'My Fair Lady' puts Guthrie in the black

My Fair LadyGuthrie Theatre
Helen Anker (Eliza Doolittle) in the Guthrie Theater's production of 'My Fair Lady'.
Joan Marcus

The Guthrie Theater ended the year with a quarter million dollar surplus, in part due to a successful summer run of "My Fair Lady."

"My Fair Lady" was the highest grossing show in Guthrie History, selling 100 percent of available tickets. The surplus comes a year after the theater ended the 2012-13 season with a $437,000 deficit.

Artistic director Joe Dowling also credits belt-tightening, increased giving and finding a balance of shows across the Guthrie's three stages that appealed to a broad audience.

"It is a balancing act, and sometimes we get it right and sometimes we got it wrong," Dowling said. "But this year thankfully we got it right."

The current season is Dowling's last before he steps down after 20 years. The theater will name a successor in the new year.

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