More money than ever before was taken at the Edinburgh International Festival box office in 2008. The final figure at the box office is estimated to be £2.63m.
The increase, estimated at a 7% rise on last year, is due in part to the widespread popularity of the dance programme, including Matthew Bourne's Dorian Gray which became the biggest-selling dance event in the Festival's history, seen by 13,123 people.
A third of EIF events sold out.
Festival audiences for talks and conversations also grew this year, signifying an increasing engagement with artists and the ideas behind the Festival programme.
Jonathan Mills, Festival Director, said: "So many people have drawn
together to put on a fantastic Festival. I would like to thank our
funders, our sponsors and supporters, the audiences, the staff and of
course the artists for giving us a tremendous three weeks of
performances."
The Edinburgh International Festival's record-breaking box office take contrasts sharply with the fortunes of the Edinburgh Fringe which saw its 2008 sales dropping 10% on last year, and ongoing ticketing problems before and during the Fringe. Fringe director Jon Morgan resigned after the Fringe had ended.
Back to beginnings
The International Festival went back to its post-Second World War roots as a platform for peace and unity, with its theme this year of Artists Without Borders.
That was unexpectedly poignant when Prima ballerina Nina Ananiashvili and her company the State Ballet of Georgia "danced for their country" as troubles continued to escalate in South Ossetia. A week later, Valery Gergiev took a planned break from his residency at the Edinburgh International Festival to travel to South Ossetia to conduct a concert in the shelled capital, Tskhinvali. However, familiar confrontational patterns also re-surfaced in the anti-Israeli protest of the Jerusalem Quartet.
Mahmoud Darwish, the multi-award winning and highly respected Arab poet, died on 9 August 2008. An adaptation of his work Jidariyya had its UK premiere from the Palestinian National Theatre at the Festival five days later, the day after his funeral. The company dedicated its performance to its "beloved poet". Darwish's poem was written following his previous experience of recovering from heart surgery, lending the performances an extra level of poetry in light of the events which preceded its opening.
Usher Hall
The Usher Hall's multi-million pound redevelopment was temporarily suspended so that it could host 22 EIF concerts in 2008. Highlights included Valery Gergiev's residency with the London Symphony Orchestra, Alfred Brendel's lastever Edinburgh concert and Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducting the Monteverdi Choir. The Usher Hall redevelopment is scheduled to be complete in Spring 2009, and will be a centrepiece for next year's Festival.
EIF 2009
The first company to be announced as part of the Edinburgh International Festival 2009 was Belt Up (nothing to see/hear), winners of the Edinburgh International Festival Award 2008. The Award is made for innovation, creativity and potential to a company on the Fringe, and having won it this year Belt Up Theatre will appear in the Behind the Scenes programme of Festival 09.