Wimborne’s annual musical summer treat will not go ahead this year because of the cost.
Wimborne Musical Theatre had been planning on giving six performances of The Wizard of Oz at the Tivoli in June. However their last major production, Annie Get Your Gun, lost £7000 and the society has decided not to risk another financial loss.
The summer shows generally do not make a profit but with theatre audiences down the group agreed to play it safe.
WMTS chairman Sylvia Walpole said: “It costs around £15-16,000 to put on a musical and while we have money in the bank we wanted to avoid the possibility of losing money again.
“If we could guarantee to sell tickets we would have gone ahead but as there is no certainty about the size of the audience the company decided to just put on a smaller show this year.”
Traditionally Wimborne Musical Theatre has entertained theatre-goers with concerts in the autumn featuring a selection of songs from popular shows and it is these which make money to fund the major productions. The company is turning to this type of show this summer. In stead of The Wizard of Oz the company members will be performing Cruising Thro’ Summer on 24th – 25th June featuring songs with a nautical theme.
Sylvia added that members hope to do a full scale production next year.
