Next Stage Theatre Company

What Next Stage Theatre Company does

Next Stage Theatre Company is a non-professional community theatre company founded in Bath, England in May 1994 by Ann Ellison BEM and Andrew Ellison. The company operates as a private membership-based organization producing professional-standard theatre, staging up to 10 public performances per year at The Mission Theatre — a 200-year-old Grade II listed former chapel at 32 Corn Street, Bath, secured via a 99-year Community Asset Transfer lease from Bath & North East Somerset Council in 2021. The company has over 50 adult members and operates Next Stage Youth for ages 11–18 (20 members) from a second venue at Burdall's Yard.

The company's portfolio spans seven distinct products and services. The core adult company produces 20th- and 21st-century plays in theatre-in-the-round format, with prices at £18 standard and £14 concessions. Next Stage Youth charges £200 per 10-week term with a 10% sibling discount. Supporting offerings include Theatre in Education workshops for primary and secondary schools, the Friends of Next Stage (FONS) annual membership at £100/year with priority booking and reserved seats, and the Be an Angel production sponsorship programme with tiers from £150 (Fund a Frock) to £2,000 (Sponsor a Show). The Come You Giants bursary (£1,000) supports youth members pursuing professional training, while the Bridget Cassé Award (since 2010) recognises youth theatre excellence. There is no proprietary technology platform; all commerce runs through the Mission Theatre box office, the Squarespace-hosted website, and aol.com email.

Revenue is derived from four streams: ticket sales (transaction), FONS subscriptions (recurring), Be an Angel sponsorships (donations), and Youth term fees (recurring). Ticketing yield is constrained by the 100–150-seat Mission Theatre auditorium. Marketing is community-led with no paid advertising — driving audience through word-of-mouth, patron endorsements (Sir Alan Ayckbourn, Sir David Hare, Dame Harriet Walter, Robert Lindsay), local press (Bath Life Magazine), and a biennial tour to the Minack Theatre in Cornwall, plus historical tours to London's Jermyn Street Theatre and New York's Workshop Theatre. Customers fall into three primary segments: adult community members (volunteer actors/directors/crew), youth participants (paid training), and audience/school customers, distributed across arts and education verticals with no material concentration risk.

Name

Next Stage Theatre Company

Legal name

Next Stage Theatre Company

Website

https://next-stage.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Next Stage Theatre Company is a Bath-based non-professional community theatre founded in 1994 that stages up to 10 professional-standard productions per year at The Mission Theatre, runs a youth programme for ages 11–18, and delivers Theatre in Education workshops to schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Theatre / Performing Arts

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH), Touring Theatre Productions (MPAGABAC), Theatre Education, Training & Conservatories (MPAGABAN), Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB)

Keywords

• Community theatre productions
• Youth theatre training
• Theatre in education
• Amateur performing arts
• Drama workshops schools

Headquarters

HQ city

Bath

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket sales: Revenue from selling tickets to productions at The Mission Theatre and touring venues. Average cost of a week-long production run is £2,000. Tickets priced at £18 standard, £14 concessions.
2. Friends of Next Stage (FONS) annual membership: Annual subscription at £100 per year, offering priority booking, reserved seats, free programmes, and exclusive events. Used to generate stable recurring revenue from supporters.
3. Be an Angel sponsorship appeal: Donations and sponsorship of individual productions, ranging from £150 (costume hire) to £2,000 (sponsor a show). Since 2010, the Angel Appeal has raised up to £4,000 per year, channelling funds back into The Mission Theatre.
4. Next Stage Youth term fees: Youth theatre membership at £200 per 10-week term, with a 10% sibling discount. Provides revenue for youth programme operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Next Stage Theatre Company is a non-professional community theatre company founded in 1994, staging up to 10 public performances per year at The Mission Theatre in Bath. The company produces 20th and 21st century plays to a professional standard with over 50 adult members and a parallel Next Stage Youth programme for ages 11-18, supplemented by Theatre in Education workshops for schools and biennial tours to the Minack Theatre in Cornwall.

Product overview

Next Stage Theatre Company operates as a unified portfolio of theatre-related products and services centred around its core offering: a non-professional theatre company delivering professional-standard productions. The main adult company (Next Stage Theatre Company) and youth programme (Next Stage Youth) share the company's dedicated venue (The Mission Theatre) and collaborate on productions. Supporting offerings include Theatre in Education workshops for schools, the Friends of Next Stage membership scheme, and the Be an Angel sponsorship programme. The company also maintains the Come You Giants Bursary and Bridget Cassé Award for youth development. Next Stage Youth meets at Burdall's Yard and offers youth members aged 11-18 professional theatre training, workshops, and performance opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Mission Theatre: A 200-year-old Grade II listed converted chapel theatre venue in Bath, owned by Bath & North East Somerset Council and operated by Next Stage Theatre Company under a 99-year lease.
• Burdall's Yard

Products and services

• Next Stage Theatre Company (Adult Productions) Non-professional community theatre company for adults, delivering up to 10 public performances each year at The Mission Theatre in Bath, including 20th and 21st century plays staged to a professional standard. Open to adult members of all ages with no auditions and no membership fees.
• Next Stage Youth Youth theatre programme for ages 11-18, meeting on Sundays at Burdall's Yard, Bath. Provides professional grounding in theatre arts with 1-2 fully staged productions per year, festival competitions, and bursary support for further training. Term fees £200 per 10-week term with a 10% sibling discount.
• The Mission Theatre Theatre venue operated by Next Stage Theatre Company under a 99-year Community Asset Transfer lease from Bath & North East Somerset Council (since 2021). Features a 150-seater main auditorium in-the-round and a 50-seater upstairs performing space, hosting up to 10 productions per year and available to hire.
• Theatre in Education Customised drama workshops for primary and secondary schools, delivered by professional actors. Covers GCSE and A-Level text preparation, literacy enrichment, anti-bullying programmes, and cross-curricular topics ranging from Aztecs to Bruegel. Past customers include Redmaids' High School (Bristol), High Littleton C of E Primary School, and Marksbury Church of England Primary School.
• Friends of Next Stage (FONS) Annual membership scheme at £100 per year offering priority booking, reserved seats, free electronic programmes, and invitations to exclusive events including meet-and-greets with cast and directors. Generates stable recurring revenue from supporters.
• Be an Angel Sponsorship Programme Production sponsorship programme with multiple tiers: Fund a Frock (£150), Buy the Bits (£300), Print the Publicity (£200), Set the Stage (£700), Pay for a Performance (£650), and Sponsor a Show (£2,000). Donations and sponsorship of individual productions.
• Come You Giants Bursary Annual £1,000 bursary for Next Stage Youth members who have been in the company for at least one year, supporting further training in performing arts. Funded through fundraising.
• Bridget Cassé Award for Excellence in Youth Theatre Annual award recognising theatrical talent, enthusiasm, willingness to help others, and positive attitude among Next Stage Youth members. Inaugurated in memory of Bridget Cassé.

Quantifiable outcome

• Produced over 200 plays since 1994, including many Bath premieres and regional/national/international touring productions
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bath & North East Somerset Council (BANES Council)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021BANES Council awarded Next Stage Theatre Company a Community Asset Transfer (CAT) of The Mission Theatre on a 99-year lease in 2021. The council holds ownership of the Grade II listed building while Next Stage holds the lease to operate it as a theatre, arts centre, and multi-purpose community facility. This partnership secures the theatre's long-term future and enables Next Stage to fundraise for building restoration.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Merlin Theatre: Small community theatre in Frome, Somerset, where Ann Ellison previously ran workshops. Comparable as a South West community theatre serving a similar regional audience.
• Minack Theatre: The famous open-air cliffside theatre in Cornwall where Next Stage tours biennially. Comparable as a regional/community theatre venue with a comparable visitor/audience model and a track record of staging both professional and amateur productions.
• Jermyn Street Theatre: Small West End theatre in London where Next Stage toured Torch Song Trilogy in 2009. Comparable as a small-format theatre hosting touring productions and nurturing new writing, with a similar in-the-round style.
• Stephen Joseph Theatre: Regional repertory theatre in Scarborough where Next Stage toured in 1999/2000. Comparable as a regional producing theatre in the UK that hosts touring community productions and develops new writing.

Direct peers

• Storyhouse: Chester-based community theatre and arts centre with theatre, cinema, and library operations. Comparable as a community asset-transferred venue with a mixed participation and producing model.
• The Barn Theatre: Independent community theatre in Oxted, Surrey, producing professional and semi-professional productions with a year-round programme. Comparable as a small independent venue theatre producing modern plays and operating Schools/Youth outreach.
• The Dukes Theatre: Independent theatre in Lancaster producing in-house and touring work alongside a youth and education programme. Comparable as a small independent producing theatre with strong education and youth outreach.
• The Questors Theatre: One of the largest amateur theatres in the UK, based in Ealing, London. Comparable as a non-professional theatre company producing a year-round programme of plays and operating a youth theatre.
• Tobacco Factory Theatre: Community-rooted producing theatre in Bristol with an in-the-round studio space and a strong community participation programme. Comparable as a regional theatre producing both touring and in-house productions and running a participation programme.
• The Orange Tree Theatre: Independent producing theatre in Richmond, London, with a 170-seat in-the-round auditorium. Comparable as a small independent venue producing new writing and touring productions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mission_theatre
• Facebookfacebook.com/nextstagetheatrecompany
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/next-stage-theatre-company-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Next Stage Theatre Company