Oz legit co. starts season strong
Best-ever B.O. day is no 'Error'
Since it opened on Sept. 14, the company's production of "The Comedy of Errors" has played to near-capacity auds.
Positive reviews and word of mouth saw the company register its best box office day ever Sept. 23.
Jill Berry, general manager of the 12-year-old company, which has an annual budget of A$3.8 million, says, "I'm not going to say it's the best season ever, but it could turn out that way."
The comedy of mistaken identities marks the sixth consecutive production for Bell's 12-player ensemble.
Company topper and director John Bell says the production's success lies in the ensemble's close, two-year working history.
The downside is that directors cannot always cast as they please and the ensemble does not always perfectly fit the play, but given that Shakespeare wrote for a permanent company, Bell believes that's still the best way to go.
The Sydney Theater Co. intended to incorporate an ensemble into its program starting in 2003, but the plan's in turnaround after funding bodies rejected its request for an additional A$200,000 ($110,000) per annum.
"For the time being, they don't support the bid," shrugged STC general manger Rob Brookman.
The planned ensemble of a dozen would have performed four of STC's 12 annual productions, enabling rehearsal and crossover time with other one-off productions.
