Rose Theatre

What Rose Theatre does

Rose Theatre operates as the largest producing theatre in South West London, presenting drama, comedy, family shows, music, and talks from its single venue at 24-26 High Street, Kingston upon Thames. Founded in 2008 and operated by Kingston Theatre Trust (a registered charity, charity number 1000182, and company limited by guarantee, company number 2497984), the venue functions as both a producing house and a receiving house for touring productions such as Tall Stories' Room on the Broom and the co-produced Frankenstein with Leeds Playhouse. Beyond live performance, it runs an extensive participation and education portfolio including Rose Youth Theatre (ages 7-18), Rose Community, Rose Routes and Rose Connections schools programmes, and structured paid Summer Schools (Play in a Week at £325; Create in Three Days at £200).

Name

Rose Theatre

Legal name

Kingston Theatre Trust

Website

https://rosetheatre.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Rose Theatre is the largest producing theatre in South West London, presenting live drama, comedy, and family programming from a single Kingston upon Thames venue while running youth theatre, schools, and community participation programmes as a registered charity.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts and Live Theatre

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Broadway & Commercial Theatre Productions (MPAGABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB), Musical Theatre (Non-Broadway/Fringe) (MPAGABAG), Children’s & Youth Theatre (MPAGABAE), Comedy Shows & Spoken-Word Events (THAJAFAC)

Keywords

• Live theatre productions
• Youth performing arts
• Community theatre programs
• Performing arts education
• Theatre venue hire

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingston Upon Thames

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling tickets to theatre performances, comedy shows, music events, talks, and family entertainment. Tickets sold online, by phone, in person, and through authorized third-party agents.
2. Memberships: Friends of the Rose and other membership schemes offering benefits to repeat customers.
3. Donations and Fundraising: The Rose is a registered charity that relies on donations, corporate support, legacy giving, and trust/foundation funding to enhance its core work and community engagement.
4. Venue Hire: Corporate events, private hire, and venue rental for external productions and events.
5. Rose Participate Programs: Revenue from youth theatre, summer schools, workshops, and community programs for children and adults.
6. Food and Beverage: Rose Cafe and bar services operating before shows and during selected events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Rose Theatre is a producing and receiving theatre in Kingston upon Thames that presents live performances including drama, comedy, family shows, music events, and talks. It sells tickets directly to consumers through its website, phone, and in-person box office, and operates youth theatre programs, summer schools, schools workshops, community engagement initiatives, and venue hire services as a registered charity. Revenue is supplemented by memberships, donations, corporate sponsorships, and trust/foundation funding.

Product overview

Rose Theatre operates as a producing theatre in southwest London, offering a digital ticketing platform integrated with Spektrix for online bookings, complemented by live theatrical productions. The theatre provides a portfolio of programs including Rose Youth Theatre for young performers, Summer Schools (Play in a Week and Create in Three Days), Rose Community engagement initiatives, Schools Programs with workshops and educational resources, Venue Hire services, and Membership schemes. On-site amenities include the Rose Café & Bar. The core product is the theatre experience combining live performances with community participation and educational programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rose Youth Theatre: Youth theatre programme offering workshops and productions for young people
• Rose Participate
• Rose Circle
• Rose Players
• Rose Routes
• Rose Connections
• Rose Community
• Rose Cafe
• Spotlight

Products and services

• Theatre Productions

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Leeds PlayhousecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Rose Theatre and Leeds Playhouse co-presented Frankenstein, written and directed by Jeff James. This co-production represents a significant strategic partnership between the two regional theatres.
• Kingston UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024Kingston University supports Rose Theatre productions as shown in the Frankenstein production partnership. The university appears as a supporting partner for theatrical productions, demonstrating mutual commitment to arts and cultural development in the Kingston area.
• Honest BurgersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRose Theatre partnered with Honest Burgers to offer pre-show food delivery to customers' tables in the cafe during select events.
• Hotel PartnersminorOthersRose Theatre has established relationships with local hotels to provide accommodation options for visitors attending performances and events.
• Tall StoriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTall Stories created the Olivier Award-nominated Room on the Broom production presented at Rose Theatre. Tall Stories is described as creators of imaginative storytelling theatre where everything is possible.
• Inky PathwaysminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInky Pathways runs art workshops at Rose Cafe, including Saturday art workshops for children and adult creative sessions on select Wednesdays.
• Shakes and LaddersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerShakes and Ladders partners with Rose Cafe for Board Game Day events, providing over 150 board and card games for community engagement.
• Off The KerbminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorComedy promoter bringing established comedians including Jack Dee and Angela Barnes to Rose Theatre through Comedy Crackers event.
• Cafe Jazz BandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal jazz ensemble performing regular Jazz Fridays sessions in Rose Cafe, providing live music entertainment for cafe visitors.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Donmar Warehouse: London-based producing theatre focused on new work and mixed-genre programming. Comparable as a producing-and-receiving theatre with limited seats, charitable operation, and emphasis on artist development and community access.
• Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse: Joint charitable operation of two producing theatres in Liverpool with strong youth theatre, community engagement, and producing of drama, comedy, and musicals. Comparable scale and regional-theatre model to Rose.
• Bristol Old Vic: One of the UK's oldest continuously operating theatres, operating as a registered charity producing drama, comedy, and family programming with strong youth and community engagement. Same producing-theatre-with-charity governance model and similar scale to Rose.
• Leeds Playhouse: Regional producing theatre in Leeds that co-produced Frankenstein with Rose Theatre in 2025. Closely comparable as a mid-scale UK producing theatre with similar producing-and-receiving model, community engagement programs, and charitable operating structure.
• Sheffield Theatres: Charitable producing organization operating multiple stages in Sheffield, with a producing model, youth programs, and community engagement comparable to Rose's portfolio approach.
• Birmingham Repertory Theatre: UK's first repertory theatre, operating as a producing house with extensive learning and participation programs. Directly comparable as a large regional producing theatre with mixed-genre repertoire and educational outreach.
• Young Vic: London producing theatre known for mixed-genre programming, in-house productions, and extensive community participation programs (Young Vic Taking Part). Highly comparable producing-and-participation model to Rose Theatre.
• Chichester Festival Theatre: Regional producing theatre outside London producing its own work alongside touring productions, with comparable scale, charitable status, and emphasis on mixed-genre repertoire including musicals and family programming.

Regional players

• Richmond Theatre (ATG): Edwardian receiving theatre in Richmond operated by Ambassador Theatre Group within easy travel of Rose's catchment. Functions as a receiving house for touring productions rather than producing, making it a partial competitor for the same SW London audience.
• Yvonne Arnaud Theatre: Mid-scale producing and receiving theatre in Guildford, Surrey, serving a comparable suburban Home Counties catchment to Rose Theatre's South West London footprint. Same scale, mixed-genre programming, and charitable/community ethos.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Rosetheatre
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/RoseTheatreKingston
• Facebookfacebook.com/rosetheatrekingston
• Instagraminstagram.com/rosetheatrekingston
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rose-theatre-kingston

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Rose Theatre