A Contemporary Theatre ends 2010 with a projected surplus of at least $5,171 (pre-audit), the second consecutive year for the 46-year Seattle institution to balance its budget since 2005. ACT has acquired an additional 365 new donors, a 17% increase. ACT also showed a 25.7% increase in individual giving. As a cost consideration for 2010, ACT produced five Mainstage productions (versus six), yielding a 1% increase in per show sales over the previous year, leaving single ticket and subscription sales relatively flat when compared to 2009. Audiences nearly doubled in 2010 for The Central Heating at ACT, and included more than 30 partner productions, including the debut of new work from KT Niehoff, RAWSTOCK, New Century Theatre Company, along with new programs such as the lecture series, InterACTions. The new ACTPass monthly membership program, the first-of-its-kind program providing patrons with "all you can see" entertainment for only $25 a month, has grown 639%, with 486 ACTPass holders for the year (January 2011 opened with 618 total holders and growing).
Additional milestones include the establishment of the Affiliate Artists Working Group, a collection of 14 actors, writers, composers, directors, and choreographers led by ACT Artistic Director Kurt Beattie. The Working Group will help guide ACT in season selection and artistic philosophy, initiate and develop their own projects, and work together to create ambitious new productions. The first project of the Working Group is a new adaptation of the Indian epic The Ramayana currently slated for production in 2012. The Mellon Foundation is underwriting early work on The Ramayana, a major new investment from New York in ACT. The Hansberry Project, ACT's resident African-American Theatre Group, also staged the premiere reading of the hysterical and controversial new play, The Final Days of Negroville by Keith Josef Adkins, which will be developed further in 2011.
"While operating in one of the most challenging business climates in recent decades, we kept our promise to balance the budget once again, and built a foundation for a sustainable future. We learned in 2010 that we can't cut the art and expect more in return," said Executive Director Carlo Scandiuzzi. "In 2011, ACT will invest more in our artists, make more art, and improve our business strategies to grow audiences and the quality of the art we produce. ACT is a unique asset to the community, and we are proud of our work and results."
A full financial audit will be complete by April 2011 and posted on ACT's website at: http://www.acttheatre.org/About/Financials
About ACT: A Theatre of New Ideas - Raising Consciousness Through Theatre
Located in the heart of downtown Seattle and serving a population of curious, open-minded, and brave audiences, ACT - A Contemporary Theatre is the only theatre in Seattle dedicated to producing contemporary work with promising playwrights and local performing artists since 1965. A theatre of new ideas, ACT serves as a cultural engine that makes plays, dance, music, and film that touch us. Because contemporary life demands examination, ACT is driven to inspire and strengthen our diverse community through works that advance our understanding of human life. With more than 100,000 people who attend shows annually, ACT is an interactive community where artists and the public witness, contemplate, and engage in dialogue on today's thought-provoking issues, ideas and art, presented with intelligence, insight, and humor.
