Little Fish Theatre Community Interest Company

What Little Fish Theatre Community Interest Company does

Little Fish Theatre Community Interest Company is a London-based Community Interest Company and registered charity (Charity Number 1179172) that produces theatre-in-education programmes and community outreach projects for underserved young people. Founded in 2008 by Suha Al-Khayyat and Alex Cooke, the organisation operates from The Forum At Greenwich and runs two interlocking offerings: a touring theatre-in-education portfolio (including productions such as Friction, Cancelled, Wired, Could Never Be Me, and Credible Witness) that delivers interactive performances plus workshops aligned with the Key Stage 2 and 3 PSHE curriculum to schools and community venues; and a community outreach portfolio (including Voicing Masculinities, Southwark Learning for Life, Embrace, and Bexley Transitions) that uses participatory theatre, music, dance, and visual art to support safeguarding, transition to secondary school, mental health, and identity exploration for ages 10-18. The company's core 'technology' is its applied-theatre methodology and an archive of 25+ original productions, with academic validation through partnerships with Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and AHRC-funded research.

The business model is grant-funded and non-commercial at the participant level. Revenue is sourced primarily from charitable foundations and government bodies (Arts Council England, National Lottery Community Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation, BBC Children in Need, Global Fund for Children, Peabody Trust, Esmee Fairbairn, London Community Foundation) and from London borough councils (Southwark, Bexley, Greenwich, Wandsworth). Programmes are delivered free to eligible participants, with some commissioned work from schools and youth services (e.g., Wandsworth Youth Offending Team) generating fees. Marketing is conducted via Instagram, Bluesky, Mailchimp newsletters, the company website, and word-of-mouth referrals from schools and funders. Operations span London boroughs (Southwark, Bexley, Greenwich, Wandsworth, Lewisham) with recent expansion into Medway and Oldham through academic partnerships.

Name

Little Fish Theatre Community Interest Company

Legal name

Little Fish Theatre Company

Website

https://littlefishtheatre.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Little Fish Theatre is a London-based Community Interest Company and registered charity that delivers theatre-in-education productions and community outreach programmes for underserved young people across London boroughs, focused on PSHE curriculum topics including relationships, online safety, and mental health.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Theatre / Theatre-in-Education

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Fine Arts Schools (61161), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s & Youth Theatre (MPAGABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community & Amateur Theatre (MPAGABAD), Theater & Drama Education (Acting, Improvisation, Musical Theater) (EDAMAAAG), Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)

Keywords

• Theatre-in-education
• Youth theatre productions
• Drama workshops
• Community outreach programmes
• PSHE curriculum delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

Greenwich

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Primary revenue from charitable grants and funding from foundations and government bodies including Arts Council England, National Lottery Community Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation, BBC Children in Need, Global Fund for Children, Peabody Trust, London Community Foundation, and local councils.
2. Commissioned Programmes: Schools and local councils commission specific theatre productions and outreach programmes. Revenue generated through delivering tailored educational theatre to meet specific curriculum and safeguarding needs.
3. Free Community Programmes: Many core programmes are delivered free to target demographics (Free School Meals eligible children, youth in disadvantaged areas), funded through grants and council partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Little Fish Theatre produces original touring theatre productions and community outreach programmes for young people aged 10-18, delivering interactive performances and workshops on PSHE topics including online safety, healthy relationships, mental health, masculinity, and consent. The organisation also runs multi-arts summer schemes, after-school clubs, and longer-term youth development projects (e.g., Voicing Masculinities, Southwark Learning for Life, Embrace) in partnership with schools, local councils, and youth organisations across London.

Product overview

Little Fish Theatre Community Interest Company operates as a theatre and drama organization offering touring productions and community outreach programmes for young people in London. Their portfolio consists of two interconnected offerings: touring theatre productions (such as Friction, Cancelled, Wired, and Credible Witness) that deliver interactive performances and workshops aligned with the PSHE curriculum to schools and community venues; and community outreach projects (including Voicing Masculinities, Southwark Learning for Life, Embrace, and Bexley Transitions) that use creative arts to support young people's personal development, mental health, and successful life transitions. Both offerings serve underserved young people through participatory theatre techniques, with productions designed for specific key stages and community projects targeting particular age groups and geographic areas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Friction A 45-minute interactive Year 6 touring production exploring online safety, digital friendships, social media risks, and media literacy, followed by a 30-minute workshop for young people and parents/carers. Supports Key Stage 2 PSHE curriculum.
• Cancelled A theatre production exploring consent, trust, and forgiveness in the context of sharing photos without consent online. Addresses healthy relationships and online safety for Key Stage 3/4 students.
• Wired A digital production exploring how poor mental health can lead to experimenting with illegal drugs, examining the impact of mental health and external pressures on young people's decision-making. Digitally toured Greenwich in July 2021.
• Could Never Be Me A digital theatre production with Zoom workshops for Year 9-11 pupils exploring masculinity, femininity, technology, and relationships during the pandemic, encouraging young people to open up about difficult feelings.
• Voicing Masculinities A community outreach project in Bexley for young men aged 12-18 exploring masculinity, identity, and social justice through creative workshops, live performance, and verbatim theatre production. Includes youth ambassador programme for ages 13-25.
• Southwark Learning for Life A free 10-day summer programme for Year 6 pupils in Southwark using creative arts (music, dance, drama, art) to help children develop life skills, personal safety awareness, and a successful transition to secondary school.
• Embrace A research project developing multi-arts prevention and support for vulnerable young men at risk of unhealthy sexual relationships, delivering tailored drama programmes in pupil referral units, youth clubs, and secure units across Wandsworth and Southwark.
• Bexley Transitions Free after-school clubs in Year 6 using music, dance, drama, and art to support successful transition to secondary school, exploring skills development, conflict management, friendship-building, and coping with change.
• Credible Witness A project led by Dr Amanda Stuart Fisher from Royal Central School of Speech and Drama exploring how young people experience testimonial injustice through performance, philosophy, and social work. Works with young people in London and Oldham.
• Healthy Relationships (New Leaf) Community outreach programme focused on healthy relationships education for young people.
• Theatre Production Tours Touring theatre productions delivered to schools, youth centres, theatres, and community organisations across London boroughs including Southwark, Greenwich, Bexley, and Wandsworth. Productions address PSHE curriculum topics including relationships, mental health, online safety, and substance awareness.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40 secondary schools reached in London during 2019/2020 alone
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Independent Theatre CouncilminorOthersProfessional membership organisation for theatre companies. Little Fish holds ITC membership for the arts sector.
• Royal Central School of Speech and DramacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner collaborating on research projects including 'Credible Witnesses' led by Dr Amanda Stuart Fisher, and 'Embrace' project external evaluation by Dr Amanda Stuart Fisher and Dr Nicola Abraham.
• Oldham Theatre WorkshopcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTheatre partner in Oldham collaborating on the 'Credible Witnesses' project alongside Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and Phosphoros Theatre.
• Phosphoros TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTheatre company working with young people, involved in 'Credible Witnesses' project alongside Oldham Theatre Workshop and Royal Central School.
• BexleyConnectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner in Bexley collaborating on Children & Young People's Social Prescribing initiative alongside Bexley Moorings and CM Bexley.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Theatre Centre: London-based TIE company that creates and tours original theatre productions for young audiences in schools and venues across the UK. Closely comparable in scale, target audience (KS2-KS4), and touring-into-schools distribution model.
• Big Brum Theatre in Education: One of the UK's longest-established theatre-in-education companies, Big Brum tours original TIE productions to schools across the West Midlands. Directly comparable to Little Fish in operating model, school touring focus, and PSHE/values-based subject matter.
• Half Moon Theatre: East London venue-based theatre producing work for and with young people, including a dedicated Young People's Theatre programme touring into schools. Comparable in London focus, youth audience, and educational programming.
• M6 Theatre Company: Manchester-based TIE company producing original theatre and drama projects for children and young people, including work in schools and community settings. Comparable as a regional TIE specialist serving youth audiences with original commissions.
• Big Fish Theatre: West Sussex-based TIE company where Little Fish co-founder Alex Cooke previously worked. Direct lineage peer producing original theatre for young audiences with educational themes.
• Phosphoros Theatre: UK theatre company working with young people, particularly refugees and unaccompanied minors. Currently co-developing the 'Credible Witnesses' project with Little Fish and Royal Central School—directly comparable in youth-focused applied theatre.
• Oldham Theatre Workshop: Greater Manchester theatre company working with young people, currently partnering with Little Fish on the 'Credible Witnesses' AHRC research project. Direct peer in youth theatre and applied drama practice.

Broad incumbents

• Polka Theatre: South London's dedicated children's theatre producing and touring work for under-14s. Larger established incumbent in children's theatre serving a comparable London audience, though centred on a physical venue rather than school touring.
• Unicorn Theatre: London's leading children's theatre venue producing and presenting professional productions for young audiences aged 2-21. A larger, venue-anchored incumbent in the same youth theatre space, though more focused on ticketed venue work than school touring.

Emerging players

• Action Theatre: Smaller UK theatre-in-education company producing PSHE-focused touring productions for schools. Comparable in subject matter (relationships, online safety, mental health) and target audience, though smaller in scale and touring footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/littlefishtheatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/littlefishtheat
• Xx.com/littlefishtheat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/littlefishtheatre

Compliance3 records

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 Little Fish Theatre Community Interest Company