Musik Theater Bern closed its first financial year 2011/12 with a positive result of CHF 402,547. This was due to cost savings, higher ticket income than expected and special effects from the merger project, the institution writes in its press release. In general, the number of visitors increased slightly compared to the previous season.

The most significant increase in audience numbers was recorded by the drama department: In his last season in Bern, drama director Erich Sidler and the ensemble presented 241 performances, 38 more than in the previous season. The number of visitors rose from 40,572 to 46,353.

By contrast, the number of visitors to the music theater fell by around 7,000 to 33,851 in 2011/12, partly due to the fact that one fewer new production was presented than in the previous year.

In music theater, the most successful productions were Richard Wagner's "The Flying Dutchman" (70% capacity), Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte" (65% capacity) and the revival of Handel's "Semele" (72% capacity). The number of concertgoers of the Bern Symphony Orchestra rose from 28,874 to 30,316.

The dance division under the direction of Cathy Marston was able to attract new audiences, in particular through an increased presence in the Grosses Haus and participation in the Swiss-wide STEPS dance festival: The total number of spectators rose from 9946 to 10,697.

The French-language performances of the "Nouvelle Scène" were attended by a total of 3,453 spectators, around ten percent more than in the previous year (3,124). There were 1128 visitors to guest performances - including a performance by the "Kummerbuben".