Great Canadian Theatre Company Proudly Announces A Record-Breaking Season

GCTC's 2002 - 2003 Season ended June 8, 2003 as a record-breaker in Box Office receipts and audience numbers.

GCTC brought in over $560, 000 in Box Office revenue, beating last year's total of under $340, 000, making this season the biggest the theatre has ever seen. Subscription levels were at their highest ever, with $240, 000 in revenues and over 2,750 subscribers.

Three of GCTC's Canadian works - the world premiere of When All The Slaves Are Free (the words and music of Joni Mitchell), the 25th anniversary production of John Murrell's Waiting for the Parade and the recent production of Bryden MacDonald's Whale Riding Weather - all exceeded their revenue targets.

There's more: Wingfield On Ice (in GCTC's Comedy Series) broke the single show box office record previously set by last season's Art, with more than $93,000 in combined subscription and single ticket sales - until two months later, when Wit (starring Patricia Collins) smashed that record, bringing in $96, 000 in combined sales.

"This has been a season of incredible artistic success that has been rewarded with tremendous endorsement from subscribers, new patrons and the local artistic community," said Artistic Director Lorne Pardy. "I believe that we have been highly successful in moving Canadian theatre into the 'mainstream', gaining a strong national reputation for the work we produce, and taking our place at the forefront of professional theatre in the national capital."

Changes implemented for the 2002 - 2003 Season included reserved seating, 4:00 p.m. Saturday matinees and an extra preview night, with two different subscription packages that had patrons running to get tickets for the productions. The last week of Wit's run even saw ticket scalpers outside the theatre!

With the shows running at 86% capacity overall, GCTC brought in more than 34, 000 visitors into the theatre this season, an increase of 9,000 over last season. The buzz still hasn't slowed down, with subscriptions for the new 2003 - 2004 season coming in at a record pace, doubling last season's totals to date. The Early Bird subscription deal, which is the only time to subscribe to both the six-play mainstage and the Great Canadian Comedy Series, ends July 5th.

"We hoped our changes - making the GCTC experience more accessible for busy professionals, people with families, seniors and students - would result in greater box office revenues," said Managing Director Charles McFarland, "and we have been successful beyond our wildest dreams. We've had full houses, great reviews and even greater profile in Ottawa all season long. Even better news is that the response to our 2003-04 season subscription campaign tells us this growth isn't a one-off phenomenon but may have set the pattern for GCTC's future."

For more information about this press release or the Great Canadian Theatre Company, call Sean Fitzpatrick, Communications Manager at (613) 236-5192 ext. 229 or email at publicity@gctc.ca.