What Checkpoint Theatre does

Checkpoint Theatre is a Singapore-incorporated non-profit theatre company and registered charity (Checkpoint Theatre Limited, UEN 200209251R) with Institution of a Public Character (IPC) status, founded in 2002 and operating from a mailing address at 90 Goodman Road, Singapore. The company focuses on developing and presenting original Singapore theatrical work, led by Joint Artistic Directors Claire Wong and Huzir Sulaiman, and operates across multiple creative formats including live stage productions, play anthologies, comic book e-publications, audio experiences/podcasts, and educational workshops. Its productions are staged at major Singapore venues such as the Esplanade (Victoria Theatre, Singtel Waterfront Theatre), Drama Centre Black Box, NUS Museum, and SOTA Drama Theatre, with international touring dates at Brisbane Festival and Adelaide Festival Centre's OzAsia Festival.

The company's offering is built around a long-cycle creative development process (12 months to 4 years per work) and an Associate Artist / Shahid Nasheer Memorial Fellowship pipeline for emerging theatremakers. Output is monetised across five streams: ticket sales through SISTIC and direct channels; retail of play anthologies and comic books via its own online shop (anthologies at SGD 30, comics/e-publications at SGD 8, with The Art of Being a Grandmother retailing at SGD 45); tax-deductible donations via the Checkpoint Celebrates! fundraiser (SGD 380 fundraiser ticket, SGD 1,000 gala ticket with 250% tax deduction); National Arts Council and Esplanade grants/commissions; and educational programmes including holiday camps (SGD 300 per child) and SkillsFuture workshops. Customer segments span general theatre audiences, schools and students, families with young children, and individual/corporate donors.

Strategic positioning centres on being the recognised home of new Singapore playwriting, with awards including ST Life Theatre Awards Production of the Year for The Fourth Trimester (2023) and Secondary: The Musical (2025). The company is domestically anchored in Singapore with selective international touring rather than a global permanent footprint, and its economics are typical of an arts non-profit — diversified earned income supplemented by philanthropy and government arts funding, with leadership concentrated in two long-tenured artistic directors rather than a traditional management hierarchy.

Name

Checkpoint Theatre

Legal name

Checkpoint Theatre Limited

Website

https://checkpoint-theatre.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Checkpoint Theatre is a Singapore non-profit theatre company (founded 2002) that creates and presents original Singapore plays across live stage, print anthologies, comic e-publications, audio podcasts, and educational workshops, serving general audiences, schools, families, and philanthropic donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Touring Theatre Productions (MPAGABAC), Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)

Keywords

• Live theatre productions
• Original plays
• Playwriting workshops
• Comic book publishing
• Arts education

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from theatre productions, musicals, and live performances sold through their website and ticketing partners like SISTIC.
2. Retail Sales: Sale of published plays, comic books, and merchandise through their online shop including play anthologies, comic books, and publications.
3. Donations and Fundraising: Non-profit charity accepting donations through Checkpoint Celebrates! annual fundraisers, with dollar-for-dollar matching under Cultural Matching Fund and tax deduction benefits for donors.
4. Government Grants and Arts Funding: Support from National Arts Council, commissioned works by Esplanade and other government arts bodies.
5. Workshop and Educational Programs: Holiday camps and workshops for children (e.g., 'Our Stories' holiday camp at $300) and SkillsFuture workshops.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Checkpoint Theatre creates and presents original Singapore content through live theatre productions, e-publications, comic books, play anthologies, audio experiences, and educational workshops. The company develops new works by Singaporean playwrights and nurtures local theatre talent through fellowship programs and community engagement initiatives.

Product overview

Checkpoint Theatre is a Singapore theatre company that creates and presents original Singapore content with strong writing, performance and direction. The company operates across multiple platforms including live theatre productions (plays and musicals), e-publications (digital comic books), print play anthologies, audio experiences/podcasts, educational workshops, and a fellowship program. Their core offerings include theatrical productions such as 'wo(men)', 'Normal', 'The Fourth Trimester', and 'Secondary: The Musical'; digital comic publications in their 'Through the Longkang' trilogy and other works; play anthology books in their 'New Singapore Plays' series; and audio experiences distributed via Spotify, SoundCloud, and YouTube. They also run educational workshops and the Shahid Nasheer Memorial Fellowship for emerging theatremakers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple productions have won Production of the Year and Best Original Script at major theatre awards
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Adelaide Festival CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2017Recalling Mother (2017, Adelaide) was presented in collaboration with Adelaide Festival Centre as part of OzAsia Festival 2017. Supported by National Arts Council with assistance from CultureLink.
• Brisbane FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2016Recalling Mother was presented in collaboration with Brisbane Festival and Queensland University of Technology (QUT) as part of Brisbane Festival 2016.
• Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016The Last Bull: A Life in Flamenco was commissioned by Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA).
• National Arts Council (NAC)coreOthersGovernment arts funding body providing grants and support for theatre productions. Multiple productions commissioned or funded by NAC including Hard Mode.
• Esplanade – Theatres on the BaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor Singapore arts venue that commissions works including Recalling Mother: Her Lines, My Lines (The Studios 2022), The Karims (Feed Your Imagination 2021), and Escape to Batam (60 Connections programme for SG60).
• CultureLink SingaporeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultureLink Singapore provides assistance for international touring and co-productions, notably for Recalling Mother presentations in Brisbane and Adelaide.
• NUS Centre for the ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for A Grand Design audio experience, with plans for live staging in partnership with NUS Centre for the Arts and Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.
• NUS MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Power of Notions / Notions of Power was a NUS Museum and NUS Arts Festival 2011 commission, staged in various parts of the NUS Museum.
• SOTA (School of the Arts)minorOthersVenue partner for productions including The Last Bull (SOTA Drama Theatre) and Hard Mode (SOTA Drama Theatre).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay: Singapore's national performing arts centre that presents, commissions, and co-produces a broad spectrum of theatre, dance, and music. Comparable as a key commissioning partner and venue but a much larger, broader institution rather than a producing company.

Direct peers

• The Necessary Stage: Singapore non-profit theatre company also focused on original Singapore work and underrepresented voices. Highly comparable in mission, funding model (IPC charity), emphasis on original playwriting, and participation in awards like ST Life Theatre Awards.
• Wild Rice: One of Singapore's most prominent homegrown theatre companies, producing original Singaporean and Asian work across comedies, musicals, and serious drama. Comparable in scale, audience focus, and emphasis on Singapore-centric storytelling with strong production values.
• Centre 42: Singapore non-profit black box and developing theatre space supporting original theatre-making and new writing development. Comparable in mission around nurturing original Singapore theatre, although it is more space/devising focused.
• Dramabox: Singapore theatre company producing original contemporary theatre addressing social issues. Comparable as a Singapore theatre company creating original, socially-engaged work for similar local audiences.
• Pangdemonium: Singapore theatre company that commissions and produces new English-language musicals and plays with local relevance. Highly comparable in producing original Singapore-centric musicals (e.g., Secondary: The Musical vs Pangdemonium's catalogue) for similar Singapore audiences.
• Toy Factory Productions: Singapore theatre company producing original English- and Mandarin-language plays with multi-generational appeal. Comparable in producing original Singapore work, operating across languages, and serving domestic theatre audiences.
• Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT): Established Singapore theatre company presenting a season of mainstream plays, musicals, and children's productions. Comparable as a venue-presenting producing company in the same Singapore market with similar patron base and ticketed events model.
• Teater Ekamatra: Singapore theatre company producing original Malay-language and multilingual work focused on the Malay community. Comparable as a non-profit producing original local-language theatre and developing emerging Singapore theatremakers.
• The Finger Players: Singapore theatre company specializing in devised and physical theatre with cross-disciplinary work. Comparable as a Singapore-based non-profit producing original performance work, sharing venue partners and funding ecosystems.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/checkpointtheatre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/checkpoint-theatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/checkpointtheatre
• TikToktiktok.com/@checkpointtheatre?_t=8UvgeGCXT7Z&_r=1
• Xx.com/_checkpoint_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Checkpoint Theatre