For the Stratford Festival, 2013 was a very good year indeed.
Festival organizers say ticket sales for the season jumped by 11 per cent – the highest increase since 1999.
In total, more than 480,000 people paid $29.7 million to watch Stratford Festival productions.
Five of the season’s 12 productions were extended past their original run to meet ticket demand in Antoni Cimolino’s first season as artistic director.
“Antoni programmed an amazing season featuring repertoire with great appeal to our audience,” festival executive director Anita Gaffney said in a press release.
“I’m relieved and delighted these initiatives resonated with people and succeeded on so many fronts.”
According to festival organizers, the 2013 Stratford Festival saw a 76 per cent increase in attendance from customers who hadn’t been to a show for at least five years and a 46 per cent increase in first-time customers.
Attendance among Americans also increased for the first time in a decade.
Next year is shaping up to be just as rosy for the festival, as advance sales are 11 per cent ahead of last year’s pace.
