Since 1990, the Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe has focused efforts on first
productions of :
- original works, mounted independently or as coproductions,
- the presentation of works produced by leading European theatre companies
- and touring of its productions both in France and internationally.
For the year 2005, the Odéon's activity has been spread as following:
| | coproductions | receptions | Nbr of representations |
| Main auditorium | 3 | 4 | 164 |
| Little auditorium | 3 | 0 | 50 |
| Tours | 4 | | 75 |
| total Number of representations | 289 |
The Audience
Between 2003 and 2005, the audience attendance increased to 86%. While this improvement is obviously the result of successful programming, it has also been achieved through a proactive policy attracting as many people as possible to the theatre and making them regular members of the audience through subscription and "club" options. Special efforts have also helped raise awareness in the broader community (through contacts with corporations, clubs, associations, schools and universities, and with young people who have dropped out of school), using a simple, friendly approach, including visits to the theatre, meetings with actors, and the opening of a bar and bookshop.
A Few Statistics :
20% of Odéon audiences are subscribers or members of Odéon clubs,
13% of the audiences are groups of friends or come through a club or association,
28% are under the age of 30,
The Budget
- The budget for the theatre has two separate parts:
- The operational budget to run the theatre, i.e. basically covering
running costs (day-to-day management of the building and the payroll for
permanent staff). - The artistic or production budget, covering all expenditure and income related to performances and complementary activities
The Staff
with one quarter in administration and production,
half in stage management and technical positions
and the remaining quarter in communications and positions dealing with the public.
In addition to permanent staff, the theatre employs actors and casual stage hands and technicians, plus others for a range of positions covered by temporary contracts. At the end of 2005, the Theatre employed 112 permanent employees.
A theatre is basically labour-intensive and expenditure on staff needed to run the establishment accounts for approximately 65% of the total budget.
