Dash Arts
Dash Arts is a UK charity founded in 2005 that produces touring theatre, immersive performances, podcasts, and community events exploring identity, migration, and conflict, serving general arts audiences, community participants, and academic partners across England.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Dash Arts does
Dash Arts is a UK-registered charity (Charity Commission registration 1089222) and company limited by guarantee (Companies House 4246467), founded in 2005 and headquartered at Toynbee Studios in East London. The organization produces touring theatre, immersive performances, podcasts, and community engagement events that engage with contemporary social and political questions, including identity, migration, Englishness, and conflict. Its core products include theatre productions such as Our Public House (a touring state-of-the-nation piece on Englishness), The Reckoning (based on Ukrainian war survivor testimonies from The Reckoning Project), The Great Middlemarch Mystery (an immersive George Eliot adaptation), Dido's Bar (a gig-theatre reimagining of Virgil's Aeneid), Songs for Babyn Yar, and Crimea 5am; the OffScript podcast platform with sub-series including Albion and We Are Free To Change The World; and the long-running Dash Café monthly event series, which has featured over 700 artists, academics, and journalists since 2011.
The organization's business model blends earned revenue (ticket sales through touring theatre venues) with philanthropic income: donations and patron memberships (Dash Lights, Artistic Director's Circle, Albion Giving Circle), project grants from trusts and foundations (Three Monkies Trust, Thistle Trust, Oak Foundation), research funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), and, historically, core operational funding as a National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England, a status lost in 2023. Distribution is multi-channel: physical touring through UK venues (Arcola Theatre, Marylebone Theatre, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry venues and other English cities), digital podcast syndication across Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and YouTube, plus owned channels including a Substack newsletter and active Instagram presence.
Dash Arts operates with a small team of 1-10 employees and is governed by a board of trustees, with creative leadership under Artistic Director Josephine Burton and operational leadership under Executive Director Moya Maxwell. The organization maintains long-term partnerships with academic institutions (Universities of East Anglia and Birmingham) for research-based productions and with community organizations across England for participatory co-creation, having engaged over 700 people in speech-making workshops for the Our Public House project. The 20th anniversary milestone in 2025-2026 coincides with an active production pipeline that includes the in-development Songs of Solidarity alongside the current touring productions.
Dash Arts firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Dash Arts
- Legal name
- Dash Arts
- Website
- https://dasharts.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Dash Arts is a UK charity founded in 2005 that produces touring theatre, immersive performances, podcasts, and community events exploring identity, migration, and conflict, serving general arts audiences, community participants, and academic partners across England.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Dash Arts industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Performing Arts
- NAICS
- Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Touring Theatre Productions (MPAGABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM), Fringe & Experimental Performing Arts (MPAGABAI), Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB)
Keywords
Where Dash Arts is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Dash Arts business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Revenue from theatre productions and live events through venue ticket sales
- Donations and Individual Giving: Charitable donations through CAF Online platform, patron membership (Dash Lights), Albion Giving Circle contributions, and general support donations
- Arts Council England NPO Funding: Core operational funding as a National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England
- Corporate and Institutional Grants: Project funding from Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), trusts, and foundations
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Dash Arts product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Dash Arts produces and tours original theatre productions, podcasts, and community-led events that explore contemporary social and political themes including identity, migration, and Englishness. The organization commissions new work with international artists and develops productions through co-creation workshops with communities across England. Complementary offerings include the OffScript podcast series, monthly Dash Café events, and speech-making workshops conducted in partnership with UK universities.
Product overview
Dash Arts is a UK-based theatre production company creating award-winning productions, podcasts, and community events that spark global conversations on contemporary social and political issues. The core offering consists of touring theatre productions including 'Our Public House' (a state-of-the-nation play on Englishness), 'The Reckoning' (based on Ukrainian war testimonies), 'The Great Middlemarch Mystery' (immersive George Eliot adaptation), 'Dido's Bar' (migration-themed gig-theatre), and historical commemorations like 'Songs for Babyn Yar' and 'Crimea 5am'. These are supported by the 'OffScript Podcast' series with sub-series exploring related themes, as well as community workshops, Dash Café events, and educational programmes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- OffScript: Dash Arts podcast series featuring conversations with artists, activists, and thinkers on contemporary issues. Includes series such as Albion, We Are Free To Change The World, and Making Middlemarch.
- Dash Café
- Albion
- We Are Free To Change The World
Products and services
- Our Public House A touring state-of-the-nation theatre production set in a pub exploring Englishness, national identity, and what people across England want to change about their country, for general arts audiences.
- The Reckoning A theatre production based on real-life testimonies from survivors of the Russian war in Ukraine gathered by The Reckoning Project, performed at The Arcola Theatre.
- The Great Middlemarch Mystery A part-immersive theatre experience and part-mystery game that reimagines George Eliot's Middlemarch as a modern interactive adventure across Coventry venues.
- Dido's Bar An immersive gig-theatre production presenting a contemporary reimagining of Virgil's Aeneid exploring themes of migration through live music, storytelling, and audience participation.
- Songs for Babyn Yar A music-theatre production commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Babi Yar massacre in Kyiv, performed internationally in Berlin and London.
- Crimea 5am A verbatim theatre production bringing together voices of women bound by Russian persecution of Crimean Tatars since 2014, highlighting stories of political prisoners and their families.
- OffScript Podcast Dash Arts' flagship podcast series featuring conversations with artists, activists, academics, and cultural figures, including sub-series such as Albion, We Are Free To Change The World, and Making Middlemarch.
- Dash Café Monthly event series featuring conversation, live performance, film, and music with international artists, academics, and thinkers, held at Toynbee Studios and other venues.
Quantifiable outcome
- 20 years of award-winning productions and cultural engagement
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Dash Arts
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Dash Arts technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Dash Arts partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- The Reckoning ProjectcoreCo-founded by Peter Pomerantsev and Janine di Giovanni, the project gathered testimonies from Ukrainian survivors of Russia's invasion. Dash Arts partnered to create The Reckoning theatre production based on these testimonies.
- University of East AngliacorePartnership with Professor Alan Finlayson (Professor of Political and Social Theory) for speech-making workshop research. Alan Finlayson collaborates on workshop design and provides academic expertise for Our Public House project.
- University of BirminghamcoreAcademic partnership with Reader in Ancient History Henriette van der Blom for research on rhetoric and public speaking, part of the Our Public House project exploring the 'crisis of rhetoric'.
- ArtsAdmincoreCo-presenting partner for We Are Free To Change The World series. ArtsAdmin is a resident organization at Toynbee Studios alongside Dash Arts.
- Toynbee StudioscoreLong-term resident at Toynbee Studios for 18 years, hosting Dash Cafe events and rehearsals. Collaborative relationship with ArtsAdmin as fellow residents.
- The Arcola TheatrecoreVenue for The Reckoning production in May-June 2025, with 32 performances in Dalston.
- RSA (Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce)minorCo-presented Unlocking Voices live discussion event in December 2024 at RSA featuring Josephine Burton with Alan Finlayson, Alecky Blythe, and Dawid Konotey-Ahulu.
- Marylebone TheatrecoreLondon venue hosting Our Public House for its final run after national tour.
- Community Links, NewhamminorPartnership for Dido's Bar production, working with young people on audio production skills in their studio.
- Fête of BritainminorCollaborative partner for We Are Free To Change The World series, a celebration event format.
- Warwick Arts CentreminorCoventry venue partner for The Great Middlemarch Mystery and past Dash Cafe events.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Dash Arts competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Kneehigh Theatre: Cornwall-based touring theatre company producing site-specific, music-driven, and community-engaged productions across the UK. Comparable to Dash Arts in touring model, mid-scale ensemble productions, and blend of immersive storytelling with live performance.
- Gecko Theatre: UK-based international touring company producing devised, physical theatre with strong visual and immersive elements. Comparable to Dash Arts in touring internationally, devised performance methodology, and engagement with contemporary social themes.
- Headlong Theatre: UK touring theatre company producing politically engaged, contemporary adaptations of classic and new texts. Comparable to Dash Arts in tackling urgent social themes through touring productions and in working with academic and civic partners.
- Complicité: Internationally touring UK physical theatre company producing devised, text-driven, and visually ambitious work. Comparable to Dash Arts in producing internationally relevant, research-intensive productions that tour to major UK and European venues.
- Paines Plough: Touring UK theatre company specialising in new writing, with a focus on small-scale, portable productions that reach regional audiences. Comparable to Dash Arts in touring model, new work focus, and reliance on Arts Council and trust funding.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Dash Arts social profiles
Digital presenceDash Arts financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Dash Arts leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Dash Arts funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Dash Arts M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Dash Arts
What does Dash Arts do?
Dash Arts produces and tours original theatre productions, podcasts, and community-led events that explore contemporary social and political themes including identity, migration, and Englishness. The organization commissions new work with international artists and develops productions through co-creation workshops with communities across England. Complementary offerings include the OffScript podcast series, monthly Dash Café events, and speech-making workshops conducted in partnership with UK universities.
Is Dash Arts a public or private company?
Dash Arts is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Dash Arts founded?
Dash Arts was founded in 2005. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Dash Arts based?
Dash Arts is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Dash Arts make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are donations and Individual Giving, arts Council England NPO Funding and corporate and Institutional Grants.
Who are Dash Arts's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kneehigh Theatre, Gecko Theatre, Headlong Theatre, Complicité and Paines Plough.
Does Dash Arts have an API?
No public API is recorded for Dash Arts.
What industry is Dash Arts in?
Dash Arts's product category is Performing Arts. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGABAC, Touring Theatre Productions, with a secondary code of MPAGABAM, Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking). Its NAICS code is 711110 and its SIC code is 7900.