial and federal arts council grants.

Despite the increase in sick time taken, executive director Tim Jennings expressed “profound satisfaction” at their ability to maintain employment and contracts for all 600 of their staff and artists throughout the pandemic.

But it wasn’t all good news. Prince also highlighted a $1.1 million accounting deficiency, which he attributed to increasing amortization expenses, which reduced the total accumulated surplus to $258,000.

He said it was still “a very good result for an exceptional programmatic year.”

Artistic director Tim Carroll characterized the season as “incredibly ambitious” and said outdoor events were a huge hit. He added there is nothing quite like expressing their creativity and imagination in the physical presence of other people.

“Last year proved, beyond any doubt, that our souls feel better for doing so. And it gave a tantalizing hint of what we might be able to achieve if our vision for the next generation at The Shaw can be realized,” he said.

The festival presented 783 of 811 scheduled performances in 2022, along with 17 separate productions and a concert series on five stages. They counted 170,803 audience members, 3,943 events and 60,903 participants in classes, workshops and activities.

Also on Friday, the festival announced the appointments of Mary Mizen, an active member of the Shaw Guild since 2014, and Gary Zalepa, a former town councillor and lifelong resident of Niagara, to different positions. Mizen will serve as on the board of directors and board of governors as an ex-officio member and Zalepa joins the latter board.

Key presentations last season included Gaslight and Damn Yankees. The Shaw Festival’s 2023 season runs through to Dec. 23 and includes productions such as Mahabharata, “Gypsy,” and Noël Coward’s “Blithe Spirit.”