Waking Exploits Theatre Producer Michael Salmon Jailed For Fraud

The Cardiff-based Waking Exploits Theatre Company entered the Wales theatre scene in 2011 with a well-received production of Caryl Churchill's SERIOUS MONEY. Five years later, serious money issues are the cause for the company's demise.

As reported by The Stage, the company's producer, Michael Salmon, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of fraud. He's also been fined £8,000 in compensation for scams totaling nearly £65,000.

The conviction comes after admitting to several fraudulent claims for grant aid between May of 2015 and February of 2016.

Salmon stated that he had been funding several projects simultaneously and had used money from unconnected productions to help sustain others.

Defense barrister Jonathan Lewis argued that his client's motivation was not greed, but that this was a case of "very poor financial mismanagement by Mr. Salmon with an arching degree of dishonesty."

The theatre company's website makes no mention of the circumstances behind the company's closing, stating, "We take our final curtain now, knowing that the industry is stronger than it was when we started."

Click here for the full story.

The video promotes Waking Exploits' 2011 production of Caryl Churchill's SERIOUS MONEY.

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!