Theatre company's box office boost from bumper season
The company's 2024 financials released Thursday show this figure includes a big jump in operations revenue for the blockbuster year - including box office, touring, and royalties - to $37.7 million.
The overall revenue figures are the highest in the company's 45 year history, and an increase of just over $10 million from 2023.
More than half a million people saw an STC production during 2024, an increase of just over 260,000 on the previous year.
The box office figures were helped by a return season of RBG: Of Many, One starring Heather Mitchell as US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
The show saw a paying audience of 28,660 across 56 performances at the Sydney Opera House and another 46,784 on tour.
The return run of Julia, starring Justine Clarke as former Prime Minister Julia Gillard, saw similar success with an audience of 22,781 across a 49 show season and 41,122 on tour.
Kip Williams' adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray starring Sarah Snook, which toured to London's West End for an Olivier Award-winning run of 101 performances, attracted total ticket sales of 77,273.
On Monday, the Succession star also won a Tony Award for best leading actress, for the play's hit run on Broadway.
Despite the international success, the company posted an overall deficit of $565,759 for 2024 - but this was an improvement on 2023 losses of $1.8 million.
The deficit was due in part to a hike in production costs, stagnant government funding, and a drop of about $1 million in philanthropic donations to $3.5 million, the company said.
Artistic Director Kip Williams left the State Theatre Company in October 2024 and has been replaced by former State Theatre Company of South Australia artistic director Mitchell Butel.
The company received $2.6 million in funding from Creative Australia and $570,000 from Create NSW.
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