Royal Shakespeare Company Sells 1.7 Million Tickets During 2013-14 Season; Annual Review Published

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) today published its Annual Review for 2013-14. The Review is available online and includes highlights from the financial year, which saw the launch of the RSC's 'Live from Stratford-upon-Avon' cinema and schools' broadcasts and the start of the Company's journey to produce all of Shakespeare's 36 plays in the First Folio, without repeats, over the next six years.

In summary:

• 1.7 million tickets sold worldwide for RSC productions.

• 1,982 performances of 22 productions or co-productions in Stratford-upon-Avon, London and on tour, playing to 88% capacity (excluding comps).

• £61.3 million income achieved, thanks to excellent audience numbers, the continued success of Matilda The Musical and control of overheads, despite a reduction in public investment.

• Over 74% of income was self-generated. More than half came from box office receipts totalling £32.5m. Trading income increased by 15% to £5.5m. Fundraising fell by £0.5m to £3.6m, due to reductions in corporate sponsorship, and public investment from Arts Council England fell by £0.9m to £15.7m. However, royalties and other income from Matilda The Musical, Les Miserables and other sources totalled £3.9m. Other grants totalled £0.1m. This positive picture allowed the Company to create a £4.1m Strategic Investment Fund for investing in key artistic and education projects, including the 2016 anniversary programme and 'Live from Stratford-upon-Avon'.

• Richard II, directed by Gregory Doran, with David Tennant as Richard II, marked the start of the RSC's six year journey to stage the entire First Folio of 36 plays, without repeats, on the Royal Shakespeare Theatre stage.

• The year saw the largest ever audience for a single performance of a Shakespeare play, when Richard II was broadcast live to over 100,000 people in cinemas across the UK and around the world, as the first production 'Live from Stratford-upon Avon'.

• 31,000 young people from 400 schools also watched Richard II, for free, in their classrooms as part of the RSC's new Schools' Broadcast initiative - 87% of students were new to the RSC.

• RSC productions and co-productions toured for a total of 48 weeks, making this one of the Company's busiest touring years ever.

• The stage adaptations of Hilary Mantel's award-winning novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies became two of the RSC's fastest selling London transfers, produced with Playful Productions. They will open on Broadway in 2015.

• Matilda The Musical continued its success in the West End and on Broadway. Almost 2.5m people have seen the production to date. Tours of North America and Australia are set for 2015.

• 383 actors worked and trained with the Company during the year.

• RSC education work reached 450,000 students across the UK, transforming experiences of Shakespeare in the classroom.

• 16,500 primary schools received a free copy of the RSC Shakespeare Toolkit for Teachers as a result of a grant from the Department for Education. Every state-funded primary and secondary school now has a copy of the Toolkit.

• The RSC's ground-breaking digital project, A Midsummer Night's Dreaming, created in partnership with Google's Creative Lab, reimagined Shakespeare's play for a digital age and reached 30 million people through social media.

The Annual review was published at the Company's Annual General Meeting, chaired by the RSC's President, HRH The Prince of Wales.

Dame Hilary Mantel joins the RSC as a Governor. Sandie Okoro, General Counsel of HSBC Global Asset Management and Deputy General Counsel of HSBC Retail Banking and Wealth Management, and Ian Squires, Controller, Current Affairs and News Operations, ITV News, are both elected to the Board.

Gregory Doran, RSC Artistic Director, said: "At the heart of the RSC lies a commitment to make the very best work and share it with the widest possible audience. This year we began our plan to stage all of Shakespeare's 36 plays in the First Folio, making every play an event. We got off to a great start, reaching the biggest audience ever for a single performance of Shakespeare when we broadcast Richard II live to cinemas.

"We have responded to financial challenges with a confident programme and as a result we have seen a rise in audience numbers to 1.7m. We are building on strong foundations as we head towards 2015 and look forward to the 2016 jubilee year, when we will mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death. I am especially grateful to all our supporters for helping us achieve so much in this year."

Catherine Mallyon, RSC Executive Director, added: "The AGM is the time for us to look back and celebrate the achievements of the last financial year. The RSC is the largest national theatre company based in the regions and we value our regional presence greatly, along with our ongoing partnerships with 20 other theatres locally and across the UK.

"Our work is made in Shakespeare's home town and shared across the world. Last year, RSC productions and co-productions toured for 48 weeks in the UK and overseas, and 450,000 young people experienced our education work. In 2015 and beyond, we will continue delivering our ambition to create a Shakespeare Nation and to open up live theatre to the widest number and range of people."

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