What Platform 4 does

Platform 4 is a UK-based, artist-led theatre company and Registered Charity (Charity Number 1177556), founded in 1997 by Catherine Church and headquartered in Winchester. It creates immersive, highly visual and musical theatrical productions that tour nationally to UK arts venues, complemented by participatory community projects in schools, care homes, and with people with dementia, and a small line of physical and audio products sold through its own shop and the Audioteria platform. The company serves general theatre audiences, people with dementia and their carers, university students (via its University of Winchester partnership), and school children, with distribution channels spanning live touring to 15+ UK venues, simultaneous digital premieres hosted on partner venue websites, an e-commerce shop, and an audio marketplace.

The core product is original theatrical work built around physical performance, live music, original soundtracks, soundscapes, set and lighting design, and projection. Platform 4's distinctive technical capabilities include in-house soundtrack composition (Jules Bushell has scored all six touring shows), specialized methods for immersive audio-visual environments enveloping audiences, a domain-specialized headphone-walk and sensory-experience methodology for dementia communities, and a digital film distribution approach co-hosted on multiple UK venue websites. The organization operates as an Associate Company at Lighthouse: Poole's Centre for the Arts and has institutional ties to the University of Winchester and the Southbank Centre.

Revenue is generated through a multi-stream non-profit model: donations and Arts Council England grants (including Emergency Awards), ticket sales from national touring, project-based fees for workshops and education projects, and direct product sales (Memory Points book at £20 + £3 P&P, Invisible Music CD at £12.99 incl. P&P, Triffids podcast at £9.95 via Audioteria). Pricing is publicly disclosed only for retail goods; workshop and project fees are not published, and PayPal handles online payment processing. The company has 1–10 employees, no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, no public APIs, and no digital AI/ML capabilities evident in the input data.

Name

Platform 4

Legal name

Platform 4

Website

https://platform4.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Platform 4 is a UK artist-led theatre company and Registered Charity (founded 1997, Winchester) that creates immersive, visual-musical touring productions and participatory community projects for general audiences, people with dementia, students, and schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Winchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Funding: As a Registered Charity (Number 1177556), Platform 4 relies on donations and Arts Council England funding to support its not-for-profit work, including Arts Council Emergency Awards for specific projects.
2. Ticket Sales and Touring Revenue: The company generates income through national UK theatre touring, performing at venues across the country and collecting box office revenue from ticket sales.
3. Product Sales (Shop): Platform 4 sells physical products including the Memory Points book (£20 + £3 postage), Invisible Music CD (£12.99 incl. P&P), and the Triffids podcast download (£9.95) through their online shop and Audioteria platform. Profits from the Memory Points book go to the Alzheimer's Society.
4. Workshop and Education Project Fees: Platform 4 delivers workshops and education projects in schools, with communities, and through partnerships, generating project-based income.
5. Digital Content Distribution: Digital premieres and audio-visual content distributed through partner venue websites and Audioteria platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Platform 4 is an artist-led theatre company that creates highly visual and musical touring theatrical productions, immersive and site-specific performances, and participatory community arts projects for general audiences, schools, and people with dementia. It also sells accompanying physical and audio products including the Memory Points book, Invisible Music CD, and Triffids podcast through its online shop and the Audioteria platform.

Product overview

Platform 4 is an artist-led theatre company that creates theatrical productions, audio-visual experiences, and participatory community projects. The company operates as a single unified offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Their core products include touring theatrical productions (such as The Paper Forest, Shiver, Memory Points, Triffids), audio products (podcasts and CDs like the Invisible Music soundtrack), published works (the Memory Points book), and participatory community engagement projects. The company also sells merchandise directly through their shop and via the Audioteria platform. Productions are primarily shown at UK arts venues, with the company being an Associate Company at Lighthouse: Poole's Centre for the Arts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Triffids Podcast A standalone audio podcast adventure in sound and music based on John Wyndham's novel The Day of the Triffids, produced by Platform 4 and sold as a downloadable audio product via the Audioteria platform. Targeted at individual consumers, theatre and audio drama enthusiasts, and followers of Platform 4's touring work.
• Invisible Music CD Physical CD release of the Invisible Music soundtrack composed by Jules Bushell, sold to consumers via the Platform 4 online shop at £12.99 including postage and packing. Targets general theatre-music audiences and existing fans of the touring production.
• Memory Points Book: The Beauty of Remembering A published book documenting Platform 4's four-year artistic collaboration with the Alzheimer's Society Connections Club, featuring images and prose about artists inspired by people with early-onset dementia. Sold at £20 plus £3 postage via the online shop with all profits donated to the Alzheimer's Society.
• Touring Theatrical Productions Original, large-scale touring theatrical productions for arts venues across the UK, combining visual staging, original music, scenography, and physical performance. Examples include Memory Points (collaboration with Alzheimer's Society), Shiver, Claustrophobia, Animal Tales, 3 Greek Myths from a Lisbon Laundry, The Tempest, Macbeth, Eddy Smith Was Here, The Legend of the Holy Drinker, and Invisible Music. Performances are licensed/produced for arts centres and festivals, including flagship appearances at Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, and Lighthouse Poole.
• Participatory Community Arts Projects and Workshops Workshop- and installation-based participatory arts projects delivered in schools, care homes, and community settings, commissioned by educational institutions, charities and arts organisations. Examples include Underwater Picnic, Our Kingdom, Magic Garden, and the Memory Points dementia headphone walks. Targeted at schools (mainstream and SEND), people with dementia and their carers, and community groups.

Quantifiable outcome

• Memory Points voted Guardian Critics Top 10 Theatre Shows for 2013
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major, core, flagship and minor.

• UK Theatre Venues (Digital Premiere Network)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2020Over 20 UK theatre venues participated in the simultaneous digital premiere of Invisible Music in July 2020, hosting the film on their websites. Venues included Theatre Royal Winchester, Jacksons Lane, Colchester Arts Centre, Lighthouse Poole, Turner Sims Southampton, and many others.
• Lighthouse: Poole's Centre for the ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlatform 4 is an Associate Company at Lighthouse Poole's Centre for the Arts, performing regularly at the venue and receiving ongoing institutional support for touring and community projects.
• Alzheimer's SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlatform 4 collaborated with the Alzheimer's Society on the Memory Points project, working with the Connections Club for people with early-onset dementia and their carers. The partnership produced a book whose profits are donated to the Alzheimer's Society.
• The Point, EastleighcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Point in Eastleigh was a key venue partner for the Memory Points project, hosting the 18-month extended project and a Headphone Walk installation open to the public in Spring 2012.
• University of WinchestercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRichard Cuming (Chair of Platform 4) is Head of Performing Arts at the University of Winchester. New Tempest Club was developed in partnership with the university, involving students in Shakespeare reading groups and productions. Simon Plumridge designs for the university's 3rd year graduate shows.
• Southbank Centre / Royal Festival HallflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlatform 4 performed Memory Points at the Royal Festival Hall and Southbank Centre, with the piece chosen to be the last performance in the Festival Wing before its closure for refurbishment — one of the most significant projects in the company's history.
• AudioteriaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAudioteria is a platform for independent innovative audio storytelling content through which Platform 4's Triffids podcast is sold.
• Creative PartnershipsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative Partnerships supported multiple Platform 4 educational projects including Underwater Picnic with Bevois Town Primary School, Our Kingdom with St Monica's Junior School, and Magic Garden with The Drill Hall.
• Singing for the Brain (Alzheimer's Society)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlatform 4 worked with Singing for the Brain groups in Southampton and Winchester as part of the Memory Points project outreach, creating music inspired by the groups.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• DV8 Physical Theatre: Founded by Lloyd Newson, DV8 is a leading UK physical theatre company creating innovative, visually striking productions that integrate text, movement, sound, and scenography. Shares Platform 4's distinctive visual/physical signature and original score-driven aesthetic.
• Gecko Theatre: UK-based devised physical theatre company producing visually striking, movement-driven work with original soundtracks. Directly comparable to Platform 4's combination of original music, immersive staging, and small-team international touring model.
• Kneehigh Theatre: Cornwall-based touring theatre company known for visual, physical, and musical storytelling. Comparable to Platform 4 in scale, artistic aesthetic (music-driven, immersive, site-specific work), and UK touring model. Several Platform 4 artists (Jules Bushell, Anna Maria Murphy) have previously worked with Kneehigh.
• Little Angel Theatre: London-based puppetry and object animation theatre with a national profile. Comparable to Platform 4's object-theatre elements, design-led scenic work (via Simon Plumridge, who has worked at Little Angel), and UK touring + London venue model.
• Told by an Idiot: UK touring theatre company creating physical, playful, and visually distinctive devised work for both stage and community settings. Comparable to Platform 4 in touring scale, devised collaborative process, and emphasis on physical/visual storytelling.
• Punchdrunk: Award-winning UK immersive theatre company pioneering site-specific, promenade performances that envelop audiences in sound, light, and scenography. Directly comparable to Platform 4's core immersive audio-visual theatrical environments approach.
• Shared Experience Theatre: UK touring company producing physically distinctive, image-driven theatre with strong visual storytelling. Shares Platform 4's emphasis on visual theatre, intimate touring productions, and devised collaborative creation processes.

Emerging players

• 1927 (theatre company): London-based theatre company creating visually striking work that blends live performance, animation, film, and original music. Shares Platform 4's integration of projection, original soundtrack (Jules Bushell), and immersive audio-visual theatrical environments.

Broad incumbents

• Complicité: Internationally renowned UK innovative theatre company with a much larger scale and broader portfolio. Comparable as a fellow UK theatre innovator with strong visual and physical staging, but operates at significantly greater scale and global reach than Platform 4.

Regional players

• Lighthouse: Poole's Centre for the Arts: Regional UK arts venue where Platform 4 is an Associate Company. Comparable as a regional arts programming partner rather than a direct competitor — both operate in the South West/South UK performing arts ecosystem and collaborate on touring and community programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/4Platform
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCmnh-i7NgC4u3kLVCic4ReA
• Facebookfacebook.com/4Platform
• Instagraminstagram.com/platform4theatre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Platform 4