What Cardboard Citizens does

Cardboard Citizens is a London-based registered charity (Charity No: 1042457, Company No: 2938531) founded in 1991 by Adrian Jackson to create theatre with and for people experiencing homelessness, poverty, and inequity. Its core methodology is Theatre of the Oppressed — specifically Forum Theatre — in which all actors and writers must have direct lived experience of homelessness. The organisation runs a free Membership Programme open to anyone with experience of homelessness, housing insecurity, or poverty, providing access to workshops (Courses, Discussions, Member Workshops, and an 18-30s stream), residencies (Cardboard Camps), the Cardboard Collective music programme for 16-25 year olds, and the Citz Futures paid traineeship. It produces touring theatre, audio plays (Resistance Theatre series), short films, and a podcast, and in November 2025 published More Than One Story: The Anthology with Nick Hern Books — a collection of monologues by 37 writers with lived experience.

The commercial side of the model combines several revenue streams: charitable donations (individual, corporate, trusts and foundations, including Big Give matched-giving), bespoke Training & Consultancy delivered to housing-sector organisations, NHS trusts, and universities using Forum Theatre, publication sales (the anthology at £10.39 per copy), and venue hire of its Hoxton Works space co-located with Hoxton Hall. Distribution is principally direct: London-based workshops and residencies, UK-wide touring productions, client-site training, and digital content (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud). The customer base fragments across individual Members, small training clients, and named theatre partners (Almeida, Bristol Old Vic, Theatre 503, Theatre Royal Plymouth, MAC Birmingham, The Lowry).

Go-to-market is community-led: outreach into homeless and marginalised populations feeds a self-reinforcing pipeline into workshops, productions, and creative output, while institutional funders (Arts Council England, City Bridge Trust, National Lottery Community Fund, John Ellerman Foundation, Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund) provide grant income. Governance is by a Board of Trustees led by Chair Anna Williams, with two Member Representatives elected by the community. Co-CEOs Chris Sonnex (Artistic Director, the first with lived experience of homelessness, appointed 2021) and Lisa Briscoe (Executive Director) run day-to-day operations. The organisation is WCAG 2.1 AA accessible, GDPR-compliant, and holds the NCVO Trusted Charity Mark.

Name

Cardboard Citizens

Legal name

Cardboard Citizens

Website

https://cardboardcitizens.org.uk/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cardboard Citizens is a London-based registered charity, founded in 1991, that uses Forum Theatre and Theatre of the Oppressed methodologies to create theatre with and for people experiencing homelessness, poverty, and inequity, delivering free membership programmes, workshops, touring productions, training, and publications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts and Social Impact Theatre

NAICS

Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (7115), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

akta.pro primary industry

Community & Amateur Theatre (MPAGABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government) (EDAAAFAC)

Keywords

• Forum theatre productions
• Community arts programmes
• Social impact theatre
• Arts-based training
• Homelessness charity services

Headquarters

HQ city

London

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, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Venue Hire: Rental of workshop and performance spaces at their Hoxton Works location.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Charitable donations from individuals, corporate partners, trusts, and foundations. Includes Big Give Christmas Challenge appeals where donations are matched pound-for-pound.
3. Training and Consultancy: Bespoke training services for housing sector organizations, NHS trusts, and universities using Forum Theatre techniques to address organizational challenges and improve services.
4. Publication Sales: Sale of the More Than One Story anthology published by Nick Hern Books at £10.39 per copy.
5. Membership: Free membership open to anyone with experience of homelessness, housing insecurity, and/or poverty, providing access to workshops, courses, and artistic programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Cardboard Citizens is a registered charity and theatre company that creates forum theatre productions, workshops, and arts programmes for people experiencing homelessness, poverty, and inequity. It operates a free membership programme providing access to creative workshops, courses, and performances, alongside touring theatrical productions, a published anthology of new writing by writers with lived experience, audio plays, a podcast, a short film series, and bespoke Forum Theatre training services delivered to housing organisations, NHS trusts, and universities.

Product overview

Cardboard Citizens is a theatre company that creates productions and community programmes for people experiencing homelessness, inequity, or poverty. The core offering centres on a free Membership Programme providing access to workshops, touring productions, and creative development. Supporting programmes include the Workshop Programme (Courses, Discussions, Member Workshops for all ages and 18-30s), Cardboard Camps (residency), and the Young Peoples Programme/Act Now for 16-25 year olds. The Citz Futures Traineeship offers paid professional development. Artistic output includes Touring Productions, the More Than One Story short film series and published anthology, Resistance Theatre audio plays, and the It Is What It Is podcast. Additional services include Training & Consultancy for housing sector organisations and Hire Our Space for venue rental. The Cardboard Collective programme supports young musicians aged 16-25.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• More Than One Story: A short film series and published anthology featuring monologues by writers with lived experience of homelessness, poverty, and inequity. Launched in partnership with The Big Issue, published by Nick Hern Books.
• Cardboard Collective
• Citz Futures
• Act Now

Products and services

• Membership Programme
• Touring Productions
• Training and Consultancy
• More Than One Story: The Anthology Published collection of monologues by 37 emerging and established writers from across the UK with lived experience of homelessness, poverty, and inequity. Published by Nick Hern Books, sold at £10.39 per copy.
• Hire Our Space
• Cardboard Collective
• Citz Futures Traineeship
• Resistance Theatre Series of audio plays written and performed by members about the housing crisis and related issues, including titles such as Empty House, Protest Anon, and Reign of Equal Rights.
• It Is What It Is Pilot podcast series created and hosted by Act Now participants (16-25 Members), exploring Stop & Search, Mental Health, and Youth Spaces.
• More Than One Story Live One-night-only West End performance at Trafalgar Theatre hosted by Rory Kinnear, featuring readings from professional actors alongside Cardboard Citizens Members from the anthology.

Quantifiable outcome

• 88% of More Than One Story viewers reported greater awareness of homelessness and wanted to act
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nick Hern BookscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublisher partner for More Than One Story: The Anthology, published in November 2025. Collaboration to publish collection of monologues by writers with lived experience of homelessness, poverty, and inequity.
• The Big IssuecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for More Than One Story short film series, set to premiere in June 2024. Collaboration to amplify voices of people with lived experience of homelessness.
• Black Apron EntertainmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on More Than One Story short films, working with Cardboard Citizens and The Big Issue on production.
• Hackney Domestic Abuse Intervention ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on 'Becoming' artistic workshop series for women on journeys of healing and transformation, exploring domestic abuse themes.
• Almeida TheatreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity engagement collaboration where Citz Members performed in 24 (Day) production. Almeida ran workshops with Members to devise characters.
• Hoxton HallcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric venue and new home for Cardboard Citizens at Hoxton Works. Provides performance space and professional rehearsal rooms. Rich history of community engagement and performance.
• NCVO Trusted CharityminorOthersQuality and standards certification partner. Cardboard Citizens holds Trusted Charity Mark.
• NHS TrustsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTraining clients using Forum Theatre to enhance NHS care. Part of bespoke training services.
• University of West England BristolminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEducational institution receiving Forum Theatre training services.
• SoundSkool / NYJOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMusic education partners supporting Cardboard Collective album beats production from SoundSkool participants.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mind the Gap: UK performing-arts company working with learning-disabled and non-disabled artists, producing professional theatre and training programmes. Highly comparable as a community-rooted theatre charity producing professional work and training alongside lived-experience participants.
• Clean Break: UK theatre company working with women who have experienced the criminal justice system, producing theatre and running training programmes. Closely comparable as a theatre charity combining artistic output, training, and a member-led model focused on marginalised groups.
• Synergy Theatre Project: UK theatre company producing work with people affected by the criminal justice system, including ex-prisoners and those at risk of offending. Directly comparable in mission (marginalised communities), Forum/Theatre of the Oppressed-adjacent practice, and training-for-institutions offerings.
• Geese Theatre Company: UK applied-theatre company using interactive theatre methodologies for offender rehabilitation, social services, and vulnerable groups. Comparable in applied-theatre methodology, training-delivery model, and serving institutional buyers in the public sector.
• Graeae Theatre Company: UK theatre company led by disabled artists, producing professional work and access-focused training. Comparable as a community-led theatre charity where lived experience is integral to casting, leadership, and creative output.
• Open Theatre: UK theatre company working with young people with learning disabilities to create professional performance. Comparable in community-theatre model, focus on marginalised participants, and workshop-to-production pipeline.

Others

• The Big Issue: UK street-paper and social enterprise addressing homelessness, and Cardboard Citizens' published partner on More Than One Story. Comparable as a homelessness-mission organisation with overlapping audience and content synergies.

Broad incumbents

• Crisis UK: Large UK homelessness charity running Skylight centres, education, and training programmes. Comparable as a homelessness-services organisation that is a plausible commissioning partner for Cardboard Citizens' Forum Theatre training.
• Emmaus: UK homelessness charity operating residential communities and supporting people out of homelessness through training and employment. Comparable as a homelessness charity that could be a Forum-Theatre training client or programme partner.
• Complicité: Established UK touring theatre company known for devised, socially engaged work and large-scale training/education programmes. Comparable as a high-profile UK theatre company with a substantial education/training arm and similar Forum-adjacent devised methodologies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CardboardCitz

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 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 Cardboard Citizens