“Sea Wall/A Life” announced recoupment of its initial investment at the conclusion of its nine-week Broadway run.
Starring Tom Sturridge and Jake Gyllenhaal, whose company was also a producer of the play, “Sea Wall/A Life” was capitalized for up to $2.8 million, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The production, which was produced by Gyllenhaal and Riva Marker’s Nine Stories, as well as Ambassador Theatre Group, Seaview Productions and Benjamin Lowy Productions, ended its run on Sept. 29.
After transferring from the Public Theater, “Sea Wall/A Life” played 74 performances on Broadway at the Hudson Theatre, with the production beginning on July 26 and opening on Aug. 8. Attendance for the production, which featured two one-act plays, remained high, averaging out to 96% across its run, according to the producers.
Grosses, however, hovered between 60% and 70% of total potential during the run. The production reached its highest gross in its last week, reaching $854,678, or 84% of its gross potential.
The majority of ticket buyers, 73%, were first-time theater attendees, according to Ambassador Theatre Group.
“Opening on Broadway during the season’s toughest months of summer for a limited run and returning our investment in nine weeks is nothing short of a coup. We are incredibly grateful to the audiences, many first-time theatergoers to Hudson Theatre,” Marker said in the press release.
This is the first production of the 2019-2020 season to recoup its Broadway investment.
The plays were written Simon Stephens and Nick Payne, respectively, and directed by Carrie Cracknell.
