SAN JOSE, Calif., March 6, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- San Jose Repertory Theater, the flagship professional theater of San Jose, today announced the first half of its 2013/2014 season has attracted strong audiences, the highest selling show in the theatre's history, solid fund-raising results and widening participation in its educational programs. These achievements indicate the San Jose Repertory Theater's strength and enthusiastic support by the Bay Area community.
Innovative Theatrical Productions
The 2013/14 season got off to a rocking start in September with One Night with Janis shattering all ticket sales records in San Jose Rep's 34-year history. The show garnered positive reviews by patrons and critics alike, leading to a one-week extension before it headed to Broadway, and it propelled the Rep to a 17% increase in attendance and 35% in revenue for the first half of 2013-14.
The innovation continued with the staging of Next Fall, the 2010 Outer Critics Circle Best New American Play award winner and Tony® nominated production. This was followed by the world premiere of The Snow Queen, written and produced by Rick Lombardo, San Jose Rep's Producing Artistic Director and Kirsten Brandt, Associate Artistic Director, with an original score by composer Haddon Kime. The accolades continued with the production of R. Buckminster Fuller: THE HISTORY (and Mystery) OF THE UNIVERSE, with a performance that the San Francisco Chronicle described as genius portraying genius.
The strength of this year's season has generated unprecedented subscription renewals for the 2014/15 season, which attracted a full house at the season announcement event, resulting in record renewals. Subscriptions continue well ahead of this same time last year.
Major Development Gains
Major advances were also seen on the development front. The Reaching the Stars campaign, kicked off in November, with a $750K goal for the 2013-14 season. In less than two months, 86% of the goal was met, in part by attracting many new donors.
"San Jose Rep is a cornerstone of our Bay Area's cultural life. Both its theatrical productions and remarkable educational programs reach out to and enrich the cultural life of our community, while offering an economic stimulus to downtown San Jose," said Sal Gutierrez, Partners Emeritus, Western Technology Investments, Inc. "As a new donor to the Reaching the Stars campaign, I look forward to the continued success and growth of this vital institution."
In February Wade Sherman took over as Director of Development. Wade brings 18 years of development and production experience from live and broadcast entertainment organizations, serving most recently as Director of Development for Sacramento Theatre Company and El Dorado Musical Theatre.
Fundraising momentum continues in the second half of the season, as the Rep concludes the Reaching the Stars campaign and holds its annual spring fundraising event, The Blue Box Bash: The Moveable Feast scheduled for April 27, 2014.
Far-reaching Education Programs
The organization's education programs continued to expand with participation from schools across the Bay Area, with more than 15,000 school-aged children participating in Rep on Tour and ArtsSPARK.
This was the fourth season for Rep on Tour, which brings professional theatrical productions of curriculum-based plays to area schools. Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment was seen by more than 5,000 students in schools from Watsonville to San Francisco.
ArtSPARK (managed by Symphony Silicon Valley), brought more than 9,500 Santa Clara County 3rd and 4th graders to San Jose Rep to experience specially-staged performances of San Jose Rep's world premiere musical adaptation of The Snow Queen.
"The first half of the 2013/14 season has been a thrilling time for all of us at San Jose Rep," said Rick Lombardo, San Jose Rep's Producing Artistic Director. "We have strengthened our financial position, brought in significant new donors and introduced scores of new people to our main stage productions, including the world premiere of our own production, The Snow Queen. This widespread support allows us to broaden our outreach and bring live theater to more members, young and old, in our community."
The 2013/14 season continues with the following productions:
| * World Premiere - Game On, by Dan Hoyle & Tony Taccone, directed by Rick Lombardo |
| March 27 – April 19 |
| * Bay Area Premiere - The Big Meal, by Dan Le Franc, directed by Kirsten Brandt |
| May 8 – June 1 |
| * American Premiere - Landscape with Weapon, by Joe Penhall, directed by Rick Lombardo |
| June 19 – July |
About San Jose Rep: San Jose Rep is the flagship theatre of San Jose and the only fully professional, non-profit theatre company in the South Bay, presenting seven main-stage productions each year. Now in its 34th year as a major contributor to the South Bay's cultural community, San Jose Rep's mission is to engage, entertain, and inspire people. San Jose Rep produces innovative theatrical performances that offer fresh perspectives into the human condition, educational programs that promote lifelong learning, and outreach initiatives that benefit our diverse community. For more information, visit www.SJRep.com.