Papergang Theatre

What Papergang Theatre does

Papergang Theatre is a London-based charitable theatre company founded in 2013 by Clarissa Widya and registered as a charity (No. 1180859, Company No. 08522007). It produces and tours theatrical work centred on British East and South East Asian (BESEA) stories, artists, and audiences, with named productions including Freedom Hi and Tiananmen: A New Musical (which staged a run at the Criterion Theatre in London's West End in 2024). The company also runs developmental programmes such as Artistic Directors of the Future (in partnership with New Earth Theatre) and publishes Papermag, a free in-house magazine distributed to audiences.

The company's core product is live theatrical performance — there is no proprietary software platform or technical product. Operations rely on standard UK small-scale theatre infrastructure: project-based production teams, venue partnerships with established houses such as Pleasance Theatre (Edinburgh Fringe) and HOME Manchester, and touring logistics for short-run shows. Beyond performance, Papergang operates developmental talent pipelines aimed at growing the BESEA director and writer base in the UK, positioning itself as both a producer and a sector-development vehicle.

Papergang is a grant-funded non-profit, not a commercial enterprise. Revenue is assembled project-by-project from arts grants, donations, and council support. Named funders include Arts Council England, MGC Futures Fund, Stage One, Phoenix Fund, and Newham Council. Audience access is deliberately low-friction — free Papermag at shows, work-in-progress events, and community-facing programming — indicating that the operating model prioritises community reach and sector development over ticket-revenue maximisation. Leadership transitioned in June 2025 from founder Clarissa Widya to Max Percy and Mehdi Razi.

Name

Papergang Theatre

Legal name

Papergang Theatre

Website

https://papergang.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Papergang Theatre is a London-based charitable theatre company that produces and tours theatrical work centring British East and South East Asian stories, artists, and audiences, supported primarily through arts grants and project-based funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Theatre

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Musical Theatre (Non-Broadway/Fringe) (MPAGABAG), Touring Theatre Productions (MPAGABAC)

Keywords

• Community theatre
• Theatrical productions
• Performing arts
• Artist development
• Cultural representation

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: The company accepts donations through JustGiving platform to support their work in carving spaces for British East/South East Asian stories.
2. Arts Council and Grant Funding: Supported by Arts Council England, MGC Futures Fund, Newham Council, Phoenix Fund, and Stage One for productions and operational activities.
3. Leadership Development Program: 18-month supported leadership development opportunity for new co-Artistic Directors, funded by Artistic Directors of the Future and New Earth Theatre. Budget of £8,000 for the incoming leadership team.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Papergang Theatre is a UK-registered non-profit charitable company (Charity No. 1180859, Company No. 08522007) that produces theatrical productions and community programmes centred on British East/South East Asian (BESEA) representation. Founded in 2013 and based in London, the organisation develops and stages original theatre work, supports emerging BESEA artists, and runs community-focused initiatives to expand representation of BESEA stories within the UK theatre sector.

Product overview

Papergang Theatre is a UK-based charitable theatre company (Charity No. 1180859, Company No. 08522007) dedicated to advancing British East/South East Asian (BESEA) stories and artists in the dramatic arts. Founded in 2013, the company produces a portfolio of theatrical works including full productions (Tiananmen 30, Freedom Hi, Invisible Harmony, Dreamers, Asian Pirate Musical, Watermelon, A Bouffon Play About Hong Kong, Amaterasu: Out of the Cave), community projects (ROAR, Cahoots), and workshops. The company's core offerings center on producing bold socio-political performances, supporting emerging artists with their first productions, and delivering community engagement programmes that amplify BESEA voices and experiences. The company operates project-to-project with support from Arts Council England and strategic partnerships with venues including HOME Manchester, Omnibus Theatre, Southbank Centre, and the Pleasance Theatre.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Theatrical Productions Original stage productions developed and staged by Papergang Theatre, with a focus on British East/South East Asian (BESEA) stories, characters, and creative voices, presented to UK theatre audiences.
• Artist Development and Community Programmes Community-focused programmes and artist development initiatives that support emerging BESEA theatre-makers and expand representation of BESEA stories within the UK theatre sector.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HOME ManchestercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey venue partner for productions including 'A Bouffon Play About Hong Kong' as part of PUSH Festival 2023. Also supported workshops and callouts for North West based BESEA actors.
• New Earth TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNPO partner for specific communities. Provides mentorship support as part of the Artistic Directors of the Future scheme for new leadership development.
• Pleasance TheatrecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPapergang Theatre is an Associate company at Pleasance Theatre until 2025, providing a consistent London venue for productions.
• The Joy CollectiveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustralian-based company collaborated with Papergang Theatre on 'ROAR' - one of six intercontinental works-in-process exploring diaspora, borders, and solidarity.
• Applecart ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned immersive workshops for Newham Unlocked Festival as part of community engagement initiatives (The Yard Hub, 2023).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Royal Court Theatre: Royal Court is a major London new-writing venue that has partnered with Papergang on works like Watermelon (extract). Overlaps on championing bold new socio-political plays and is a comparable commissioning funnel for emerging playwrights.
• Southbank Centre: Southbank Centre hosted Papergang's Invisible Harmony in 2020 and is a major UK cultural venue commissioning diverse and politically engaged programming, overlapping with Papergang's mission and audience profile.

Regional players

• Pleasance Theatre: Pleasance Theatre is Papergang's documented London associate company (until 2025), providing venue access and producing partnership. Comparable in being a London small-scale theatre hub for new writing and emerging companies.
• HOME Manchester: HOME Manchester is Papergang's regional venue partner, hosting A Bouffon Play About Hong Kong as part of PUSH Festival 2023. Comparable as a producing venue supporting new writing and culturally diverse touring work.

Direct peers

• New Earth Theatre: New Earth Theatre is a UK theatre company focused on culturally diverse work, particularly East/South East Asian communities, and is documented as Papergang's NPO partner providing Artistic Directors of the Future mentorship. Overlaps directly on BESEA programming and artist development.
• Yellow Earth Theatre: Yellow Earth Theatre is the UK's leading British East Asian touring theatre company, a direct peer to Papergang given the identical BESEA-focused mission, London base, and small-scale touring model. Both organisations depend on Arts Council-style public funding and work with similar emerging East Asian artist cohorts.
• Tiata Fahodzi: Tiata Fahodzi is a UK touring theatre company producing work by and for the African diaspora, comparable to Papergang in scale, mission, funding model (Arts Council NPO), and small-team socio-political new-writing focus, though for a different diaspora.
• Tara Arts Theatre: Tara Arts is a long-established British Asian-led theatre company in London producing new writing and socio-political work. It overlaps directly with Papergang on Asian-diaspora artistic representation, new writing development, and community-led workshop programming.
• Eclipse Theatre: Eclipse Theatre is a Black-led UK touring company producing work by Black British writers; matches Papergang's NPO scale, diversity-led mission, socio-political programming, and reliance on Arts Council England funding.
• Kali Theatre: Kali Theatre is a UK touring company focused on British Asian women's writing and new theatre, overlapping on small-scale touring, new writing development, and Asian-diaspora representation in the UK subsidised theatre sector.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/papergangtc
• Facebookfacebook.com/papergangtheatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/papergangtheatre

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 Papergang Theatre