Drama Soc’s musical turns a profit

DCU Drama’s hit musical Rent is expected to become only the second musical staged by the society to turn a profit, the College View has learned.

The show, which cost over €22,500, was partly supported by the Societies and Publications Committee (SPC) with a funding grant of €5,400. The production was also supported by a combination of sponsorship from local businesses and ticket revenue. Although the annual musical has frequently been a major loss-maker for the society, Rent’s producer Roibeard O Mhurcu has welcomed the reversal of trends.

“Rent will be the second DCU Drama musical in its history to turn a profit, the first being last year’s Fame. The musical has traditionally been a huge loss-maker, so it’s good to see this trend being gradually reversed,” he said.

The show sold 1,350 tickets over the course of four performances. Use of the Helix combined with sound and lighting had a price tag of €10,500 while the set cost €3,000. The services of director John Donnelly were secured by €3,000.

Promotional merchandise such as posters, flyers and t-shirts cost €2,000 with another €2,000 being paid for miscellaneous items such as costumes and make-up.

Despite high costs, producer Roibeard O’Mhurcu said that the profit is a “bonus”.

“The profit margin won’t be huge, but we are not going to lose money, which is always a bonus. Compared to previous year’s shows, this (year’s performance) represented an increase in spending in the region of €4,000.”

Considering the success of the show, O’Mhurcu does not feel that €22,500 was all that much.

“Our show cost a fraction of the cost of a ‘professional show’. We were told by those ‘in the know’ that a musical in the Gaiety/Olympia could have budgets running into the €100,000s and above.

“I feel that it’s worth noting that the point of the DCU Drama musical is not to run a business to make a profit. The point of the DCU Drama musical and so many other student events is to provide an excellent experience for everyone involved - which I’m sure anyone you speak to from the cast and/or crew will agree.”