Stephen Joseph Theatre

Name

Stephen Joseph Theatre

Legal name

Scarborough Theatre Trust Ltd.

Website

https://sjt.uk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Theatre

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

akta.pro primary industry

Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH), Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB), Broadway & Commercial Theatre Productions (MPAGABAA)

Keywords

• Regional theatre productions
• Live performing arts
• Cinema screenings
• Theatre venue hire
• Arts education programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Scarborough

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from theatre productions, touring shows, and cinema screenings. Membership provides recurring revenue with 20% discount for members.
2. Food & Beverage: Eat Me Café operates on first floor (opened August 2020), award-winning restaurant. Bars serve wine, prosecco, G&T, local Wold Top beers during performances.
3. Retail (The Shop): Eclectic selection of creations from local artists including art, jewellery, books, woodturning, candles, and chocolates. Open during performance times.
4. Donations & Memberships: Registered charity receiving donations, Circle membership scheme, seat sponsorship, corporate partnerships, and legacy gifts. Fundraising department handles development.
5. Venue Hire: Spaces available for weddings, conferences, private film screenings, workshops, and meetings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Stephen Joseph Theatre is a registered charity and regional theatre in Scarborough operating two performance spaces — The Round (404-seat flexible auditorium) and The McCarthy (165-seat end-on auditorium). It produces and presents live theatre, comedy, music, dance, and film screenings, complemented by an on-site café, retail shop, membership programme, classes, and venue hire services.

Product overview

Stephen Joseph Theatre (SJT) is a registered charity and regional theatre offering a diverse portfolio of cultural experiences. The core offerings consist of live theatrical productions in two flexible auditoriums (The Round with 404 seats and The McCarthy with 165 seats) alongside cinema screenings. Supporting services include membership programmes for discounts and pre-sale access, Eat Me cafe restaurant, the Shop at SJT selling local artisan products, and comprehensive educational classes for youth and adults. The theatre also offers venue hire services, gift vouchers (including Theatre Tokens), seat sponsorship, and the New Work Fund supporting emerging playwrights. Accessibility services include dementia-friendly screenings, captioning, audio description, and BSL interpretation. SJT's programme includes both self-produced work and visiting touring productions spanning theatre, comedy, music, and dance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Theatre Productions Live theatrical performances produced by SJT or presented as touring shows, featuring drama, comedy, and musical productions in The Round and The McCarthy auditoriums. Targeted at general audiences and performing arts patrons.
• Cinema Screenings Film screenings including Moviedrome curated cult classics, Royal Ballet and Opera cinema seasons, National Theatre Live broadcasts, and general cinema programming for film enthusiasts and event cinema audiences.
• Circle Membership Programme Subscription membership from £3.33/month offering 20% off SJT productions and touring shows, £2 off cinema tickets, discounts at the bar and Eat Me Café, and exclusive pre-sale access to events.
• Eat Me @ SJT Café & Restaurant Award-winning café restaurant operated by Eat Me Café, offering British and Asian cuisine including Japanese ramens, mac 'n' cheese, burgers, cocktails and desserts, located on the first floor of the theatre.
• Shop at SJT Art Deco styled retail space offering eclectic gifts and homewares created by local artists and makers, including jewellery, art, books, candles, chocolates, ceramics, and woodturning.
• Classes and Creative Activities Creative engagement programmes including Youth Theatre, Young Company, Fuse Youth Theatre, Global Voices Choir, Adult Dance, Drama Club, Move Maker, Story Maker, Play in a Day, and Adult Playwriting Course for all ages and abilities.
• Venue Hire Spaces available for weddings, conferences, private film screenings, workshops, and meetings with full catering services available through the Events Team.
• Gift Vouchers and Theatre Tokens SJT Gift Vouchers available in any amount, valid for two years, redeemable for theatre shows, cinema, or classes, plus Theatre Tokens usable at 280+ venues nationwide.
• Accessibility and Dementia-Friendly Services Accessibility services including dementia-friendly screenings, Access Requirement Register, captioning, audio description, BSL interpreted performances, and relaxation sessions for audiences requiring additional support.
• Backstage Tours Behind-the-scenes tours of the theatre's production facilities and spaces.

Quantifiable outcome

• Funded £2.7m refurbishment of McCarthy Auditorium from Arts Council Creative Foundations Fund

Named customers1 record

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Eat Me CafécoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning café operating as resident food & beverage partner on first floor since August 2020. Named 'local gem' in The Good Food Guide for five years. Offers eclectic mix of British and Asian cuisine.
• Wold Top BreweryminorOthersLocal Scarborough brewery supplying beers and ales to the theatre bar.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• The Old Vic: London producing theatre with heritage Grade II-listed building, mixed producing-receiving model, and strong community programmes. Parallels SJT's heritage-building-plus-producing structure at larger scale.
• Royal Shakespeare Company: Larger-scale UK producing theatre with significantly bigger budgets and venues, but overlapping in producing classic and contemporary work, new writing development, and education/community programmes. Represents scaled-up version of SJT's producing mission.
• National Theatre: UK's flagship producing theatre with NT Live cinema programme that SJT screens. Direct comparable in producing new writing and classics, with substantially larger scale and broader audience reach via broadcast partnerships.
• Royal Court Theatre: London-based new writing-focused producing theatre. SJT shares Royal Court's commitment to premiering new plays (notably through Alan Ayckbourn's annual premieres) and operates a similar talent development pipeline via New Work Fund.

Direct peers

• Sheffield Theatres: Major Yorkshire producing theatre complex running multiple auditoriums with combined capacity exceeding SJT. Comparable producing model, similar community engagement, and shared Arts Council England funding ecosystem.
• Leeds Playhouse: Yorkshire-based producing theatre with similar producing/receiving model, new writing focus, and comparable community programmes. Operates at slightly larger scale with similar funding structure from Arts Council England.
• York Theatre Royal: Regional producing theatre in Yorkshire operating two auditoriums with comparable producing and receiving theatre model, similar community engagement and education programming. Closest geographic and structural peer.
• Chichester Festival Theatre: Regional UK producing theatre with comparable producing-and-receiving model, strong new writing tradition, and similar scale of auditorium and audience. Strong seasonal festival-style programming parallels SJT's model.
• Bolton Octagon Theatre: Mid-sized regional producing theatre with similar producing-and-receiving model, comparable auditorium scale, and similar community engagement focus. Operates as producing theatre with Arts Council support.
• Everyman Theatre Liverpool: Regional UK producing theatre with comparable producing model, similar community/youth programmes, and similar scale of operation. Strong new writing tradition parallels SJT's Ayckbourn-driven approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Shop-at-The-SJT
• Xx.com/thesjt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stephen-joseph-theatre-enterprises-limited

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Stephen Joseph Theatre