Annual Report 2016 Isobelle Dashwood in Ballet Under the Stars, Penrith NSW. Photo Kate Longley CONTENTS 6 MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 8 ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S REPORT 10 BOARD OF DIRECTORS 15 2016 OVERVIEW 20 PRODUCTIONS 36 KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS 40 ORCHESTRA VICTORIA 47 FINANCIAL REPORT 78 FINANCIAL SUPPORTERS 86 PARTNERS 92 DIRECTORS, ARTISTS AND EMPLOYEE STATISTICS 3 Richard House's Scent of Love. Photo Daniel Boud MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 2016 was an exciting year for The Australian Ballet and one in which As Australia’s national company, presenting ballet across the country, the company achieved significant success both on and off the stage. we work with many venue partners. We particularly value the close working relationships with our hometown venues, in which we are the In its 55th year the company demonstrated its commitment to “caring resident ballet company: the Sydney Opera House and Arts Centre for tradition, daring to be different” and realised important, ambitious Melbourne. We also acknowledge the support of venues which goals. Our seasons featured productions ranging from an exhilarating welcomed us during 2016: Melbourne’s Palais Theatre in St Kilda, showcase, including new works from The Australian Ballet’s emerging Canberra Theatre Centre, the Adelaide Festival Centre and many more choreographic talent, to productions featuring the luminous beauty in outer metropolitan and regional locations across Australia. Our of classical repertoire and a spectacularly moving tribute to a ballet orchestra colleagues across the country – notably Orchestra Victoria, legend, Nijinsky. Our performances showcased the artistry, talent and the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, the Queensland Symphony commitment of our exceptional artists and achieved success across Orchestra and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra – are also essential our key measures including artistic vibrancy, audience response, box- performance partners. In 2016 we delivered 100% of our mainstage office results and peer review. We congratulate David McAllister and performances with live music. all of The Australian Ballet’s dancers, musicians and staff for these outstanding results. As in previous years, The Australian Ballet’s community reach extended well beyond major theatres. In 2016 our Education team In 2016, the second year of The Australian Ballet’s current five- delivered workshops and performances in schools and creative year strategic plan, we made significant progress towards our residencies for 26,142 students, teachers and community members strategic objectives. More Australians connected with the art form in every Australian state and territory. To increase knowledge of our and our company’s performances than ever before, The Australian art form and our company, we also reached a further 28,678 people Ballet engaged in a number of national and international artistic through our Step Inside audience engagement activities in 2016. collaborations of the highest calibre, we developed new international audiences with our touring and digital broadcasts, and we progressed The Australian Ballet continued to grow our virtual audiences in 2016 plans to upgrade our facilities. with digital initiatives. Our global digital collaboration, World Ballet “In its 55th year the company demonstrated its commitment to ‘caring for tradition, daring to be different’ and realised important, ambitious goals.” Day, engaged 135 million viewers worldwide with 20 hours of live, Continuing our busy performance schedule, in 2016 The Australian behind-the-scenes footage on worldballetday.com and on Facebook Ballet delivered 302 performances of 21 ballets across Queensland, LIVE – and is the longest live broadcast ever shown on the social News South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and the media platform. In 2016, through a partnership with CinemaLive, The United Kingdom. We presented Australian audiences with two world Australian Ballet’s performances of David McAllister’s The Sleeping premieres and hosted the Houston Ballet, performing in Australia for Beauty and Alexei Ratmansky’s Cinderella were enjoyed by more than the first time under the artistic direction of Stanton Welch, a former 20,000 people in cinemas across Australia, the United Kingdom and artist of The Australian Ballet. During 2016 the dancers performed United States of America. abroad in Houston and London and we welcomed guest artists and creative professionals from Amsterdam, Hamburg, Houston, London, We are very proud of the achievements of The Australian Ballet’s New York and San Francisco. wholly owned subsidiary, Orchestra Victoria. The orchestra performed for a total of 177,042 people in 2016. Ranging from performances In 2016 The Australian Ballet’s performances were attended by with Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet and Victorian Opera in 345,523 people nationally and internationally. We performed our Melbourne to playing music from Broadway on the banks of the mainstage season to 248,065 people in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide Murray River in Cobram, Orchestra Victoria presented world-class and Brisbane. Our regional tour delivered world-class ballet – a music to diverse audiences throughout the state. The orchestra’s full-length production of Giselle - to 14,257 people across regional regional concerts were attended by 3,849 people and a further 298 Australia. In a new partnership with Destination NSW and the Penrith regional music students, teachers and music makers participated in City Council, we presented a free outdoor performance to over 6,000 Orchestra Victoria’s education and community workshops. people with a Ballet Under the Stars gala in Western Sydney. Our Storytime Ballet initiative for children reached 56,771 of our youngest The Australian Ballet’s progress is built on many valuable partnerships, audience members and their families as the production toured NSW, which continue to sustain us. We are very proud to be one of ACT, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. And continuing our Australia’s major performing arts companies and grateful for the long tradition of international touring, The Australian Ballet travelled essential support and encouragement that we receive from our to London in July 2016 to present twelve performances of two of our government funding partners, the Australia Council for the Arts, full-scale signature works, Alexei Ratmansky’s Cinderella and Graeme Creative Victoria and Create NSW. This government support sustains Murphy’s Swan Lake, for 20,311 new audience members. our core seasons as well as our regional and international tours. In 2016 the Commonwealth Government’s Catalyst – Australian Arts and Annual Report — 2016 6 MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Kevin Jackson and Robyn Hendricks in Vitesse. Photo Daniel Boud Culture Fund provided valuable funding for our plans to redevelop The result for the total TAB Group for 2016 was $4.1 million, a result our home, The Primrose Potter Australian Ballet Centre. This Catalyst assisted by income generated from The Australian Ballet Foundation, funding created the foundation for a major capital campaign and developed over time through the generosity of our philanthropic as a result we have been able to leverage funds for this important community. project from a number of major foundations, including the Ian Potter Our financial results illustrate how important our large community Foundation as well as many other generous supporters. We are of loyal and philanthropic patrons is The Australian Ballet’s ongoing proud that our long-standing partnership with government continues financial viability. On behalf of the Board of The Australian Ballet to enable a successful public/private approach to major projects and all company members, we would like to acknowledge and thank such as this redevelopment, which will benefit Australian artists for the many generous individuals, including Lady Potter AC CMRI, generations to come. President of the Annual Giving Program; our Foundation Board; The The Australian Ballet is also sustained by many corporate partnerships, Australian Ballet Society in Victoria; and the Friends of The Australian which continue to generate important mutual benefits. We are Ballet in New South Wales and South Australia, along with our many grateful for the ongoing support of our Principal Partner Telstra, and philanthropic supporters. Your friendship and generosity inspires and celebrated 32 years of partnership in 2016 with great pride. We are sustains us. also grateful to our 2016 International Tour Partner, News UK, whose By all measures 2016 was a successful year for The Australian Ballet. generous support contributed to the success of our London tour. We On behalf of the company, we would like to acknowledge and thank launched exciting new partnerships with Destination NSW, Penrith our hardworking Board of Directors for their invaluable wisdom, City Council and Twin Creeks Golf & Country Club in 2016, which will governance and advice. We are particularly grateful to Sarah Murdoch, support the presentation of an annual free outdoor ballet performance who retired from the Board in 2016 after serving as a Director for ten in Western Sydney for three years. We were also delighted to years and as our Deputy Chair for the last four years. Sarah has made announce Nature’s Care as a new Major Partner, and our Official an outstanding and enduring contribution to the company through her Vitamin Partner, for the next three