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Formerly ETCEA
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Registered Charity No. 1181847
Trustees’ Report for 2021/22
and
Accounts for the year ended 31[st] July 2022
Trustees
Mr. Scott Welch Chairman Mrs. Alex Rolle Vice Chairman Mr. David Curling Secretary Mr. Ian Stretch Treasurer Mrs Fiona Taylor Mrs. Patricia Johnson
| Index | Page |
|---|---|
| Trustees’ Annual Report | 2 |
| Treasurer’s Report | 3 |
| Income & Expenditure Account | 5 |
| Balance Sheet at 31st July 2019 | 6 |
| Notes to the Accounts | 6 |
| Independent Examiner’s Report | 7 |
| Production Accounts | 8 |
Formerly ETCEA
An Amateur Musical Theatre Society founded by Alec Stretch in 1944
Registered Charity No. 1181847 Affiliated to the National Operatic & Dramatic Association Headquarters: “Bollescroft” Cock Lane, Hoddesdon, Herts. EN11 8BE www.BroxbourneTheatreCompany.co.uk
Affiliated to the National Operatic & Dramatic Association
TRUSTEES’ REPORT 2021/22
This year we managed to put on our first production since January 2020; in May we produced The Sound of Music.
At the start of the season there was hope we would be able to produce a pantomime as normal. National Covid restrictions had been lifted to a point where we could consider it, however The Spotlight (our usual theatre) was still not reopening until February 2022, so we reluctantly made the decision that we could not proceed with a pantomime.
Following a conversation with The Spotlight, we were told that they would be opening at the end of February 2022 but at the very latest the start of March 2022. So, we decided to go ahead and start rehearsing for our May production of The Sound of Music, postponed from May 2020.
First thing was to meet with the children originally cast in January 2020 to see if they still wanted to do the show and if they could work together and look like the Von Trapp children. Three children for various reasons decided to not take part, so we knew we would have to reaudition to find replacements. We would also need to reaudition for 2 female parts due to people not been available now.
Before we could conduct auditions, our original Musical Director, Charlie Wakely, told us that he could no longer commit to the show. We knew another Musical Director, Joanna Pierce, who had worked with us in the past, but she was already committed to another show. After negotiations with the other society it was agreed that Joanna could work as Musical Director for both shows.
Now that we had a production team and after the auditions, a full cast, it was time for rehearsals.
After two years of not having any productions, it took some time to get back into the swing of rehearsals, some of which were quite challenging, however the team and cast pulled together well, and the show was ready for an audience.
Our original stage manager was no longer available so Natalie Smyth took on the role for the first time. It was a challenging set but by the end of the run her team had worked well to make sure all scene changes were smooth.
It ended up being a good show, with the audience leaving happy and singing the songs.
Signed on behalf of the Trustees
Scott Welch Chairman
Formerly ETCEA
An Amateur Musical Theatre Society founded by Alec Stretch in 1944
Registered Charity No. 1181847 Affiliated to the National Operatic & Dramatic Association Headquarters: “Bollescroft” Cock Lane, Hoddesdon, Herts. EN11 8BE www.BroxbourneTheatreCompany.co.uk
TREASURER’S REPORT 2021/22
A 3 Year COVID Timeline
| 2019/20 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug | July | Aug | July | Aug | July | |||||||||
| Jan 2020 | March 20 | May 20 | Jan 21 | May21 | Sep 21 | Jan 22 | May 22 | |||||||
| Puss in | COVID | No_Sound_ | No panto | No_Sound_ | Bollescroft | No panto | Sound | |||||||
| Boots | Shutdown | of Music | of Music | reopens | of Music |
As a run of 3 years effected by Covid comes to an end, the year just ended cannot be looked at in isolation. As previously reported, the year 2019/20 ended with an abnormal profit, as the surplus from the pantomime Puss in Boots was not offset by a loss on that season’s scheduled musical, The Sound of Music , as would normally occur. Our best efforts to present The Sound of Music at Hertford Theatre a year later than planned were frustrated, so that 2020/21 ended with no productions. 2021/22 opened with more optimism as Covid restrictions were eased and we were able to reopen Bollescroft in September and welcome back most of our regular hirers, plus some new groups.
Unfortunately our optimism was short lived as The Spotlight, the theatre that the society has been performing at in Hoddesdon for 45 years, remained closed until March 2022 due to ongoing building works. This meant that we were unable to present a pantomime for the second year.
However, with Bollescroft back in use, we were able to restart rehearsals for The Sound of Music, which was finally presented in May, two years late. Financially, there was good and bad news. Uncertainty about likely ticket sales turned out to be unfounded as sales were only 3 tickets short of the total for our last pre-Covid musical, Annie, and the threatened doubling of the theatre’s box office commission charges was not implemented. Against this, the combination of increased hire charges and a large reduction in the ‘facility subsidy grant’ previously available to us resulted in a trebling of the cost of hiring the theatre.
Referring back to the opening sentence of this report, taken in isolation, 2021/22 shows a loss for the year of over £10,500 due to the absence of income from a pantomime. However, this should be read in conjunction with the 2019/20 surplus of just over £10,000 due to the absence of a musical in that year.
Significant new entries in the accounts this year are those relating to our headquarters building. “Bollescroft” was a derelict building owned by Broxbourne Borough Council but extensively renovated and refurbished by us in 1993, entirely at the society’s cost. We rented the building under a 25 year ‘licence to use’ agreement that came to an end in October 2018. Following a change in Council policy, we were informed that, to continue using Bollescroft, we would be required to enter a full maintenance commercial lease. We agreed to this in principle but negotiations over the terms of the lease have been subject to interminable and inexplicable delays by Broxbourne Council and are currently stalled over remedial works required, notably the condition of the 30 year old heating system.
Under terms that had been agreed, the society has taken over the administration of hiring the building to other local organisations, in return for which we retain the hire income to offset the building’s running costs. This began in November 2019 but was abruptly halted by the Covid shutdown in March 2020 until we were able to reopen the building last September. In January we were informed by the Council that all Bollescroft utilities bills would now be passed to us for payment and we subsequently received electricity and water bills dating back to March 2021.
Broxbourne Theatre Company - 2 -
Treasurer’s Report 2021/22
In light of the current energy crisis, the potential costs are of concern. Bollescroft is classed as a commercial building and is therefore not covered by the ‘energy price cap’ that relates only to domestic buildings. In April, the electricity supplier doubled the unit price of the night-time rate which serves our night storage heaters. When discussions about a new arrangement began we had requested information about the Council’s running costs for Bollescroft; the current electricity costs are already considerably in excess of those indicated. Thanks to a substantial increase in the occupancy rate by hirers, without any increase in our charges, income from hiring Bollescroft in the current year has fallen only £300 short of the running costs but this situation is likely to rapidly deteriorate when the heating has to be turned on again in the autumn.
In conclusion, whilst this year’s loss of £10,515 is disappointing, had Covid not happened and both Puss in Boots and Sound of Music taken place in the same financial year as originally planned, the overall loss would have been only a few thousand pounds.
Finally, our thanks to Carol Bowyer for again carrying out the independent examination of our accounts.
Ian Stretch ACIS (Ret’d) Hon. Treasurer 15[th] August, 2022.
Formerly ETCEA
Registered Charity No. 1181847
An Amateur Society founded by Alec Stretch in 1944. Affilliated to the National Operatic & Dramatic Association. Headquarters: “Bollescroft,” Cock Lane, Hoddesdon, Herts. EN11 8BE ias 31/07/22
INCOME & EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT for the year ending 31st July, 2022
| INCOME: Membership Subscriptions Interest on Deposits Lottery Proceeds & Other Income 1 Premises Hire 2 Productions: Pantomime Musical Young Set Other Events TOTAL INCOME EXPENDITURE: General Expenses Stationery & Postage Insurance NODA Subscription Bank & Zettle Charges General Publicity Premises: Rent Maintenance Light, Heat & Power Sundry Equipment Depreciation 2 Productions: Pantomime Musical Young Set Other Events TOTAL EXPENDITURE: Surplus or (Deficit) Carried to Capital Fund |
‐ 19,165 ‐ 259 459 25 1,259 150 16 ‐ 1,813 2,994 6,696 145 584 ‐ 26,633 ‐ 125 |
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Formerly ETCEA
Registered Charity No. 1181847
An Amateur Society founded by Alec Stretch in 1944. Affilliated to the National Operatic & Dramatic Association. Headquarters: “Bollescroft,” Cock Lane, Hoddesdon, Herts. EN11 8BE ias 31/07/22
| BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31st JULY, | BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31st JULY, | 2021 | 2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASSETS Fixed Assets 3 Plant & Equipment (net) Current Assets Stock of Souvenirs Sundry Debtors 4 Pre‐payments: Bank Deposits Cash at Bank Cash in Hand Less Current Liabilities 5 Accruals Sundry Creditors REPRESENTED BY: Capital Fund b/fwd From Income & Expenditure A/c |
2021 265 280 ‐ J 2,325 40,042 1,307 6 £ 44,224 7,697 681 (8,378) £ 35,846 46,361 (10,515) £ 35,846 |
7,697 500 |
2020 848 280 ‐ 4,435 45,036 3,860 99 |
2020 | ||
| £ 54,558 (8,197) |
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| £ 46,361 | ||||||
| 49,295 (2,935) |
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| £ 46,361 |
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention with Income and Expenditure accounted for on an accruals basis, and in accordance with Financial Reporting Standard FRS102
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1 The society's headquarters, "Bollescroft," was reopened in September when COVID restrictions ended, allowing sub‐ letting to resume.
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2 The theatre where the society performs remained closed until February, causing the cancellation of our annual pantomime for the second year.
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3 Fixed Assets & Depreciation
Total Assets: Cost B/fwd 5,791 Depreciation B/fwd 4,943 Additions ‐ Depreciation Charge 584 Total Cost £ 5,791 Total Depreciation to date £ 5,527 Net Book Value at 31/07/2022 £ 265
Depreciation on all assets is calculated on a straight line basis over 10 years.
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4 Prepayments mainly consist of deposits paid in connection with productions scheduled for performance in 2023.
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5 The society's rehearsals and other activities are held in a building owned by Broxbourne Borough Council for which rent is paid annually in arrears. The accrual represents the estimated rent due for the period from 1st November 2018 to 31st July 2019, payable in November 2019. A new lease is currently being negotiated.
Formerly ETCEA
Registered Charity No. 1181847
An Amateur Society founded by Alec Stretch in 1943. Affilliated to the National Operatic & Dramatic Association. Headquarters: “Bollescroft,” Cock Lane, Hoddesdon, Herts. EN11 8BE
Independent examiner's report to the Members of Broxbourne Theatre Company.
I report on the accounts of the society for the year ended 31st July, 2022.
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner
The trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts.
The trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility • To examine the accounts
- To state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of independent examiner's report
An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the society and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair view' and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
Independent examiner's statement
I have completed my examination and confirm that no material matters have come to my attention which cause me to believe that:
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accounting records were not kept in accordance with relevant legislation, or
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the accounts do not accord with the accounting records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed: Date: 20/08/2022
Name: Carol Bowyer, AAT
Address: Barwick Lodge, Barwick, High Cross, Ware, SG11 1DE
Formerly ETCEA
Registered Charity No. 1181847
03/08/2022
An Amateur Society founded by Alec Stretch in 1944. Affilliated to the National Operatic & Dramatic Association
Headquarters: “Bollescroft” Cock Lane, Hoddesdon, Herts. EN11 8BE
PRODUCTION ACCOUNTS 2020/22
| Production | Pantomime | Pantomime | Musical | Musical | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date Number of Performances Title |
Jan 2022 0 - - - - - See note below |
Jan 2020 8 21,133 1,650 355 1,147 95 51 Puss in Boots |
May 2022 5 17,019 1,350 521 - - 275 The Sound of Music |
May 2019 5 16,386 2,000 584 682 - 345 Annie |
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| INCOME Ticket Sales Production Fees Programme Sales & Advertising Refreshments Mercandise Sales Other Income |
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| TOTAL INCOME | - | £ 24,431 | £ 19,165 | £ 19,997 | ||
| EXPENDITURE Hire of Theatre Production Team Fees Orchestra, scores & libretti Wardrobe & Make-up Scenery, Props & Special Effects Lighting Sound & Technicians Transport Publicity Programme Printing Royalties Box Office Commissions Refreshment Costs Mercandise Sundries |
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
2,492 1,600 1,446 1,163 2,214 500 499 650 1,955 270 658 2,395 723 47 37 |
6,138 1,500 4,609 1,989 1,487 600 1,602 2,231 905 295 3,269 1,913 56 - 40 |
2,231 2,100 3,560 693 2,049 - 571 1,568 1,574 270 3,146 1,947 438 - 67.75 |
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| TOTAL EXPENDITURE | - | £ 16,649 | £ 26,634 | £ 20,216 | ||
| PROFIT or (LOSS) | - | £ 7,781 | (7,469) | (219) | ||
| Number of Tickets Sold Percentage of Total Available |
0 0.0% |
1,391 52.3% |
1,138 51.4% |
1,142 51.6% |
This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements
Note: The Spotlighht theatre remained closed until February, causing the cancellation of our annual pantomime for the second year. The figures for our last pre-Covid pantomime are included above to illustrate what the results for productions would have been across a normal season.