September 13, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
BSC Press Director Charlie Siedenburg, 551-655-0968

BARRINGTON STAGE COMPANY RECORD-BREAKING 2011 SEASON
GUYS AND DOLLS BEST-SELLING MUSICAL; THE BEST OF ENEMIES BEST-SELLING PLAY IN COMPANY’S 17-YEAR HISTORY
FIRST-TIME EVER SINGLE TICKET SALES TO EXCEED $1 MILLION

PITTSFIELD, MA – Barrington Stage Company (BSC), the award-winning theatre in Downtown Pittsfield, MA, under the leadership Artistic Director Julianne Boyd and Managing Director Tristan Wilson, is proud to announce that its 2011 season was the most successful season since its founding in 1995.

Celebrating its sixth year in Downtown Pittsfield (the theater reopened with Ring “Round the Moon in August 2006 following a 10-month full restoration), Barrington Stage presented more than 250 performances in 2011 that included: Guys and Dolls, the world premiere of The Best of Enemies and The Game on the Mainstage; Zero Hour, Going to St. Ives, the world premiere of Mormons, Mothers and Monsters (a production of the Musical Theatre Lab) and My Name is Asher Lev on Stage 2; the Youth Theatre production of All Shook Up; concerts, cabarets, staged readings and the Conversations With… series, along with other special events. Upcoming 2011 performances include Amanda McBroom at Stage 2 Sept. 23 and 24 and the return of Mark St. Germain’s The Best of Enemies for a limited run at the Mainstage October 5-16.

“This has been an exciting summer at BSC. The stars were aligned and everything came together beautifully. I want to thank the hundreds of artists, technicians and staff for making 2011 a banner year for us. But we couldn’t have accomplished all that we did without our audiences believing in our work. We thank them for their ongoing support, both as audience members and as donors,” said Artistic Director Julianne Boyd.

2011 BY THE NUMBERS:

  • Single ticket sales will exceed $1M for the first time in BSC’s 17-year history.
  • Total subscription sales for 2011 are 33% greater than 2010 subscription sales. Stage 2 subscriptions nearly doubled from 2010 to 2011 – representing an all-time record number of subscriptions.
  • BSC has already exceeded the total 2011 ticket sales goal by more than 10% and expects to be 15% over the goal by year-end. Total ticket sales are expected to be 35% higher than 2010 total ticket sales.
  • 2011 attendance is currently more than 43,000. Total 2011 attendance is expected to surpass 48,000, exceeding last year’s attendance by more than 18%. Since BSC moved its home to Pittsfield in 2006, attendance by Pittsfield residents has steadily increased and now represents nearly 25% of all ticket sales

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:
Guys and Dolls was the best-selling musical and the world premiere of Mark St. Germain’s The Best of Enemies was the best-selling play in Barrington Stage’s 17-year history. BSC’s extended run of My Name Is Asher Lev was one of the highest-grossing productions on Stage 2, second only to Mark St. Germain’s Freud’s Last Session (2009) which currently holds the title as the longest-running, highest grossing production in BSC’s Stage 2 history.

In August, BSC announced that the heartwarming, Tony Award-winning musical Fiddler on the Roof would open the 2012 season. This was the earliest season announcement in BSC’s history and has already yielded more than $15,000 in subscriptions for next season.

FlexPass subscriptions to the 2012 Mainstage season, including Fiddler on the Roof, are now available at 2011 prices with no handling fees through December 22, 2011 and start as low at $105. Patrons who order their 2012 Mainstage FlexPass by October 1, 2011 will be given advanced access to priority seating beginning January 3, 2012. All other subscribers may select their seats beginning February 1. For more information on 2012 subscriptions or to order today, call 413-236-8888, visit the Box Office at 30 Union Street or go online to barringtonstageco.org.

About Barrington Stage Company
Barrington Stage Company, a professional award-winning Equity regional theatre located in the heart of the Berkshires, in Pittsfield, MA, was co-founded in 1995 by Artistic Director Julianne Boyd. Barrington Stage’s mission is three-fold: to present top-notch, compelling work; to develop new plays and musicals; and to find fresh, bold ways to bringing new audiences into the theatre – especially young people. Barrington Stage garnered national attention in 2004 when it workshopped, and premiered William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin’s musical hit The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which later transferred to Broadway’s Circle-in-the-Square Theatre where it won two Tony Awards and played more than 1,000 performances. In 2009/2010 Barrington Stage produced the world premiere of Mark St. Germain’s Freud’s Last Session, which later moved Off-Broadway to the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater. Barrington Stage was voted “Best Live Theatre” by The Berkshire Eagle readers in 2011 and was named “Best Theatre Company” in Metroland’s Best of the Capital Region 2009-2011.

# # #