Peer Productions

What Peer Productions does

Peer Productions is a UK-registered youth arts charity (Charity Number 1151156, Company Number 05898510) founded in 2006 by Dr. Nina Lemon and headquartered at Peer Place, The Ypod Centre, Woking, Surrey. The organisation operates a youth-theatre model in which trained young actors aged 18-24 deliver educational performances and workshops to three distinct beneficiary groups: their own actor cohort, school audiences, and disadvantaged project participants including young people with special educational needs and learning disabilities. Core products comprise the Peer Actor Development Programme (PAD), a full-time Level 4 actor training course; the Peer Empowerment Pathway (PEP), a parallel training pathway for young actors with learning disabilities; a catalogue of original touring plays (Man Up, Losing It, Masking, Hidden, The Space Between, As I See It, The Story of Us, The Forest in Between) that align with the National PSHE curriculum; and outreach projects including Generation Girls, Generation Guys, Branching Out and SEND holiday camps.

The underlying 'technology' is a peer-education methodology rather than a software platform: the Theatre-in-Education approach and a research-based playwriting framework developed through the founder's PhD at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama form the methodological core. Distribution mixes in-person touring to schools across the South East of England, public venue box-office (e.g., G Live, Guildford), a free Digital Theatre streaming service, and a small e-commerce shop selling play scripts, Teacher's Packs and merchandise. No proprietary software, app, API, or AI system is described.

The business model is a hybrid charity income stack: transactional revenue from school booking fees for touring productions, training programme fees (PAD/PEP, pricing not publicly disclosed), ticket sales through venue box offices, holiday workshop fees (e.g., £200 for a four-day SEND camp), and shop sales (play scripts £10.95, t-shirts £10, hoodies £25, plus free Teacher's Packs), combined with donated and grant income routed through localgiving.org, Arts Council England project funding, and Surrey County Council-commissioned free-place schemes (Active Surrey Club4, Surrey Short Breaks, HAF). The charity is governed by a board of trustees, led by founder/Artistic Director Dr. Nina Lemon, with a small staff team of approximately 15-20 including core employees, facilitators, learning assistants and creative assistants, many of whom are alumni of the PAD programme.

Name

Peer Productions

Legal name

Peer Productions

Website

https://peerproductions.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Peer Productions is a UK youth arts charity (est. 2006, Woking) that trains young actors aged 18-24, including those with learning disabilities, and tours original PSHE-aligned plays to schools and public venues across the South East of England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Theatre and Performing Arts Education

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Fine Arts Schools (61161)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s & Youth Theatre (MPAGABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fringe & Experimental Performing Arts (MPAGABAI), Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL)

Keywords

• Youth theatre programmes
• PSHE educational theatre
• Actor training courses
• Inclusive performing arts
• Drama outreach projects

Headquarters

HQ city

Woking

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, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Training Programme Fees: Revenue from Peer Actor Development Programme (PAD) and Peer Empowerment Pathway Programme (PEP) for young actors aged 18-24. PAD is described as a full-time Level 4 programme.
2. Ticket Sales: Box office sales for public performances of touring shows. Current production 'The Forest In Between' at G Live, Guildford.
3. School Bookings: Schools book touring performances for PSHE curriculum support. Productions include 'Man Up', 'Losing It', 'Masking', 'Hidden', 'The Space Between', and 'As I See It'.
4. Shop Sales: Online shop selling Teacher's Packs (many free), plays, merchandise including t-shirts (£10), mugs (£9+), hoodies (£25), and digital theatre resources.
5. Holiday Workshops: Holiday programme fees at £200 for four-day SEND Summer Holiday Camp including drama activities, meals and snacks.
6. Donations: Charitable donations accepted through localgiving.org. Registered charity with number 1151156.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Peer Productions is a UK-registered youth arts charity that creates original theatre productions and runs training programmes to transform young people's lives. It operates the Peer Actor Development Programme (PAD) and Peer Empowerment Pathway (PEP) for young actors aged 18-24, tours original PSHE curriculum-aligned plays to schools across South East England, and delivers community outreach projects including SEND-inclusive programmes and holiday workshops.

Product overview

Peer Productions is a youth theatre charity offering a portfolio of interconnected programmes and productions. The core offerings include the Peer Actor Development Programme (PAD) for aspiring young actors aged 18-25, and the Peer Empowerment Pathway (PEP) for young people with learning disabilities. These training programmes feed into their touring theatre productions designed to support the National PSHE curriculum. Additional offerings include outreach projects, Generation Girls/Generation Guys programmes for SEN schools, holiday camps for SEND children, Digital Theatre streaming services, and Teachers' Packs for educational use. The company operates from Peer Place in Woking and tours productions across the South East of England.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PAD (Peer Actor Development Programme): Full-time Level 4 Actor Development Programme for young actors aged 18-24 transitioning from college or seeking to enhance practical experience before drama school.
• PEP (Peer Empowerment Pathway)
• Generation Girls
• Generation Guys
• Branching Out
• The Story Of Us

Products and services

• Peer Actor Development Programme (PAD) A full-time, Level 4 actor development programme for young actors aged 18-25, providing practical training, accredited qualifications, and industry skills to transition from college or prepare for drama school.
• Peer Empowerment Pathway (PEP) A supportive training programme for young actors with special educational needs and learning disabilities, aimed at boosting confidence and opening doors to employment opportunities in the performing arts.
• Touring PSHE Plays for Schools Original touring theatre productions taken to schools across the South East of England, including 'Man Up', 'Losing It', 'Masking', 'Hidden', 'The Space Between', and 'As I See It'. The plays serve as educational tools supporting the National PSHE curriculum and address issues affecting young people such as relationships, mental health, and identity.
• Branching Out A supportive, creative drama programme for Year 6 children in Woking who may feel anxious about transitioning to secondary school, consisting of five sessions in Year 6 and five follow-up sessions in Year 7.
• Generation Girls A 10-week creative project run in partnership with SEN schools for young autistic people or those with learning disabilities, providing a safe space to explore issues including sex and relationships, body image, and mental health.
• Generation Guys A 10-week creative project for young autistic people or young people with learning disabilities, exploring important teenage issues including relationships, body image, and mental health.
• Superheroes SEND Summer Holiday Camp A four-day creative holiday camp for children and young people aged 8-18 with learning disabilities, featuring drama, dance, and art workshops culminating in a performance, with a 1:4 staff ratio. Priced at £200 with free places available through HAF, Surrey Short Breaks, and Active Surrey Club4 partnerships.
• Digital Theatre Streaming Free digital streaming of Peer Productions' theatre works, including Man Up, Losing It, Masking, and other PSHE-focused plays, made available for educational viewing.
• Teachers' Packs and Play Scripts Educational resource packs for teachers (many free) accompanying touring productions, including PSHE Teachers' Packs and Drama Teachers' Packs. Play scripts such as 'Masking by Nina Lemon' are also available (priced at £10.95), alongside merchandise including t-shirts (£10), mugs (from £9), and hoodies (£25).
• Public Theatre Performances (Box Office) Public ticketed theatre performances staged at regional venues, such as 'The Forest In Between' at G Live, Guildford, designed for primary school audiences to support transition to secondary school.

Quantifiable outcome

• Young actors trained through PAD and PEP programmes gain accredited qualifications and professional industry experience.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Active Surrey Club4coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Active Surrey Club4 allows Peer Productions to offer some FREE holiday places to young people who would most benefit. Club4 camps are commissioned by Surrey County Council.
• Surrey Short BreakscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Surrey Short Breaks enables Peer Productions to offer free and subsidised holiday places for young people with disabilities through their holiday programme.
• SEN SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeneration Girls and Generation Guys projects are run in partnership with SEN schools, providing 10-week programmes exploring sex, relationships, body image and mental health for autistic young people and those with learning disabilities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Half Moon Theatre: East London young people's theatre with a strong education and participation programme. Comparable on training young actors and touring work into schools and community settings.
• National Youth Theatre: UK-wide charity providing training and performance opportunities for young actors aged 14–25, including outreach and education work. Closest national-level peer given its training programmes, school-facing activity, and youth-development mission.
• Theatre Centre: UK touring theatre-in-education company producing plays for school audiences with accompanying resources. Closest direct peer on touring-to-schools PSHE-style model and curriculum-aligned content.
• Oily Cart: London-based inclusive theatre company making work specifically for very young audiences and children with complex disabilities. Comparable on SEND-specialist touring into schools and inclusive practice methodology.
• Polka Theatre: UK children's theatre producing original work and supporting early-years creative learning. Comparable as a small-to-mid sized charity producing original plays for young audiences with educational aims.
• Little Angel Theatre: London-based children's puppet and visual theatre company running education and participation programmes. Comparable on youth-focused theatre-making and school-facing creative learning.
• Unicorn Theatre: London's leading children's theatre, producing original and programmed work for young audiences. Comparable on original-play production for schools and families and on creative learning programmes.
• Mind the Gap: UK theatre company producing work by learning-disabled and non-disabled artists together. Strong peer on the SEND performance and training axis that Peer Productions' PEP programme sits within.
• Graeae Theatre Company: Award-winning UK theatre company led by and working with disabled artists. Directly comparable on SEND-inclusive practice and PSHE-adjacent content, though Graeae is a larger, London-based producing company.

Broad incumbents

• National Theatre (Connections programme): UK national producing theatre running Connections, a large-scale youth and schools theatre programme. Comparable on school-touring and youth ensemble activity, though operates at significantly greater scale and resource.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/peerproductions
• Facebookfacebook.com/PeerProductions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/peer-productions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Peer Productions