Melbourne Theatre Company has published its 2025 Annual Report, which shows a net deficit of $3.9m and a fall in total revenue of more than $2.1 million, from the previous year’s $28m to $24.45m.

According to its figures, the company attracted nearly 190,000 paying attendees to its productions which generated $13.4 million in box  office income. Commonwealth and State Government grants came to $3.9m, which the balance coming from a variety of philanthropic and investment sources.

Across the year, MTC staged 550 performances, employed 439 actors, creatives and industry professionals, and commissioned four new Australian works. More than 12,900 ticket buyers attended the company for the first time.

Anne-Louise Sarks. Photo © Eugene Hyland

Single-ticket sales increased as a proportion of revenue, with more than half of all single-ticket buyers new to the company — the highest share since 2018.

The season was one dominated by Australian work, with more than half of its programming locally created and five productions developed through its NEXT STAGE Writers’ Program.

In her first report as sole CEO and Artistic Director, Anne-Louise Sarks said the company was actively reshaping its business model in response to changing audience behaviour,...