Strong business base behind RSC's status as cultural icon
One of Warwickshire's longstanding crown jewels, the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, enjoys global renown as a centre of cultural and educational excellence.
But behind its year-round work to celebrate and perpetuate the arts, and principally, of course, the works of William Shakespeare, lies considerable business planning and expertise. Just like any other business, the RSC has to be run properly and profitably.
The strong figures from the 2014/15 financial year shows that is very much the case. The RSC reported income of £63.9m, including 75% generated through box office, commercial activities and fundraising, alongside public investment from Arts Council England of £15.8m. Box office receipts increased by 5% to £34.3m and trading income was up 3% to £7m.
During those 12 months, the RSC welcomed 570,000 day visitors to its Stratford home, heavily helping to power the economy of the town and area.
Just as William Shakespeare and the town of Stratford-upon-Avon are inextricably linked, no less so are the Royal Shakespeare Company and the economy of Stratford-upon-Avon.
As the RSC prepares to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the death of Shakespeare in 2016, its executive director Catherine Mallyon spoke exclusively to Warwickshire Means Business about the organisation's role, priorities and plans as a business leader in Stratford-upon-Avon.
WMB: How does the RSC engage with the local business community?
Catherine: In a very direct way. The RSC uses as many local and regional suppliers as possible. The RSC was a founding member of Shakespeare’s England, the organisation supporting tourism in the region, and through this has a direct relationship with many local companies of all sizes.
We also provide board members for key local and regional business-related organisations, for example the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership and Stratforward, Stratford’s Business Improvement District. Many RSC employees are also on boards of local arts and cultural organisations, for example the Stratford Artshouse and Culture Coventry, and many are school governors, in this last case supporting the development of the workforce of the future.
Whenever possible we host business-related events in our theatres and venues, for example Stratford Means Business in conjunction with Stratford District Council.
WMB: How important is it to make the RSC work as a business as well as a cultural organisation?
Catherine: As a charity, the most important thing for the RSC is to deliver our charitable objectives. A theatre company of our scale is also very much a business. Our turnover exceeds £60m and managing this requires a thorough approach to our many different types of activity. Our artistic, education and events programme is at the heart of our company and everything we undertake commercially is to support this.
We also provide training and development for actors, craftspeople and theatre professionals in many fields. Most of our income comes from ticket sales, a quarter of it from Arts Council England and the remainder from corporate support, philanthropic donations and other income. We run our own restaurant, cafes and bars – as well as our shop in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and on-line.
The success of this commercial activity is essential for us to achieve all that we do in the region, national and internationally. We are always conscious that almost all our income is from members of the public in one way or other and that we must always spend this efficiently and effectively.
WMB: What are your thoughts on the record figures in the annual report? What does this all mean to the RSC? Why is it important?
Catherine: The information in our annual report illustrates that we have been able to achieve our objectives of presenting theatre at its best and sharing that with the widest possible audience. It is great that we sold 72,000 schools tickets, 20,000 tickets for 16-25 year olds, and 19,000 family tickets. We have also been able to provide a welcome to all our visitors through the provision of captioned, audio-described, relaxed and signed performances, as well as touch tours, when audience members can feel the costumes, props and sets.
The commercial success of the past year has enabled us to continue our Live from Stratford-upon-Avon screenings into cinemas, and to provide these broadcasts free to schools.
WMB: What is the importance of the RSC being such a vital part of the fabric of Stratford and the surrounding area?
Catherine: Stratford-upon-Avon and the Royal Shakespeare Company are both inextricably linked with Shakespeare’s life and works: the success of the town and the theatre company reinforce each other.
We work very closely with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Shakespeare’s school - King Edward VI, and Holy Trinity Church, where Shakespeare worshipped and is buried. It is hard to imagine any of these flourishing without the others. The majority of our employees live in Stratford and the surrounding region and have a great investment in the area.
WMB: What are the RSC's future plans?
Catherine: Reflecting the important nature of the 400th anniversary year, our plans for 2016 cover our local, regional, national and international activity. There will be a wonderful performance programme throughout the year in Stratford-upon-Avon, alongside the re-opening of The Other Place, containing a new studio theatre, access to our amazing costume store for the first time through a new backstage tour, two new rehearsal rooms and a welcoming new café. The restored Swan Wing will also reopen with a new exhibition, The Play’s The Thing, where we can all experience the secrets and stories of making theatre in Stratford.
We will be touring the length and breadth of the country with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a play for the nation. The education work that goes alongside this production invites every school in the country to become part of the Dream Team 2016.
In the first four months of the year our current productions of the History Plays will perform in London, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and New York.
It is going to be a busy year and Stratford-upon-Avon will be THE Shakespeare destination for the jubilee year."