Ticket sales for the Stratford Festival's 2013 season climbed 11 per cent from the previous year, exceeding goals and bringing more than 480,000 to see a show.
Revenue from ticket sales hit $29.7 million, and festival organizers say the trend looks set to continue for 2014 with advanced sales to members already up 11 per cent from the previous year.
The jump comes after attendance in 2011 dropped below 500,000 for the first time in almost 20 years, with just over 455,000 attendees.
Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino's first season is also be heralded as a success, with critical acclaim and five productions extended to meet demand for tickets.
Anita Gaffney, in her first year executive director of the Stratford Festival, said in a statement they have made a great start in turning things around.
"Antoni programmed an amazing season featuring repertoire with great appeal to our audiences and we implemented a number of initiatives to encourage longer visits, draw new audience members and bring back lapsed patrons. I’m relieved and delighted these initiatives resonated with people and succeeded on so many fronts.”
The festival's new Forum to help theatre-goers become more immersed in the experience is also being lauded, attracting 30,000 people to 150 events, and drawing first-time audience members.
Cimolino added they are pleased to see attendance growing "Time and again, people have come to me to thank me for creating an experience that stimulates them not just emotionally but intellectually and spiritually as well; for presenting plays they aren’t able to see elsewhere; and for providing them with a place to discuss the productions through The Forum."
The overall number of new customer was up, as were school sales, both U.S. and Canadian attendance and patrons returning who hadn't been in the last five years.
The festival is crediting a number of new initiatives including; bus service from Toronto, a loyalty program and special ticket incentives and savings.
In 2014, bus service from Detroit, babysitting services, a new family concierge an additional ticket deals will be introduced.
