WINNIPEG, October 16, 2007 – For the fourth year in a row, Prairie Theatre Exchange announced growth in attendance and an operating surplus for 2006-2007. At the Annual General Meeting held last night, it was announced that PTE added an additional 101 subscribers to the season, as well as posting an operating surplus (before depreciation and amortization) of $88,270. The Board unanimously decided to invest $20,000 into the PTE Foundation Trust and will apply to Canadian Heritage in the hopes of having this amount matched.
“This is the largest surplus PTE has recorded in more than a decade, but it’s also significant as the 10th surplus in the past 12 years. And we are very pleased to be able to invest in the PTE Foundation Trust again this season, as the Trust provides annual support to PTE in the areas of play development, bursaries for PTE Theatre School students and audience and marketing initiatives,” said General Manager Cherry Karpyshin.
The surplus will be held in reserve to maintain financial stability in future years and drawn on if necessary.
“It was a vibrant, busy year at PTE ,” Artistic Director Robert Metcalfe remarked. “We did some organizational soul searching during strategic planning sessions, created a (very active!) PTE Playwrights Unit, invested in several new plays, developed another two for production this season, produced a Festival with seven partnering organizations, taught theatre and film skills to hundreds of children and adults, and welcomed two new senior staff members. Not to mention our warmly-received season of five plays, plus the Family Holiday Show and its provincial tour!”
President of the PTE Board of Directors Dave Angus was enthusiastic about last season’s successes.
“It was a tremendous season!” he said. “It was certainly a year that proved just what a jewel this city has in Prairie Theatre Exchange. From the heartbreaking drama of apple and Honour to the drop-dead humour of Mom’s The Word 2 and Here on the Flight Path and the quirky prairie-comedy of MacGregor’s Hard Ice Cream and Gas, PTE has once again offered Winnipeg audiences a unique theatre experience in a great venue.”
The PTE Theatre School welcomed new staff in 2006-2007: School Director John B. Lowe and School Co-ordinator Lizabeth Kogan. In addition to being a skilled and experienced theatre teacher, John is a busy working actor with a long list of credits in stage, film and TV. Lizabeth has been involved with PTE since her teens, first as a volunteer, and more recently as Box Office and Front of House staff.
Both committed their first year to maintain PTE’s varied roster of classes and outreach programs, chatting with students and parents and exploring new avenues for PTE School programs.
Prairie Theatre Exchange’s operations continue to have a very positive impact on the community. More than 60% of the theatre’s $1.7 million budget is invested in salaries and fees. Approximately 85% of the artists, teachers, designers, craftspeople and other employees live in Winnipeg, and 90% of the theatre’s expense budget was reinvested back into City of Winnipeg citizens and businesses.
In addition, PTE is a busy rental venue for events like the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, The Winnipeg International Film Festival, FemFest, Manitoba Drama Educator’s High School Drama Festival and Freeze Frame, among many others, and for companies like Investors Group, Manitoba Health and APTN. Shakespeare in the Ruins, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and Horizons Adult Learning Centre all make their permanent home with PTE. During the season, over 50 companies and organizations rent PTE’s theatres and studios, occupying over 500 days of usage, in addition to PTE’s own performance and school activities.
Prairie Theatre Exchange will open its 35th season on Wednesday, October 17 with Wendy Lill’s new play Chimera. Four and three-play flexible subscriptions will be available until January.
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For more information contact : Mr. Carman Johnston, Public Relations and Development Manager, at 925-5257; Fax 942-1774; e-mail publicity@pte.mb.ca
