The Citizen, 2012-11-15, Page 23THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012. PAGE 23. Blyth Festival Theatre General
Manager Deb Sholdice told North
Huron Council that the Festival’s
2012 season was a critical success
while at the same time the Festival
dealt with financial shortcomings.
During council’s Nov. 5 meeting,
Sholdice said that, despite season
attendance being up by four per cent,
ticket revenues up by nine per cent
and rental revenue increasing by 45
per cent, the Festival was in the red.
“It’s not a lot in the grand scheme.
It’s not tragic, we’re working with a
small deficit,” she said, stating that
the deficit is minor, however she was
waiting for a final number from the
Festival’s auditors.
Sholdice said that the deficit was
caused by a lack of fundraising
through regular donations that didn’t
increase in 2012 as expected.
Sholdice explained that the
increases in ticket sales and revenue
were primarily due to Dear Johnny
Deere, a play about the music of
Fred Eaglesmith.
“Dear Johnny Deere was a bona
fide hit,” she said. “It will be
remounted this year as a two week
revival before the grand opening and
at the end of the summer it will be
revived in Port Dover. We’ve also
received phone calls about it.Theatre Calgary is going to bepicking it up for their 2014 season,the Harbourfront Theatre in
Summerside PEI will be doing a
production this summer between our
production and the one in Port
Dover.
“We’ll be instrumental in helping
them brings thing out,” she said.
“[The play] started in Blyth is going
from one coast to almost the other
and critical acclaim in growing.”
Dear Johnny Deere wasn’t the
only critical feather in the Festival’s
cap this year. Sholdice explained to
council that Pearl Gidley from the
2011 season and 2012’s The Lonely
Diner: Al Capone in Euphemia
Township were both picked up to be
published.
As a response to the shortfall,
Sholdice said that the Festival would
be “right”sizing or downsizing.
“The administrative structure is
undergoing a reboot,” she said. “We
eliminated two positions in
marketing and development and will
create a single position to replace
them in 2013.”
The position will be a completely
new position with a new job
description.
The Festival has, according to
studies done by Huron County, a
profound effect on the local financial
landscape. “Every dollar in the arts spent bypatrons means seven more spentlocally,” Sholdice said, stating that
restaurants, accommodation, fuel
and other attractions benefit from
Festival tourists.
She also said that the Festival
worked with a budget of nearly $1.2
million in 2012 and that most of it
was spent locally.
“All of our suppliers are local if
we can manage that, we always try
to buy in the community or county,”
she said. “Even the actors and
workers we pay stay locally.”
Sholdice said that the Festival
contributed over $20,000 to
operating the Memorial Hall in 2012
plus upgrades to the sound and
lighting system. She also said that
grant submissions are in to help
update the location this year
including lightning, chairs and
aesthetic changes to the interior of
the theatre.
“We’re not going to wait for those
grants to come in though, we’re
starting a capital campaign,” he said.
“We’re doing A Country Carol; a
community Christmas project. It
will be the first time in a number of
years since we have undertaken that.
All ticket revenue generated will go
into the capital fund.”
She said the Blyth Festival will
contribute costumes, scenery andprops as well as a professionaldirector and designer for the projectand that will cut down on the
overhead, meaning more money
makes it into the building fund.
Sholdice requested that council
waive the rental fees for the
rehearsal and presentation of the
play to help raise that money.
CHANGES IN ADVERTISING
Sholdice also stated that changes
will happen to the way the Festival
advertises and asked for a lesser
contribution from council this year.
“Previously North Huron made a
$20,000 investment,” she said. “I
don’t think we have the human
resources to be able to market North
Huron in the markets we’ve had
before and beyond. We’re going to
work hard to market Blyth and the
Festival through organizations that,
frankly, have more money than I do.”
Sholdice said she would ask
council instead for $7,500. Five
thousand dollars to cover half the
distribution cost of the flyers and
$2,500 would be used to work on
joint advertising to appeal to
“staycationers”.
“I would look at one or two trade
shows that we had success with last
year and split the cost of the booth to
get people talking,” Sholdice said.
The drop in price represents North
Huron taking on their own
responsibility with advertising
alongside the Festival. Typically, the
Festival’s season programs would
have several pages highlighting thetownship. This new agreementwould instead see the townshipmake their own mailer to be
included with the Festival’s mailer
which is focused on previous patrons
of the show.
Sholdice said that she would hope
that any money saved by council by
being involved would be directed at
Memorial Hall.
“I consider Memorial Hall to be an
investment, not an expense,” she
said. “While I am asking for reduced
support, I want to ask council to
redirect any funds to investing in
Memorial Hall. I believe the interior
is getting to be a little shabby. Once
the lights go up, it’s getting to be a
little bit dated.”
Council took the request into
consideration.
Central Huron Council approved
the purchase of 10 iPads for
councillors, the CAO and clerk for
just over $515 per tablet at the Nov.
5 meeting of council.
This purchase comes a year after
the purchase of a set of Samsung
Galaxy tablets in an effort to move
to a paperless agenda. Councillors,
however, had grown increasingly
frustrated with the tablets’
limitations.
At past meetings councillors
had often grumbled and expressed
their displeasure with the tablets,
a purchase that had been made under
a previous administration
approximately a year ago.
Councillor Brian Barnim said he
and members of the municipal
staff were under the impression
that the Galaxys would be
equipped with a program to handle
council agendas and the like. That
turned out not to be the case, he
said.
The motion was approved with
just Councillor Dan Colquhoun
opposing the purchase.
After the council meeting, Mayor
Jim Ginn said that the Galaxys
would be made available to
council members first, then to
members of municipal staff and then
perhaps an agreement could be
reached with the Regional Equine
and Agricultural Centre of Huron
(REACH).
Ginn says he acknowledges that
the purchase of the Galaxys was a
bit of a misstep.
“It’s bad to spend taxpayer money
only to find out that these things are
no good,” Ginn said in an interview
after the council meeting.
“We’re really trying to turn this
into a positive, rather than a
negative.”
The price that has been attached to
the Galaxys is $175. The price was
Galaxys made available to council
Festival season has critical success, small deficit
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Pat Gillis ~ even at 60
she still plays hard to get!
Happy 60th Birthday
Love, your family
Graduation
Katherine J. Procter received
her Master of Science - Rural
Planning and Development at
the recent Convocation
ceremonies at the University
of Guelph.
Congratulations Kate, we are
very proud of you.
With love from your family.
www.rocklandsentertainment.com
BLYTH MEMORIAL HALL
Tickets at the Blyth Festival Box Office or call 1-877-862-5984. Online www.blythfestival.com
SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2013 – 7 PM
MAKES A GREATCHRISTMAS GIFT
Where’s
The
Beef?
Annual Roast Beef Supper
by Knox United
at Belgrave Community Centre
Wednesday, November 21
from 5-7 pm
Tickets $14.00 (adults) and $7.00 (6-12)
5 and under FREE
Available at Belgrave Co-op
or Roger Hooper
519-887-6712
Takeout/Gluten-free available
By Denny ScottThe Citizen
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Continued on page 24