Dun Laoghaire’s Pavilion Theatre sees revenue hit five-year high

Revenue jumped to a five-year high at Dun Laoghaire's Pavilion Theatre in 2015 due to an increase in the number of events held at the venue.

The theatre reported total revenue of €830,037 last year, compared with €780,096 in 2014 as the number of performances rose to 335 from 298.

The theatre, which was built in 2000 and has a maximum capacity of 324 seats, sold 65,388 tickets, compared with 55,633 a year earlier.

Total income slipped from €1.55 million to €1.5 million, largely due to a €82,485 drop in grants and donations to €377,511. The theatre received funding of €245,000 from Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and a further €115,000 from the Arts Council last year.

Charitable activities

Income from charitable activities, which include theatre performances, film screenings and box-office booking fees, rose €56,234 to €892,794 over the same period.

Expenditure at the theatre also rose last year, increasing to €1.39 million from €1.34 million a year earlier.

Newly filed accounts show the Pavilion Theatre Management Company, which operates the venue on behalf of the council, intends to invest heavily in the theatre, with a new lighting desk and LED stage lighting being acquired, as well as external signage and front displays.

"It was a satisfactory performance last year and we're delighted with the support we got from our patrons. We have increased the numbers of bums on seats and the film screenings, which we introduced two years ago and which run every Monday night, have been a particular success," said Ned Sullivan, the theatre's chairman.

“Our mandate is to break even or make a slight profit and we’ve come out on the right side of that over the last few years. We predict a similar performance for 2016,” he added.

Total employment costs for the theatre, which employs five full-time and 12 casual staff, totalled €358,341, compared with €354,360 in the previous year.