RTÉ incurred losses of more than €2.2 million staging Toy Show The Musical, according to documents sent by the broadcaster to the Oireachtas Media Committee.
They provide previously unknown details on the cost of the musical.
Here's what we now know
The business case for the musical was based on filling 83.75% of seating capacity across 54 shows in the 2,000 seater National Convention Centre in the Dublin docklands.
This would have seen 90,200 tickets sold at a price of €46.50.
To break even, 70% of tickets needed to be sold across the planned run. That’s the equivalent of 75,400 tickets.
In the end, the musical ran for 27 shows during which 22,262 people saw the show.
However, we now know just 11,044 tickets were sold. 5,573 further tickets were supplied to guests on a complimentary basis and 3,645 were awarded as prizes.
This means 41% of seating capacity was occupied during the shows which were staged, but just 20% of the total seating capacity was paid for.
We also now know the total cost of production was just under €2.7 million, while total revenue generated was €496,000. Of that revenue, €451,000 was raised in tickets sales and €45,000 came through sponsorship.
Under the modelling in the original business plan, revenue of €3.2m was forecast.
Costs included the creative team, pre-production, rehearsals, stage management, venue hire, running costs, marketing and press and contingency.
RTÉ said the plan was impacted by a number of show cancellations linked to outbreaks of Covid-19 within the cast.
€251,000 worth of refunds were issued according to the broadcaster’s Summary Financial Report, that is the equivalent to 5,400 tickets.
In a statement Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin said that the Chair of the RTÉ Board Siún Ní Raghallaigh had "confirmed they will initiate a further Grant Thornton investigation of the Toy Show the Musical."
Last week, RTÉ’s Director of Strategy Rory Coveney said there would not be another run of shows this year, saying it wasn't successful commercially.
Mr Coveney didn’t rule out a return for the show. "We’re reviewing how we might bring it back in future," he said.
He said at Wednesday’s sitting of the Oireachtas Media Committee that the only residual on-going costs associated with the musical is €8,000 which is being spent currently per year to store the set.
