Page 31 - Playhouse Annual Report 2021:22

2. Auditor’s Report: Predetermined Objectives
The Auditor-General of South Africa currently performs the necessary audit procedures on the performance information to provide reasonable assurance in the form of an audit conclusion. The audit conclusion on the performance against predetermined objectives is included in the report to management, with material findings being reported under the Predetermined Objectives heading in the report on other legal and regulatory requirements in the auditor’s report.
Refer to page 55 for the Auditor’s Report, published as Part E: Financial Information.
3. Overview of Performance
3.1 Service delivery environment
The Covid-19 regulations were relaxed during the third and fourth quarter of the financial year and this enable the Playhouse Company to produce and present more productions on the stages. There was an increase in the number of patrons attending these productions and this resulted in increased box office takings.
The Playhouse Company has managed to achieve 88% of the annual performance targets despite budget cuts experienced during the year and the various levels of Covid 19 regulations implemented during the year. Covid-19 regulations were then relaxed allowing The Playhouse to contribute to socio-economic transformation by providing opportunities to historically disadvantaged groups and entrepreneurs to participate, grow and develop within the sector. Management reports on this to Council on a quarterly basis. The Playhouse Company creates employment directly by procuring goods and services from small and micro enterprises owned and operated by previously disadvantaged peoples. The Playhouse Company has interactive community conversations with artists, arts companies and the public at large where conversational topics are discussed and matters relating to financial literacy and broad based black economic empowerment matters are addressed. Artists and arts companies are given the necessary guidance to apply for the BBBEE certificates so that they can register on the National Treasury Central Supplier Database and be eligible to do work with government entities.
3.2 Organisational environment
The Playhouse Company was imposed budget cuts in operation and capital grant allocations from the National Department of Sport, Arts and Culture. The Playhouse Company managed to create work for artists who were hardest affected by the lock down regulations. 3 985 artists received gainful employment whilst 2 931 of these artists were youth who benefited from productions presented by The Playhouse Company. In line with the Ministers of Sport, Arts and Culture’s directive to make the theatre venues available free of charge to artists, 19 partnerships were entered into with independent producers whilst 22 other independent producers were able to present their productions on stage, record the productions and present the recorded productions on their various social media platforms.
Despite the increasingly challenging operating and fiscal environment created by the Covid 19 pandemic, The Playhouse Company has remained financially viable, and currently finds itself in a sound financial position.
3.3 Key Policy developments and legislative changes
There are no updates to the policy mandates that affected The Playhouse Company’s operations during the year.
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