IT has won a clutch of awards for its hard-hitting portrayal of army life and the stark reality of a group of servicemen returning from Iraq.

Black Watch, the National Theatre of Scotland (NTS) production, is singled out for its contribution to a near-20% rise in the number of people attending productions by Scotland's five national companies.

Another NTS production, Beautiful Burnout, set in the world of boxing, was also noted in a report that revealed the NTS and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO), Scottish Ballet, Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO) and Scottish Opera performed to nearly half a million people last year.

The Scottish Government's Annual Report on Activity outlines healthy finances and a combined audience of 457,774 in 2010/11. This growth in audience reflects an increase in performances of 31%, from 692 in 2009/10 to 904 in 2010/11.

In total, the companies gave just in excess of 900 performances and 3999 education and outreach events, attracting 111,468 participants.

The most attended was the NTS, with more than 154,000 audience members for its 501 performances.

The least attended national company was Scottish Ballet, with nearly 57,000 audience members at 89 performances.

A summary of the year-end operating position of the five companies, four of which are based in Glasgow, shows all of them in the black, with the report stating that each is in good financial health."

In total, they receive £24.5 million annually from the Scottish Government and are now in their fifth year of a direct funding relationship.

The companies themselves approve of this arrangement, which removes their funding from the oversight of Creative Scotland, the main national arts funding body.

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: "In the four years since Scotland's five national performing companies came into a direct funding relationship with Government, they have delivered more than 3500 performances to over 2.2 million people.

"In 2010/11, people the length and breadth of Scotland were given opportunities to experience and participate in the fantastic work of the companies – with activity delivered across all of Scotland's 32 local authority areas – and I am delighted to see that their combined audience grew by one-fifth over the year.

"This remarkable achievement highlights the huge contribution the companies make to Scotland's rich cultural life.

"As well as stimulating pride in Scotland's rich heritage at home, our national performing companies have attracted significant artistic acclaim abroad, showcasing Scotland's modern, vibrant and diverse culture to audiences around the world."

In addition, the companies increased their combined income from non-public sources, from £9.2m in 2009/10 to £11m in 2010/11.

The report also notes that the companies each received "additional support" in 2010/11 totalling £1.69m from the Scottish Government to take account of "the effect of severe winter weather and to assist in the future reduction of revenue grants", as well as assistance to offset costs from changes to their pension funds.

In her introduction to the report, Ms Hyslop adds: "Our national performing companies have also attracted significant artistic acclaim abroad.

"They are international ambassadors for Scotland, and the excellent work that they tour internationally showcases Scotland's modern, vibrant and diverse culture around the world."

Other "notable achievements" detailed in the Government report include RSNO's sell-out Prom, Scottish Ballet's Romeo and Juliet, the SCO's tours, and Scottish Opera's successful production of The Marriage of Figaro.