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Formerly ETCEA
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Registered Charity No. 1181847 # **Trustees’ Report for 2023/24 and** ## **Accounts for the year ended 31[st] July 2024** ## **Trustees** **Mr. Scott Welch Chairman Mrs. Alex Rolle Vice Chairman Mr. David Curling Secretary Mr. Ian Stretch Treasurer Mrs. Patricia Johnson Miss Cera-Rose Pickering Mrs Fiona Taylor** |**Index**|**Page**| |---|---| |**Trustees’ Annual Report**|**2**| |**Treasurer’s Report**|**3**| |**Income & Expenditure Account**|**4**| |**Balance Sheet at 31st July 2024**|**5**| |**Notes to the Accounts**|**5**| |**Independent Examiner’s Report**|**6**| |**Production Accounts**|**7**| _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 ## **TRUSTEES’ REPORT 2023/24** This year we have produced two shows, _Jack and the Beanstalk_ and _Sister Act_ , with the latter being directed by a new director to the society, Hailey Budd. The pantomime was directed by Scott Welch, the musical director was Joanna Pierce and choreographer was Beki O’Driscol. Auditions for the children were well attended and tough decisions had to be made. Nine children were chosen to be in the show, seven of which were in the junior chorus and two of the children took on one of the main roles, Trump, performing on alternate nights, and when not performing as Trump they would be in the junior chorus. The adult auditions went well. Again, some tough decisions had to be made as we had several new members join, this meant that some older members did not manage to get into the show. This did upset some members; ultimately however it is auditions and we could not take everybody into the show due to the cost of costumes and the numbers on stage. The rehearsal period was challenging, we had several members of the chorus, as well as the gentleman we cast as the dame, decide to withdraw from the show. The production team knew someone who had played dame in other societies, and he agreed to take on the role. Even with the setbacks the cast came together, and the show went well. The set was expensive but for this show due to the necessity of a beanstalk the decision was made to get a slightly more expensive set. The pantomime seemed to be received well by the audience. In January we auditioned for our May production, _Sister Act_ . We also welcomed a new director (Hailey Budd) and new choreographer (Millie Andrews), Joanna Pierce was Musical Director. A lot of people. both new and existing members, attended the get togethers. Again, the auditions were challenging, and it took over a week to fully cast the show. Following the first auditions the production team made several phone calls to people they knew for certain roles. During the course, of the rehearsal period unfortunately Hailey became unwell and had to have an operation, this did not greatly impact rehearsals as the production team worked well to make sure the show continued rehearsing. _Sister Act_ is a fast-moving large show, and from the moment the set arrived until five minutes before the start of the opening show, the set was still being built and reconfigured. Why this is we are unsure, however there are certain parts of the set did not rotate how the crew wanted them too, so these set pieces needed to be reconfigured. Sound is something that has become something we need to reconsider going forward. During the opening night there were several moments during the show when microphones, failed or provided feedback which was unpleasant for the audience to hear. The sound engineer that we used for this show has now left the venue, so the Trustees are looking at alternatives for future shows. This coming season looks to be exciting as we produce _Mother Goose_ , which has not been produced by us for 30 years and then our musical will be _Made in Dagenham_ . 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 2023/24** I am pleased to be able to report a modest but satisfying surplus for the second year running, an unusual result after so many years of reporting losses following the introduction of a professional pantomime in the theatre that we use, which has decimated our annual income. However, the combined effect of these two years is an increase in our reserves of over £11,500 to £47,387. This outcome is all the more surprising as we faced dramatically rising costs in many areas of both of the season’s productions; notably the doubling of the cost of hire and transport of scenery, and hire of the theatre for the pantomime. At the same time, we lost the income from two major weekly hirers of our headquarters building, Bollescroft. Budgeting has become more difficult than ever, trying to anticipate the level of constantly increasing costs and balancing that against setting ticket prices at a level that the public will accept whilst covering the increasing costs. Further evidence of the public’s reluctance to spend is shown by the 65% fall in the sale of pantomime merchandise. The theatre where the society presents its productions is now a “cashless venue,” driving or reflecting (?) the public preference for making digital payments by card or mobile phone aps. We therefore obtained a credit card reader to enable us to offer this facility to audiences for our own in-theatre sales. The use of credit cards has also been taken up widely by our members for the payment of subscriptions, fees and script purchases, etc. In view of the success of this in the past year, a second card reader has now been obtained to enable greater flexibility in its use and availability. The management of Bollescroft continues to be challenging as we juggle trying to increase income by getting as many new hirers as possible. New regular weekly or monthly hirers are always welcome but the danger is in accepting new one-off hirers whilst avoiding bookings from undesirable elements whose sole intent is to make as much noise and cause as much damage to the building as they can, giving rise to complaints from residents of the adjacent houses. Despite fears of rising energy costs, we are pleased to report that income from hires has again covered the running cots of the building. Finally, our thanks to Carol Bowyer for again carrying out the independent examination of our accounts. Ian Stretch ACIS (Ret’d) Hon. Treasurer 25[th] August, 2024. _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 02/08/24 |**INCOME & EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT for the year ending 31st July, 2024**|**INCOME & EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT for the year ending 31st July, 2024**|**INCOME & EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT for the year ending 31st July, 2024**|**INCOME & EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT for the year ending 31st July, 2024**|**INCOME & EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT for the year ending 31st July, 2024**|| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |**INCOME:**
Membership Subscriptions
Interest on Deposits
Lottery Proceeds & Other Income
Premises Hire Income
Productions(inc. production fees):
Pantomime
Musical
Other Productions
**TOTAL INCOME**
**EXPENDITURE:**
General Expenses
Stationery & Postage
Insurance
NODA Subscription
Bank & Zettle Charges
Rent & Maintenance of Premises
Depreciation
Productions:
Pantomime
Musical
Other Productions
**TOTAL EXPENDITURE:**
**Surplus or (Deficit) Carried to Capital Fund**|27,213
23,104
-
18,568
26,890
-|**2023/24**
1,916
631
443
12,976
50,317
**£ 66,282**
291
169
1,250
235
71
14,168
50
16,235
45,458
**£ 61,693**
**£ 4,589**|24,324
13,655
-
15,383
15,812
-|**2022/23**
1,861
175
432
15,197
37,978
**£ 55,642**
428
59
1,218
122
57
15,346
265
17,495
31,196
**£ 48,691**
**£ 6,952**|| ||||||| _Formerly_ ## 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 02/08/2024 ## **BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31st JULY, 2024** |**ASSETS**
**Fixed Assets**
**1**
Plant & Equipment (net)
**Current Assets**
Stock of Souvenirs
Sundry Debtors
**2**
Pre-payments:
Bank Deposits
Cash at Bank
Cash in Hand
**Less Current Liabilities**
**3**
Creditors falling due within 1 year
**4**
Accruals
**REPRESENTED BY:**
Capital Fund b/fwd
Surplus from Income & Expenditure A/c|1,555
5,103|**2024**
150
446
-
1,565
50,000
1,884
-
**£ 54,045**
(6,658)
**£ 47,387**
42,798
4,589
**£ 47,387**|1,558
5,103|**2023**
-
370
-
1,990
45,217
1,882
-
**£ 49,459**
(6,661)
**£ 42,798**
35,846
6,952
**£ 42,798**|**2023**| |---|---|---|---|---|---| ## **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 ## **1 Fixed Assets & Depreciation** |Total Assets: Cost B/fwd
5,791
Depreciation B/fwd
Additions
200
Depreciation Charge
Total Cost
**£ 5,991**
Total Depreciation to date
Net Book Value at 31/07/2023
**£ 150**
Depreciation on all assets is calculated on a straight line basis over 10 years.|5,791
50
**£ 5,841**| |---|---| - **2** Prepayments mainly consist of deposits paid in connection with productions scheduled for performance in 2025. - **3** Creditors are sums accrued for running costs associated with Bollescroft, incurred but not paid at the year end, plus hire fees received for future hire bookings - **4** The society's rehearsals and other activities are held in "Bollescroft," a building owned by Broxbourne Borough Council but managed by the society. The accrual represents a provision made for estimated future rent due but never called. Negotiations for a new lease are currently stalled. _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 ## **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, 2024. ## **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: • 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: - accounting records were not kept in accordance with relevant legislation, or - 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: Name: Carol Bowyer, AAT Date: 25/10/2024 Address: Barwick Lodge, Barwick, High Cross, Ware, SG11 1DE _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 31/07/2024 ## **PRODUCTION ACCOUNTS 2023/24** **----- Start of picture text -----**
Production Pantomime Musical
Little
Jack & the Sleeping
Title Sister Act Shop of
Beanstalk Beauty
Horrors
Date Jan 2024 Jan 2023 May 2024 May 2023
Number of Performances 6 8 5 5
INCOME
Ticket Sales 23,611 21,624 19,736 11,755
Production Fees 2,635 1,575 2,950 1,550
410 348 373 321
Programme Sales & Advertising
220 629 - -
Merchandise Sales
337 148 46 29
Other Income
TOTAL INCOME £ 27,213 £ 24,324 £ 23,104.00 £ 13,655
EXPENDITURE
Hire of Theatre 4,598 2,352 4,920 4,231
Production Team Fees 900 1,400 2,400 1,100
853 1,178 4,415 2,023
Orchestra, scores & libretti
1,431 1,562 3,823 153
Wardrobe & Make-up
4,543 2,250 2,054 1,764
Scenery, Props &Special Effects
600 600 600 600
Lighting
Sound & Communications - 140 - 45
1,549 780 2,338 780
Transport
835 1,479 1,182 1,438
Publicity
168 208 117 146
Programme Printing
535 863 3,814 2,257
Royalties
Box Office Commissions 2,361 2,162 1,176 1,176
66 31 32 31
Refreshment Costs
114 328 - -
Merchandise
14 50 20 70
Sundries
TOTAL EXPENDITURE £ 18,568 £ 15,383 £ 26,890 £ 15,812
PROFIT or (LOSS) £ 8,645 £ 8,940 (3,786) (2,158)
Number of Tickets Sold 1,388 1,391 1,107 686
74.9% 75.0% 71.6% 44.4%
Percentage of Total Available
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