## **CHAIRMAN’S REPORT 2023**
The Phoenix Theatre has had a fantastic year! We’ve put on some amazing productions and entertained some very appreciative audiences while showing off the many and varied talents of our members. I’m proud to be Chair of our delightful little theatre.
Last summer the Phoenix Theatre Singers presented, ‘A Hundred Years of Song’ to mark a hundred years of ROADS-Ross Operatic and Dramatic Society. This outstanding show went on to win the NODA award for the Best Concert. This is a fantastic achievement as it is the second year running that they have won the award in this category. The Singers Christmas Show is a regular feature in the theatre’s calendar and, as usual, it was full of seasonal songs, sketches and recitations to herald the start of Christmas. The Singers are currently rehearsing for this summers’ show, ‘Anything Goes’, which runs from 21[st] to the 24[th] of June. I’m sure it will be up to the same high standard as previous award winning shows, and who knows, it may even be a contender for next years NODA award.
In November an Alan Ayckbourn classic, ‘How the Other Half Loves’, directed by Graham Russell, required split second timing by the cast and ingenious set design, both of which were achieved to great comedic effect. It was a very slick production.
In March Richard Elgood and Richard Watson brought the world premier of ‘Venice Revisited’ to the theatre. This was a musical based on, ‘The Merchant of Venice’. It demanded a very talented cast of actors and singers as well as some skilful set design, all of which we have in abundance at the Phoenix. It took a lot of hard work and commitment but it was well worth it. It was a very stimulating and successful production.
Last week I enjoyed, ‘Murder in Company’, directed by Renee Field. Although it involved a murder which took place during the rehearsals of an amateur dramatic company, I am assured that it is not a premonition of anything that is likely to happen at the Phoenix.
I’m pleased to be able to report that our Youth Theatre is going from strength to strength; so much so that we now have three groups meeting every Saturday. Last summer they put on, ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’, to full houses and the production was nominated for a NODA award. At the moment they are busy rehearsing for four performances of, ‘Alice in Wonderland’, on the 1[st] and 2[nd] of July. The children are all very enthusiastic and we are all looking forward to seeing them perform.
The Phoenix Theatre is also a popular venue for visiting performers such as, ‘Our Star Theatre Company’. The very talented Peter Gill brings a variety of his one man shows to the theatre, the most recent of which was based on the work of Noel Coward. On one occasion he provided the piano accompaniment for Anita Harris who delighted a full house with her singing and anecdotes culminating in an informal conversation with her audience.
Our Cinema is also flourishing under the leadership of Graham Russell, who has introduced National Theatre Live to the programme of regular popular films.
In January, our black tie event to mark a hundred years of ROADS, took place at the Royal Hotel. This event was very well supported and it was great to have an excuse to dress up and celebrate together. A good time was had by all!
We have also been able to introduce some extra members evenings with a couple of very entertaining and amusing rehearsed play readings, under the guidance of Maurice Thompson who is also our technical expert. For our next member’s evening, in July, we are planning a quiz night. I hope to see you all there.
Some of you may have noticed that we have had to increase our ticket prices by £2. It is the only price rise that we have had for a number of years. Sadly, the theatre, like everyone, is faced by higher energy bills so this has to be reflected in our prices. Some of our sound and lighting equipment has also become very antiquated and we have had to replace certain items which has brought our system more up to date, increasing efficiency and flexibility. However, we do now offer a complementary programme. This is partly the result of the practice of avoiding handling money during Covid and partly because not everyone carries money these days.
I would like to thank Catriona Pearson who, after many years as membership secretary, has decided to take a well-earned rest. In the past she has served as bar manager and she was also building manager throughout the last refurbishment. Over the years she has made an invaluable contribution to the theatre and we are all very appreciative of the time she has given. I’m sure we will continue to see her in the audience and at members’ evenings in the future.
Lastly a big thank you to everyone who quietly works behind the scenes; stage managers, props, costumes, behind the bar, on box office, front of house, scenery construction, publicity, cleaning, sound and lighting and building management. Without you and of course our audiences, none of this would be possible. We need our volunteers so if anyone feels that they have skills to offer and they would like to contribute and become part of our team, we’d love to hear from you.
Finally, my thanks and appreciation must go to the Committee who give their time in so many ways to co-ordinate everything and make sure that all the productions in our theatre are as professional, enjoyable and successful as they can be.
I look forward to welcoming future audiences to the Phoenix Theatre where we will continue to entertain you to the same high standard that we have all come to expect.
Many thanks, to everyone who has contributed towards making our theatre the success that it is.
Pat Fitzpatrick
**THE PHOENIX THEATRE FINANCIAL REPORT 1[ST] MAY 2022 – 30[TH] APRIL 2023**
|**INCOME**|||**This year**|**Last year**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|Bar Income|||£6,543.09|£3,327.35|
|Car Parking|||£ 800.00|£1,260.00|
|Subscriptions|||£1,830.00|£1,765.00|
|Theatre Hire|||£5,490.88|£9,381.77|
|Cinema – Screen at the Phoenix|||£2,154.52|£ 253.28|
|Donations|||£ 280.00|£ 632.60|
|Productions:|The Weekend|£3,918.54|||
||Fantastic Mr Fox|£1,903.00|||
||A Hundred Years of Song|£1,416.00|||
||How The Other Half Loves|£4,034.79|||
||Christmas with the Singers|£1,553.28|||
||Venice Revisited|£2,640.19|£15,465.80|£3,863.17|
|Refunds|||£ 0.00|£ 774.58|
|Herefordshire Council Grant|||£
0.00|£8,000.00|
|Ross Community|Hospital donation||£ 0.00|£ 212.50|
||**TOTAL INCOME**||**£32,564.33**|**£29,470.25**|
|**EXPENSES**|||**This year**|**Last year**|
|Bar|||£2,584.43|
£2,438.12|
|New Equipment – Apple MacBook Pro, QLab 4 software, Lights, Splitter|||box,||
||PAT tester||£5,234.85|£1,021.80|
|Maintenance:|Cleaning|£1,778.39|||
||General maintenance|£ 980.22|||
||Health & safety|£ 748.20|£3,506.81|£3,447.86|
|Cinema – Screen at the Phoenix|||£1,196.32|£ 299.17|
|Phoenix Youth - Fantastic Mr Fox|||£ 0.00|£ 247.50|
|Insurance|||£1,697.24|£1,677.41|
|Licences|||£ 669.57|£ 70.00|
|Professional Fees|||£ 120.00|£ 165.00|
|General – website, advertising, EposNow till sub, stationery, music,|||||
|costumes, members evenings, xmas party, dinner dance, NODA sub|||£2,336.69|£ 791.01|
|Productions:|Relative Values|£ 26.96|||
||The Weekend|£1,473.38|||
||Fantastic Mr Fox|£ 719.24|||
||A Hundred Years of Song|£ 920.00|||
||How The Other Half Loves|£1,934.84|||
||Christmas with the Singers|£ 833.73|||
||Venice Revisited|£1,345.36|||
||Murder in Company|£ 113.89|£7,367.40|£3,076.94|
|Utilities:|Electricity|£2,031.42|||
||Gas|£2,347.05|||
||Water|£ 232.47|||
||Internet|£ 399.23|||
||Telephone|£ 411.90|||
||TV Licence|£ 159.00|£5,581.07|£4,883.36|
|Theatre Hire|||£3,710.13|£6,652.07|
|Ross Community|Hospital donation||£ 0.00|£ 212.50|
||**TOTAL EXPENDITURE**||**£34,004.51**|**£24,982.74**|
**Deficit for Year LLOYDS ACCOUNT as at 30[th] April 2023**
**£1,440.18**
**£47,913.27**
## **TOTAL OPENING BALANCE (INCLUDING OPENING ASSETS) as at 1[st] May 2022 £50,617.50**
Bar stock £ 437.30 Bar float £ 80.00 Production Float £ 100.00 Bank Account £47,913.27 Total Closing Balances £48,530.57 **TOTAL CLOSING BALANCE (INCLUDING CLOSING ASSETS) as at 30[th] April 2023 £48,530.57**
## **TREASURER'S REPORT 2022 – 2023**
I am pleased to say that things have got back to normal at the theatre since the coronavirus pandemic. Theatre productions of The Weekend, How The Other Half Loves and Venice Revisited have taken place and the Phoenix Singers have put on their performances of A Hundred Years of Song and Christmas with the Phoenix Singers. The theatre has also been used for outside hire including the Our Star Theatre Company and Peter Gill. The Phoenix Youth (with members of the team from The Courtyard Theatre) put on their production of Fantastic Mr Fox and the Screen at the Phoenix cinema has shown a number of films and has recently introduced NT Live to the theatre.
Income this year has come from the gross profit from individual productions – The Weekend £2,445.16, A Hundred Years of Song £496.00, How The Other Half Loves £2,099.95, Christmas with The Phoenix Singers £719.55, Venice Revisited £1,294.83 - and also from the Phoenix Youth production of Fantastic Mr Fox, the cinema screenings and the hire of the theatre for outside productions.
The main area of expenditure this year has been on new equipment including upgrading our sound and lighting equipment with an Apple MacBook Pro and QLab 4 software, new lights and splitter box and PAT testing equipment.
Excluding productions, the net overall expenditure of running the theatre this year (i.e. bar, maintenance, insurance, licences, general items and utilities) has totalled in the region of £7,000 taking into account the offsetting income received from the bar, car parking and subscriptions.
At the end of the financial year, we are in a very good financial position with a balance of £47,913.27 in the bank. So, with a full programme of productions and events in the coming year the theatre will continue to grow from strength to strength.
## **Amanda Barrett – Treasurer**
## **ROBERT JT WILLIAMS KRISMAR ALTON STREET ROSS ON WYE HEREFORDSHIRE HR9 5NN**
## **Phoenix Theatre- Audit of the accounts for the period from 1[st] May 2022 to 30th April 2023.**
Opening assets of £50,617.50 plus income of £32,564.33 less expenses of £34,004.51 agreed to the closing assets of £48,530.57 after taking into account a decrease in the bar stock of £646.75
The closing assets were represented by :-
Lloyds Bank £47,913.27 Bar stock £ 437.30 Bar float £ 80.00 Cash reserve £ 100.00 Total £48,530.57
## **Closing Assets**
The bank balance of £47,913.27 was checked and agreed to the bank statements.
Bar stock of £437.30 was checked and agreed to the bar stock report.
Production floats were unchanged from the previous year.
All accounts in Sage checked and agreed to the amounts recorded in the financial report.
## **Income**
Samples of income checked and traced to the paying in books and bank statements
Events statements checked and relevant receipts checked to the bank statements.
Receipts for subscriptions totalled and agreed to the paying in books.
Receipts for parking and donations checked and traced to bank statements.
## **Expenditure**
Sample of invoices checked, and subsequent payments checked to cheque stubs and to bank statements.
Payments also cross checked to final accounts.
Direct debit agreements checked to bank statements and final accounts.
Profitability of the various productions noted.
## **Overall Review**
Having carried out the audit I am happy that the financial position of the Phoenix Theatre is accurately stated by the accounts prepared.
Robert J.T.Williams
Date…………………