Orange Tree Theatre

What Orange Tree Theatre does

Orange Tree Theatre is an independent, registered charity (charity number 266128) operating a 180-seat in-the-round auditorium at 1 Clarence Street, Richmond, Surrey, with a 51-100 person team. Founded in 1971 as a lunchtime theatre above the Orange Tree pub and relocated to its current converted primary school building in 1991, the theatre produces live theatrical performances — new plays, contemporary drama, revitalised classics, and rediscovered works — alongside an extensive community and education programme spanning ages 0 to 100.

The theatre runs a multi-venue, multi-format product set: Main House Productions in the in-the-round space; OT on the Hill outdoor productions at Thomas's College gardens; OT in the Church at St John the Divine; OT On Screen, a streaming service offering professional recordings after closing night; youth theatres for ages 6-25; the Friday Company for older adults; Writing Lab and Directing Lab adult education courses; and the Richmond Myths community festival. Education programmes (Primary Shakespeare, Shakespeare Up Close) tour to schools. The technology stack is conventional: WordPress for the website, Spektrix for ticketing, Elementor for content, Google Analytics for measurement, and Vimeo/YouTube for video. There is no API, no proprietary platform, and no AI/ML capability.

Revenue is generated through ticket sales, memberships (starting at £60/year), donations (target of £650,000 annually), bar and concessions (including a canned wine partnership with The Uncommon), and merchandise. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via online (Spektrix), phone, and in-person box office, supplemented by satellite venues and school tours. Marketing runs through the website, social channels (Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), an email newsletter, Saturday Seminars, community programmes as audience-development, and PR coverage. The organisation is undergoing a £4.5 million capital project, 'OT: Open to Everyone', with over 80% raised, supported by trusts/foundations (Garfield Weston, Backstage Trust, Hayburn Trust) and Arts Council England National Lottery funding. The theatre states it operates without Arts Council England revenue funding.

Name

Orange Tree Theatre

Legal name

Orange Tree Theatre

Website

https://orangetreetheatre.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Orange Tree Theatre is an independent charity operating a 180-seat in-the-round venue in Richmond, London, producing new plays, revitalised classics, and an extensive community and education programme for audiences and participants aged 0 to 100.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Theatre (Performing Arts)

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (711510)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Community & Amateur Theatre (MPAGABAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Theatre & Storytelling Festivals (MPAGAEAI)

Keywords

• Live theatre productions
• Community theatre programmes
• Theatre education programmes
• Youth theatre training
• Theatrical streaming service

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from ticket sales for theatrical productions at the main venue and satellite locations. No booking fees, prices vary by production with demand-based pricing.
2. Memberships: Annual membership programme starting at £60, providing benefits including discounted tickets, access to exclusive events, and priority booking.
3. Donations and Fundraising: Relies on public donations to raise £650,000 annually to support artistic programme and community work. Includes capital project fundraising for venue development.
4. Bar and Concessions: On-site bar serving drinks including partnership with The Uncommon for canned wines. Food offerings including ice cream, snacks, and partnered restaurant recommendations.
5. Merchandise and Shop: Sale of OT merchandise, playtexts, and gift vouchers through the online shop.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Orange Tree Theatre is an independent, registered charity operating an intimate 180-seat in-the-round venue in Richmond that produces and presents a main house programme of new plays, contemporary drama and rediscovered classics, complemented by community and education programmes for ages 0 to 100 and a paid on-demand streaming service (OT On Screen) for at-home audiences. Revenue is generated from ticket sales, memberships, donations, grants and trusts, bar and merchandise sales, alongside dedicated secondary locations for outdoor productions (OT on the Hill) and church-based shows (OT in the Church).

Product overview

Orange Tree Theatre is an intimate 180-seat venue in Richmond, South West London, presenting a unified portfolio of live theatre productions staged in-the-round alongside extensive community and education programs. Core offerings include main house productions featuring new plays and revitalized classics, plus the OT On Screen streaming service for remote viewing. The theatre's community division encompasses youth theatre programs across multiple age groups (6-11, 12-14, 15-18, 18-25), the Friday Company for older adults, Writing Lab and Directing Lab adult education courses, and large-scale community events like the Richmond Myths festival. Education initiatives include Primary Shakespeare for primary schools and Shakespeare Up Close for secondary schools. Special programs include OT Under 30 membership with discounted tickets and post-show events, plus venue expansions such as OT on the Hill (outdoor productions) and OT in the Church.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Main House Productions Live theatre performances staged in the 180-seat in-the-round auditorium featuring new plays, contemporary drama, revitalised classics and rediscovered works by established and emerging playwrights, sold by individual ticket and through packages such as the Shakespeare Package.
• OT On Screen Streaming service offering professional recordings of Orange Tree productions for at-home viewing for up to one week after closing performance, with pay-what-you-can pricing from £15 and accessibility features including captions and audio descriptions.
• Primary Shakespeare Flagship education programme bringing Shakespeare productions and workshops to primary school children, running for over 40 years, with touring performances and in-school workshops.
• Shakespeare Up Close Touring Shakespeare education programme for secondary schools covering KS3 and KS4, featuring 80-minute abridgements using original text delivered directly to schools.
• Youth Theatre 6-11 Weekly Saturday sessions for children aged 6-11 exploring theatre-making and performance skills.
• Youth Theatre 12-14 Weekly Tuesday evening sessions for 12-14 year olds developing theatre skills through games and exercises.
• 15-18 Young Company Performance group for teenagers interested in theatre-making, developing skills and collaborating on productions.
• 18-25 Young Company Ensemble for young performers aged 18-25 to develop theatre skills through collaborative projects and performances, supported by the Noel Coward Foundation and the Barbara Whatmore Charitable Trust.
• Friday Company Creative group for older adults developing performance skills in a supportive weekly environment.
• Writing Lab Five-week introductory course to playwriting covering character creation, world building and structure.
• Directing Lab Five-week hands-on introduction to directing focusing on working with text and actors in a rehearsal room setting.
• Richmond Myths Festival Free multi-arts community festival featuring performances inspired by Greek mythology across Richmond town centre, produced in partnership with Richmond Council, Hemingway Design and community organisations.
• OT Under 30 Ticket scheme offering £15 seats for under 30s with a free drink and post-show Q&A included.
• Membership Programme Annual theatre membership starting at £60 providing priority booking, ticket discounts, access to exclusive events and support for the OT's artistic and community work.
• OT on the Hill Outdoor productions staged in the gardens of Thomas's College on Richmond Hill, currently featuring the Shakespeare comedies Love's Labour's Lost and Much Ado About Nothing co-produced with Guildford Shakespeare Company.
• OT in the Church Productions presented at external church venues, including T.S. Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral at St John the Divine church opposite the main theatre.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of teachers agreed Primary Shakespeare was an excellent theatre experience
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Chichester Festival TheatremajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 September 2026Co-production partnership for 'a small and quiet light', a new play by Stephanie Street about Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan. Production premieres at Chichester's Minerva Theatre before opening at Orange Tree.
• Guildford Shakespeare CompanymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 July 2026Co-production partnership for Shakespeare comedies 'Love's Labour's Lost' and 'Much Ado About Nothing' performed at Thomas's College gardens as part of OT on the Hill.
• Hemingway DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 July 2026Co-production partnership for Richmond Myths community festival, a multi-arts event transforming Richmond town centre with performances across multiple venues.
• Richmond CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 July 2026Partner in Richmond Myths festival, providing support through London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Civic Pride Fund and Arts Council England National Lottery funding.
• Be RichmondminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 17 July 2026Supporting organisation for Richmond Myths festival, contributing to community arts programming.
• Multicultural RichmondminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 July 2026Community partner in Richmond Myths festival, celebrating cultural diversity in Richmond upon Thames.
• Otakar Kraus Music TrustminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 July 2026Community partner providing music therapy participants for Richmond Myths 'The Long Walk Home' performance.
• BridgeLink CentreminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 July 2026Community centre partner contributing youth club members to Richmond Myths performances.
• Richmond CarersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 July 2026Support organisation for unpaid carers, partner in Richmond Myths with young carers performing.
• Combination DanceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 July 2026Dance company enriching lives through dance, involved in Richmond Myths Opening Ceremony.
• The UncommonminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 3 March 2026Partnership for canned English wine served at the theatre bar. The Uncommon is a B Corp Certified English winemaker providing premium wines in sustainable packaging.
• Ottolenghi RichmondminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 28 February 2025Restaurant partner offering dining options for theatre-goers in Richmond.
• Bacco RestaurantminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Independent Italian restaurant near the theatre offering pre-theatre menus and special drink-and-bites offer for OT patrons.
• Scott's RichmondminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Restaurant donating £5 for every reservation made via their link in support of the theatre.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OrangeTreeThtr
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC5cdxChMtuiVQsTRcGTbziQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/OrangeTreeTheatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/orangetreetheatre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orange-tree-theatre-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Orange Tree Theatre