The Hope Theatre

What The Hope Theatre does

The Hope Theatre is a 50-seat black-box fringe theatre operating on the first floor of the Grade II-listed Hope and Anchor pub on Upper Street in Islington, London, founded in November 2013. It functions as both a producing and receiving house, staging in-house productions while hosting visiting companies, festivals, and artist development programmes. Core programming consists of new writing, lost gems, re-polished classics, and innovatively staged musicals running seven nights a week, alongside four signature artist development festivals: Write Club (January, 25-30 productions), BokFest (June, 6-8 plays run by associate company Springbok Production House), WIP Week (July, up to 12 artists), and North Sapph-Fest. Run lengths range from one-night fringe previews to four-week productions, and productions have historically transferred to West End venues including Charing Cross Theatre and the Arts Theatre, evidencing a track record of developing commercially viable work.

The theatre operates an event-driven go-to-market with a no-hire-charges venue hire model for visiting companies, with minimum guarantees against box office splits. Revenue is generated primarily through ticket sales priced typically £10-£18 per seat and transacted via the TicketSource online platform and on-site box office, supplemented by patron donations offered on a one-time, monthly, or yearly basis. The venue provides in-house technical and front-of-house support, marketing and press guidance, and reduced-price rehearsal space to visiting producers. The customer base spans three primary segments: visiting theatre companies and independent producers (the operational B2B counterparties), emerging writers and artists (the artist development funnel), and the broader theatre-going audience (the consumer revenue base), with a particular emphasis on LGBTQ+ programming.

The company is led by co-artistic directors Laurel Marks and Toby Hampton (appointed 2024), succeeding Phil Bartlett (2021-2024), Kennedy Bloomer (2019-2021), and inaugural director Matthew Parker (2013-2019). It receives no regular public or private subsidy and is staffed by approximately 12 named individuals covering artistic leadership, general management, technical operations, and box office. The venue is associated with Springbok Production House as its resident associate company.

Name

The Hope Theatre

Legal name

The Hope Theatre

Website

https://thehopetheatre.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Hope Theatre is a 50-seat black-box fringe theatre in Islington, London, founded in 2013, that runs a seven-nights-a-week programme of new writing, revivals, and festivals (Write Club, WIP Week, BokFest, North Sapph-Fest) while hosting visiting production companies, with no public subsidy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fringe Theatre Venue

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111)

akta.pro primary industry

Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Touring Theatre Productions (MPAGABAC), Event Operations & Venue Services (Box Office, FOH/BOH, Concessions) (MPAIAFAL), Venue Guest Services & Front-of-House Operations (Ushers, Box Office, Accessibility) (MPAGALAK)

Keywords

• Fringe theatre venue
• Live performance space
• New writing festivals
• Theatre venue hire
• Artist development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Islington

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, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from advance and door ticket sales for all productions. Box office operates online via TicketSource and at venue.
2. Donations: The theatre relies on donations from patrons and supporters, actively soliciting contributions through their website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Hope Theatre operates an award-winning 50-seater black-box fringe theatre venue above the Hope and Anchor pub in Islington, London, hosting in-house productions, visiting company runs, and an artist development programme anchored by Write Club, WIP Week, BokFest, and North Sapph-Fest. The venue offers visiting companies a hire programme with no hire charges, minimum guarantees against box-office splits, technical and front-of-house support, and marketing assistance, complemented by advance and door ticket sales and a donation-funded operating model.

Product overview

The Hope Theatre is a fringe theatre venue offering a 50-seater black-box performance space above the Hope and Anchor pub in Islington, London. The venue programme includes in-house productions, visiting company presentations, and a portfolio of artist development initiatives: Write Club (annual new writing festival in January with 25-30 productions), WIP Week (work-in-progress festival in July featuring up to 12 artists), BokFest (queer new writing festival in June run by associate company Springbok Production House), North Sapph-Fest (lesbian/queer festival), and Fringe Previews (pre-Edinburgh preview performances in July). The venue operates a full venue hire programme offering visiting companies the theatre space with no hire charges, minimum guarantees against box office splits, rehearsal space, technical support, front-of-house staffing, marketing and press guidance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Write Club: Yearly festival of new work held in January that highlights bold new stories with BIG ideas. Open to anyone with a piece of writing waiting for debut performance or theatre makers with new ideas.
• WIP Week
• BokFest

Products and services

• Theatre Venue (50-seater Black-Box) An award-winning 50-seater black-box performance space on the first floor of the Hope and Anchor pub, hosting in-house productions, visiting companies, and offering run lengths from one night to four weeks with in-house technical support and front-of-house staff.
• Write Club Annual new writing festival held in January showcasing up to 30 productions selected by the Literary Team, offering runs of two to four shows or rehearsed readings with venue support and networking opportunities.
• WIP Week Work-in-progress festival held every July where up to 12 artists stage new performances across one week, with no hire charges and optional development support from the venue.
• BokFest Festival of queer new writing run annually in June by associate company Springbok Production House, producing 6-8 plays in a short-run format across 4 weeks.
• North Sapph-Fest Festival celebrating lesbian and queer narratives featuring multiple productions across several weeks.
• Fringe Previews Preview performances in July for productions heading to Edinburgh Fringe, with runs lasting 2-5 days.
• Venue Hire Programme Rental programme offering the black-box space to visiting companies with benefits including no hire charges, minimum guarantees against box office splits, reduced-price rehearsal space, in-house technician, trained front-of-house staff, marketing support, and budget planning advice.
• Artist Development Programme Support initiatives including Write Club festival, WIP Week, networking events, and artist mailing list with access to opportunities and special deals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Productions have transferred to West End venues including Charing Cross Theatre and Arts Theatre
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Integration1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Springbok Production HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociate company of The Hope Theatre that runs BokFest, an annual festival of queer new writing. Springbok Production House operates independently but has a close relationship with The Hope Theatre, producing 6-8 plays in short run format across 4 weeks at the venue each June.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Soho Theatre: Larger London fringe venue operating its own producing arm, bar and multiple performance spaces; overlaps with The Hope on new writing, LGBTQ+ programming and emerging-comedy talent but at materially greater scale.
• Bush Theatre: Established West London new-writing theatre with a similar focus on emerging writers and a track record of West End transfers; larger and more institutional than The Hope but overlapping in mission and audience.

Direct peers

• The Finborough Theatre: Small London fringe theatre (under 80 seats) with a comparable new-writing and visiting-company programme, similar ticketing economics and a parallel awards profile in the OffWestEnd and London Pub Theatre circuits.
• Park Theatre: Independent North London theatre (Finsbury Park) operating two auditoria with a similar new-writing and emerging-company focus, comparable ticketing economics and West End transfer track record.
• The Arcola Theatre: Independent East London fringe theatre with a comparable new-writing focus, visiting-company programme and similar scale of operation, plus an active artist-development ethos.
• King's Head Theatre: Long-running pub theatre in Islington that operates on a similarly intimate scale with a comparable mix of new writing, visiting companies, and West End transfer ambitions — The Hope's most direct local analogue.
• The Old Red Lion Theatre: Pub-format fringe venue in Islington with comparable seating capacity, programming mix of new writing and visiting productions, and a similar position in the London pub-theatre circuit.
• The Pleasance Theatre Islington: Fringe venue with strong Edinburgh Fringe preview programming — directly overlapping with The Hope's Fringe Previews product and similar emerging-talent positioning.
• The Gate Theatre (Notting Hill): Small independent London fringe theatre with a comparable mix of new writing, visiting companies and limited-run productions in a similarly constrained seating format.
• Jermyn Street Theatre: Compact London theatre known for receiving Hope transfers (e.g. THRILL ME) and operating at a comparable intimate scale with a similar new-writing and visiting-company model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheHopeTheatre
• Facebookfacebook.com/thehopetheatre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/solar-plexus-productions-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 The Hope Theatre