East Riding Theatre

What East Riding Theatre does

East Riding Theatre (legal entity: East Riding Theatre Limited; registered charity number 1166020; company number 08092391) is a private not-for-profit operating the only producing theatre in East Yorkshire, based at 10 Lord Roberts Road, Beverley, United Kingdom. Founded in December 2014 by actor Vincent Regan, it presents an ongoing programme of drama, music, comedy, and spoken word, alongside several in-house productions, in a 200-seat auditorium inside a converted 1910 Baptist chapel with Art Nouveau-Gothic architecture. It also operates the Time Travellers' Theatre Trail, a free outdoor walking theatre mobile application (iOS and Android) covering 12 historic sites in Beverley with audio-drama performances.

The organization runs with a small paid staff of 5-10 individuals and an ExtravERTs volunteer programme of around 80 people. Governance is provided by a volunteer board of trustees chaired by Michael Loncaster MBE. Day-to-day operations are led by Executive Director and Executive Producer/Programmer Sasha Walker-Allen, with Richard Avery as Associate Director/Creative Adviser, and supported by playwright ambassadors John Godber and Richard Bean.

East Riding Theatre has no core public funding and monetizes through a diversified mix of revenue streams: ticket sales priced £15-£30 by segment, Friends memberships (£30 individual / £60 joint annually), corporate memberships (from £500 per year), commemorative donations via the Name a Seat (£200) or Name a Brick (£50-£150) programme, café bar revenue (Tuesday-Saturday), project-specific grants (Arts Council England, Garfield Weston Foundation, Hull and East Riding Charitable Trust, Beverley Town Council Partnership Grant), and direct monetary donations. Ticketing is handled through the third-party TicketSolve platform. The audience is primarily local — residents of the HU17 postcode and surrounding East Yorkshire — supplemented by heritage tourists engaging with the walking trail app.

Name

East Riding Theatre

Legal name

East Riding Theatre Limited

Website

https://eastridingtheatre.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

East Riding Theatre is a non-profit producing theatre in Beverley, East Yorkshire, presenting drama, music, comedy, and spoken word at a 200-seat venue inside a converted 1910 Baptist chapel, serving local audiences and tourists via ticket sales, memberships, sponsorships, grants, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Venue

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community & Amateur Theatre (MPAGABAD), Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB)

Keywords

• Live theatre productions
• Performing arts venue
• Community theatre
• Cultural performances
• Theatrical entertainment

Headquarters

HQ city

Beverley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from selling tickets to theatrical productions, concerts, comedy nights, and other performances. Online booking via TicketSolve platform, phone bookings, and door sales.
2. Friends Membership: Annual membership program offering 10% discount on in-house performances, priority booking, free show programmes, 10% café discount, newsletter, and advance notice. £30 individual, £60 joint.
3. Corporate Membership/Sponsorship: Flexible corporate membership schemes starting from £500, providing businesses with client entertaining, employee engagement, and community engagement opportunities. Includes logo placement and other benefits.
4. Name a Seat or Brick: Donation program allowing individuals to name seats (£200) or bricks (£50-£150 based on size) as commemorations or tributes, appearing on the yellow brick wall in entrance foyer.
5. Café Bar Revenue: Café bar operating Tuesday to Saturday 10am-2pm, serving drinks and food to theatre-goers and visitors.
6. Monetary Donations: Direct monetary donations to support the registered charity. The theatre has no public funding and relies on supporter generosity.
7. Partnership Grants: Beverley Town Council provides an annual Partnership Grant to support volunteer opportunities and community work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

East Riding Theatre is a 200-seat producing theatre in Beverley, East Yorkshire, presenting live drama, comedy, music, and spoken word performances alongside touring productions. It operates as a registered charity in a converted 1910 Baptist chapel, complemented by an outdoor walking heritage trail (Time Travellers' Theatre Trail) app, a gallery, and a café bar. Revenue is generated through ticket sales, memberships, corporate sponsorships, donations, and café income, with no public funding.

Product overview

East Riding Theatre operates as a single 200-seat producing theatre venue in Beverley, East Yorkshire, offering live theatrical productions (drama, comedy, music, spoken word), an outdoor walking theatre trail app (Time Travellers' Theatre Trail), art exhibitions (Theatre Gallery), and café bar services. The venue is supported by membership programmes (Friends of ERT, Corporate Membership), donation initiatives (Name a Seat or Brick), and a volunteer programme. The theatre operates without public funding as a registered charity, relying on ticket sales, memberships, sponsorships, and donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• East Riding Theatre Productions Live theatrical performances including drama, comedy, music, and spoken word events presented at the 200-seat venue in Beverley.
• Time Travellers' Theatre Trail A free outdoor walking theatre trail featuring 12 historic sites in Beverley with audio drama performances at each location and a downloadable booklet.
• Friends of ERT Membership Annual membership program offering 10% discount on in-house performances, priority booking, free show programmes, and café discounts.
• Corporate Membership Schemes Flexible corporate membership starting from £500 per year, providing businesses with client entertaining, employee engagement, and community involvement opportunities.
• Name a Seat or Brick Commemorative donation program allowing individuals to dedicate a seat plaque (£200) or brick (starting at £50) in the theatre's entrance foyer.
• Café Bar Services Café bar open Tuesday to Saturday offering drinks and food, available before performances and during gallery exhibitions.
• Theatre Gallery Art exhibitions displayed in the café space featuring local photographers and artists, free with café entry.
• Box Office Ticketing Ticket sales service managed through the TicketSolve platform, offering adult, concession, under 23s, and child ticket types across online, telephone, and in-person channels.

Quantifiable outcome

• Area's only producing theatre since 2014
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tomahawk SteakhousecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Pre-theatre dining collaboration offering exclusive 2 and 3 course menus to theatre-goers at reduced prices, with 20% off main menu and drinks for ticket holders. Creates perfect pre-theatre experience.
• Beverley Building SocietycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor and supporter of ERT and the Time Travellers Theatre Trail booklet. As a mutual building society serving generations of families in the region, they demonstrate community commitment through their sponsorship.
• Wilkin Chapman LLP SolicitorscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRegion's largest law firm with national capability serving as corporate sponsor. Represents strength of local business support for the theatre.
• Cranswick plccoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLeading UK food producer committed to serving the nation with authentically made, sustainably produced food. Keen to support local communities in which they operate through East Yorkshire sites.
• WykelandcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLeading property development company owning substantial commercial property portfolio, working in partnership with public and private sectors to deliver buildings meeting modern standards.
• Morco ProductsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBased in Beverley, leading supplier of propane gas powered heating and hot water systems to caravan holiday home manufacturers.
• Iconic Creative MediacoreTechnology or IntegrationBeverley-based design agency responsible for website design and development. Provides ongoing digital support.
• Holler MarketingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBeverley-based marketing and creative agency with specialists in marketing, web design, graphic design, photography, SEO, social media, and email campaigns.
• Beverley Town CouncilcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerProvides annual Partnership Grant to East Riding Theatre, enabling volunteer opportunities and work with various local community groups and associations.
• Care UKminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCare home operator at Chapter House and Beverley Parklands, providing residential, dementia and respite care. Corporate sponsor.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Leeds Playhouse: Larger producing theatre in West Yorkshire with a broader portfolio of drama, musicals, and community programmes — comparable producing-theatre model but at significantly greater scale, competing for the same Yorkshire regional audience.
• York Theatre Royal: Larger regional theatre in York offering a much broader programme including pantomime, drama, and music — a broader incumbent serving a similar Yorkshire audience demographic with overlapping programming categories and corporate membership models.
• Chichester Festival Theatre: Regional producing theatre combining a main house and smaller studio space with a producing model and festival programming — comparable producing-theatre identity and corporate sponsorship structure, though at materially larger scale.
• Sheffield Theatres: Multi-venue producing complex in Sheffield operating the Crucible, Lyceum, and Studio theatres — comparable in producing-theatre identity and range of drama, music, and community programming, though operating at a significantly larger scale and with public funding.

Direct peers

• Hull Truck Theatre: A regional producing theatre in Hull, East Yorkshire — geographically the closest comparable producing theatre to ERT, serving an overlapping Yorkshire catchment with a similar mix of in-house productions, touring work, and community engagement programmes.
• Octagon Theatre Bolton: Regional producing theatre in Bolton operating in-the-round and end-stage configurations — comparable producing-theatre model, community engagement focus, and venue-size category to ERT.
• Stephen Joseph Theatre: Regional producing theatre in Scarborough operating a comparable mix of in-house productions, touring work, and community programming — a well-established model of a mid-sized producing theatre in a Yorkshire market town, similar in structure to ERT.
• Hull New Theatre: Receiving house theatre in Hull presenting drama, music, comedy, and family shows — directly comparable venue size category and programming mix to ERT, drawing from the same East Yorkshire/HU postcode audience pool.
• New Vic Theatre: Theatre-in-the-round producing theatre in Newcastle-under-Lyme operating from a converted building — highly comparable to ERT in that both occupy converted historic buildings, operate producing-theatre models, and rely heavily on volunteer and community engagement.
• Derby Theatre (Derby Playhouse): Mid-sized regional producing theatre in the East Midlands — closely comparable in scale, producing model, mix of in-house and touring work, and reliance on corporate partnerships and community engagement for revenue.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ertheatre
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCR6Yd-cWb7I4vMk3RpWPTgA
• Facebookfacebook.com/ERTheatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/ertheatre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/east-riding-theatre-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about East Riding Theatre