Arts Centre Melbourne Announces January Results

The myth that Australians can only be found at the beach in January was again blown out of the water with audiences flocking in huge numbers to "slip, slop...sit in the theatre" said
Arts Centre Melbourne Chief Executive Judith Isherwood today.

January has been one of the busiest in memory at Australia's largest performing arts centre with more than 134,000 people attending Summer Season ticketed performances and a further 80,000 attending the free participation events and exhibitions.

Arts Centre Melbourne's inaugural Summer Season features a host of spectacular local and interNational Theatre, dance and music events and the big January crowds attended a diverse mix of performances across all venues.

January kicked off with the highly popular season of War Horse at the State Theatre, a raft of shows for kids and families in The Playhouse Theatre and Fairfax Studio including Giggle & Hoot, Justine Clarke's Pop Up Tour 2012, Oh Suivant!, Leo and MTC's The Other Place, and at Hamer Hall Blaze The Show and David Byrne and St Vincent.

Meanwhile, things were also rocking at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, recently rated by Pollstar magazine as 2012's Number One amphitheatre outside North America for ticket sales (number 38 on the 2012 Top 100 list). The Summadayze music festival, US rockers Weezer, free Australia Day Concerts and Swedish House Mafia gigs all attracted great audiences in January.

"We are thrilled to bits that 214,000 Victorians and visitors have attended in such numbers and exposed themselves to some great summer entertainment," said Ms Isherwood. "Even though our summer season is still under way - with the wild and wonderful adventures of The Famous Spiegeltent season now thrown into the mix as well - we are already planning on how we can make next summer at Arts Centre Melbourne even hotter!"