Sunshine Picks Up Lottery Slack for Open Air???

The summer's heatwave may have caused misery for some theatres (many of which remain airconditioning-less), but it provided an absolute boon for London's Open Air Theatre. Summer 2003 is officially the most successful on record for the Regent's Park venue. During the three-month season (See News, 2 Jun 2003), running from June to September, more than 135,000 visitors and demand for tickets to the revival of Cole Porter's High Society running so high that, breaking with tradition, the season was extended by a week for the first time in the theatre's 71-year history (See News, 18 Jul 2003). The weather was definitely a factor, according to artistic director Ian Talbot, who commented: "It's been an incredible season. I don't think I've ever known one quite like it in all the years I've worked at the theatre. We only lost three out of the 141 performances due to rain. Financially, this means we can invest in some essential maintenance that wasn't covered by the Lottery grant in 2000."

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