LONDON, ONTARIO, NOVEMBER 25, 2019—At the 2018/19 Annual General Meeting held today, Deb Harvey, Executive Director, announced an operating surplus of $34,812 for the 2018/19 season. This announcement marks the Grand’s 20^th consecutive year with a surplus, and increases the theatre’s accumulated surplus to $645,353.

Central to the 2018/19 season, the Grand continued with the vision of being WORLD CURIOUS and LONDON PROUD. This was Dennis Garnhum’s third season as the Artistic Director and his second of artistic programming at the Grand.

The AGM was held at the theatre and attended by members of the Grand’s Board of Directors, donors, sponsors, volunteers, and staff.

2018/19 SEASON OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

• The Grand held 241 performances and had 104,156 patrons attend the theatre during performances that included seven Spriet Stage productions, a High School Project musical, five Jeans ‘n Classics concerts, and four productions on the McManus Stage.
• Ticket sales accounted for 56% of earned revenue, contributing $4.3M to the budget.
• This past year, the Grand provided employment for 323 people and contributed over $4.9M in salaries and benefits. Of goods and services purchased, 69%, or $1.9M was spent locally, making a significant contribution to the local economy.
• The Grand provided box office services for 12 local organizations, and 13 local companies or individuals rented our facilities. The Grand also donated over 500 theatre tickets to 234 local charitable organizations to be used as prizes for fundraising events, representing a total value of over $48,000 in donated tickets. Over 100 complimentary tickets were provided to new Canadians in London through the Cultural Access Pass and the Citizen Culture program.
• At the 47^th Annual Grand Gala with a theme of “I Have a Dream,” we welcomed special guest Louise Pitre, and raised $266,996, all dedicated to youth programming at the Grand, including the High School Project.
• In the fall of 2018, the Grand was awarded the prestigious Pillar Nonprofit Community Innovation Award in recognition of the 100 Schools Program, and we announced plans to develop a new work, specifically tailored to London, Ontario elementary students, under the COMPASS New Play Development program for the second 100 Schools tour in 2019/20.
• The second annual “Humbug to Hunger” campaign, held during the run of A Christmas Carol, raised over $70,000 for a two-year total of over $200,000. 100% of these funds have been directed to the London Food Bank.
• The COMPASS program, launched in November 2016, continued to move forward with readings and workshops for This London Life, and a decision to launch the 2019/20 season with this world premiere. Work continued on Starlight Tours and Ambrose Small with readings and workshops planned for 2019/20. The Grand’s commitment to raising funds for the COMPASS program continues to be a priority for the theatre.
• BMO returned as our Spriet Stage Season Sponsor.

Donors and supporters generated $1,713,030 (22% of revenue) in contributions for the 2018/19 season, demonstrating the exceptional support of our patrons. We thank the 910 individual donors who contributed to the theatre over the course of the 2018/19 season.

The Grand Theatre gratefully acknowledges the support of our government funders such as the City of London, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts. The success of the last season would not be possible without the backing of many sponsors, community partners, and donors.

For a copy of the 2018/19 Annual Report, please go to grandtheatre.com, or contact Jennifer Matthews, jmatthews [at] grandtheatre.com (jmatthews[at]grandtheatre[dot]com).

About the Grand Theatre – World Curious. London Proud.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Dennis Garnhum and Executive Director Deb Harvey, the Grand is a leading cultural hub located in the heart of downtown London, Ontario. The Grand offers diverse, relevant, and original stories from around the globe through collaborations with national and international performing arts organizations, and is committed to developing, producing, and premiering original stories through COMPASS New Play Development program. The Grand supports educational programming with The High School Project, the only program of its kind in North America, and 100 Schools, a community initiative that brings professional theatre to London-area schools at no cost. The Grand’s season runs from September to May.