Actors of Dionysus

What Actors of Dionysus does

Actors of Dionysus (AOD) is a UK registered charity (No 1044532) and company limited by guarantee (3002661), founded in 1993 in St Andrews, Scotland and now headquartered at the Lionhouse venue in Brighton. The company specialises in performing and teaching ancient Greek drama, producing a long-running repertoire of Greek tragedies and comedies — including Hekabe, Medea, Antigone, Oedipus, Bacchae, Lysistrata, and Trojan Women — staged with physical theatre, aerial work, and immersive techniques at UK and international fringe festivals. Founder and Artistic Director Tamsin Shasha leads a small core team of 11-50 employees and volunteers, with David Stuttard providing classical editorial collaboration on academic essay books.

The company generates revenue across four streams: paid educational workshops for UK primary, secondary, and sixth-form schools (priced at £350 per 3-hour session and £1,200 per full-day classics enrichment day); a four-tier membership programme (Friends £100+, Patrons £500+, Gods £1,000+, Olympian £5,000); shop sales of DVDs, CDs, and essay books at £11.50–£18.50 each; and grant income from Arts Council England, Brighton & Hove City Council's Shared Prosperity Fund, and other charitable trusts. Over its 30-year history AOD has delivered more than 500 workshops across UK schools, with 75+ of those offered free to state schools through the Free Workshops Campaign.

Distribution occurs through direct school outreach, fringe festival performances (Brighton Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe), the Digital Theatre Plus subscription platform for educational streaming, and digital content projects such as #DailyDose/#MiniMyth, which ran daily readings of ancient poetry and drama for 18 months during the COVID-19 period. Recent strategic initiatives include the 2024 Magic from Myth Coding Workshops combining Greek myth with Scratch programming for ages 6-16 with SEND prioritisation, a multi-year Executive Director partnership with King's College London for the annual KCL Greek Play, and the planned Educator Network platform offering CPD and lesson resources for teachers. The company has no proprietary technology platforms and does not employ AI/ML capabilities, relying instead on standard SaaS tools for marketing, ticketing, donations, and analytics.

Name

Actors of Dionysus

Legal name

Actors of Dionysus Ltd

Website

https://actorsofdionysus.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Actors of Dionysus is a UK charity founded in 1993 that produces and tours ancient Greek drama and delivers paid drama workshops to UK primary, secondary, and sixth-form schools, supplemented by a membership programme, merchandise sales, and Arts Council grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts & Theatre Education

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

Touring Theatre Productions (MPAGABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater & Drama Education (Acting, Improvisation, Musical Theater) (EDAMAAAG), Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB)

Keywords

• Greek drama productions
• School drama workshops
• Classical education
• Theatrical performances
• Mythology-based learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Brighton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Shop Sales (Merchandise): Sale of DVDs, CDs, and essay books related to Greek drama performances. Products include recordings of past productions and academic resources.
2. Educational Workshops: Paid workshops delivered to schools, universities, and colleges. 3-hour workshops priced at £350, full-day enrichment/classics days at £1,200.
3. Membership Programme: Annual membership tiers: Friends (£100+), Patrons (£500+), Gods (£1000+), and Olympian (£5000). Includes benefits, event invitations, and recognition.
4. Grants and Funded Projects: Funding from Arts Council England, Brighton & Hove City Council Shared Prosperity Fund, and other charitable trusts to support educational outreach and community projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Actors of Dionysus produces and tours theatrical performances of ancient Greek drama (tragedies and comedies), delivers educational drama workshops to UK primary, secondary, and sixth-form schools, and sells related merchandise including DVDs, CDs, and academic essay books. The organization is a UK registered charity operating since 1993 from its Lionhouse venue in Brighton.

Product overview

Actors of Dionysus is a UK registered charity (No. 1044532) founded in 1993, specializing in boundary-breaking theatre work centered on Greek myth and drama. The organization operates as a single unified offering combining live theatrical productions with creative education services. Their core product portfolio includes Greek drama productions (tragedies, comedies, and new adaptations featuring physical theatre, aerial work, and immersive staging), educational workshops for Primary, Secondary, and Sixth Form students, and the Magic from Myth Coding Workshops that combine drama with digital skills. Supporting products include DVDs and CDs of productions, academic essay books on Greek tragedies, online quizzes, the #MiniMyth digital content project, Drama Workshop Resources, the planned Educator Network platform, Lionhouse venue operations, and a membership program. The company also partners with King's College London as Executive Directors for annual Greek Play productions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• #DailyDose: Digital project launched during Covid lockdown in March 2020, posting daily digital content including readings of ancient poetry, drama and performance. Ran for 18 months and included digital festivals with special guests. Renamed to #MiniMyth in 2022.
• #MiniMyth
• Magic from Myth Coding Workshops
• Wonder Women of the Ancient World
• Lionhouse

Products and services

• Greek Drama Productions Theatrical performances of ancient Greek plays including tragedies, comedies, and new adaptations such as Antigone, Medea, Oedipus, Bacchae, Lysistrata, Trojan Women, Helen, Electra, Hippolytus, Agamemnon, and Hekabe. Productions feature physical theatre, aerial work, circus elements, and immersive staging for general theatre audiences and festival goers.
• Primary School Workshops Practical drama workshops for Key Stage 2 students (Years 2-6) supporting Myths & Legends and Storytelling curriculum, including interactive performances as part of the Wonder Women of the Ancient World series. Targeted at UK primary schools.
• Secondary School Workshops Workshops for secondary school students supporting Drama, Theatre Studies, and Classical Civilisation GCSE, covering major Greek texts through practical and hands-on activities. Priced at £350 per 3-hour workshop and £1,200 per full-day classics enrichment day.
• Sixth Form Workshops Workshops and Classics Days designed for A-level students studying Classical Civilisation or Drama/Theatre Studies, focusing on ancient Greek texts, the Chorus, staging, and character analysis. Targeted at sixth form colleges.
• Magic from Myth Coding Workshops Drama and digital performance workshops combining mythology with coding education using Scratch, targeting young people aged 6-16 with priority for SEND participants. Delivered in partnership with CoderDojo Brighton and Raspberry Pi Foundation.
• KCL Greek Play Executive Production Partnership with King's College London as Executive Directors for annual Greek Play productions. Includes Lysistrata in the Wings (2024), Iphigenia (2023), Elektra (2025), and The Clouds (2026).
• Greek Drama DVDs Recordings of past AOD Greek drama productions including Antigone, Oedipus, Medea, and the Face of Tragedy compilation, priced at £18.50 each. Include trailers, interviews, and behind-the-scenes content for educators and enthusiasts.
• Greek Drama CDs Audio recordings of Greek drama productions including the Medea CD (Penguin Audiobooks, 1996) and the Sweetness of Honey CD featuring Sappho's poems read by Fenella Fielding, priced at £18.50 each.
• Academic Essay Books on Greek Drama Edited collections of academic essays on Greek tragedies including Essays on Bacchae (7 essays, £11.50), Essays on Agamemnon (8 essays), and Essays on Trojan Women (9 essays). Edited by David Stuttard and Tamsin Shasha.
• Membership Program Annual membership tiers: Friends (£100+) receive updates and event invitations; Patrons (£500+) add repertoire books, CDs, DVDs and special performances; Gods (£1000+) add exclusive events with trustees; Olympians (£5000) join the core Omphalós team with red carpet events.
• Lionhouse Venue

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 75 free workshops delivered to state schools
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• CoderDojo BrightoncoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Collaboration with coding experts to deliver Magic from Myth coding workshops combining drama and Scratch programming for young people aged 6-16, prioritising SEND participants in Brighton areas.
• Raspberry Pi FoundationsupportingTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Charity providing sponsorship in kind for Magic from Myth coding workshops, supporting digital education for young people.
• AudioActivesupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024Worthing-based community music venue hosting Magic from Myth coding workshops and performance events.
• Blast TheorysupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024Digital arts company providing venue for Magic from Myth coding workshops in Portslade.
• UprootsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Co-producer for Black Voices In Myth research and development project exploring marginalised voices in Greek mythology.
• King's College LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Multi-year Executive Director partnership for KCL Greek Play, supporting students to create their own versions of ancient Greek texts annually.
• Chickenshed TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Inclusive theatre company partnership for Black Voices In Myth project, including placements for graduates and education outreach development.
• Bee in my BeaniecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Award-winning theatre company collaboration for Wonder Women of the Ancient World series, bringing puppetry and family theatre to Brighton Fringe.
• Clean BreakminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Theatre company focused on women's issues; mentioned in relation to staff background, not active partnership.
• Little Angel TheatreminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Puppetry theatre company; mentioned in relation to staff background, not active partnership.
• Digital Theatre PlussupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2017Subscription platform distributing AOD productions (Medea, Antigone) to schools and educational institutions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Spymonkey: Award-winning UK physical-theatre company touring internationally. Comparable in scale, physical-theatre style, and award recognition on the UK fringe circuit.
• Chickenshed Theatre: UK inclusive theatre company and AOD's partner on the Black Voices In Myth project. Comparable as a charitable theatre company with strong educational programming and an inclusion/SEND focus.
• Little Angel Theatre: London-based puppetry and family theatre company. Comparable as a small UK specialist theatre with a strong education/outreach arm; AOD's GM previously worked there.
• Pilot Theatre: UK touring theatre company with a strong education and young-people focus. Comparable as a mid-sized UK touring producer combining main-stage work with creative learning programmes.
• Shakespeare Schools Foundation: UK charity delivering theatre and Shakespeare workshops in schools nationwide. Highly comparable in mission, school-workshop model, and charity structure.

Broad incumbents

• Complicité: Established UK physical-theatre company. Comparable in its pioneering use of physical theatre, aerial and visual storytelling — a stylistic influence on AOD's productions.
• Headlong: UK touring theatre company producing new work and classics. Comparable as a UK touring producer with national reach and educational engagement, though at significantly larger scale.
• National Youth Theatre: UK charity providing young people with access to theatre-making and performance training. Comparable as a youth-theatre education charity with workshops and productions.
• Out of Joint: UK touring theatre company specialising in new writing and adaptations. Comparable as a UK touring company producing bold adaptations with associated learning programmes.

Emerging players

• Clean Break: UK theatre company working with women affected by the criminal justice system. Comparable as a small UK charity-theatre with strong educational outreach; AOD's GM previously worked there.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aodtheatre
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/suergaz7/feed
• Facebookfacebook.com/aodtheatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/actorsofdionysus

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Actors of Dionysus