White Bear Theatre

What White Bear Theatre does

White Bear Theatre is an independently operated fringe theatre venue located on the first floor above the White Bear Bar, Restaurant & Garden at 138 Kennington Park Road, London (SE11 4DJ). Founded in 1989 by Artistic Director Michael Kingsbury, the venue comprises a single 50-seat performance space (5.59m x 7.2m, 3.6m height) with state-of-the-art soundproofing and air conditioning, accessed via 18 steps and positioned two minutes from Kennington tube station. Its programming is positioned as new writing, devised, and physical theatre, with a peer-reviewed reputation as 'South London's New Writing Powerhouse' (The Stage) and a documented alumni list that includes Joe Penhall, Sharon Horgan, and Dennis Kelly.

The business operates two principal revenue streams. First, venue hire to external production companies — including Broken Nose Theatre, Maurice Thorogood, Dogs in Wellies, Max Norman, and co-productions such as Exit The Garret/Open Page Productions — offered with competitive hire rates, box-office splits, and rehearsal space. Second, self-presented productions sold through the company's own website using the LineupNow ticketing platform, with standard tickets priced £8 (early bird) to £22 and concessions available to pensioners, students, under-16s, and the unemployed; £1.00-£1.30 booking fees apply to selected productions. A secondary revenue stream is indirect food-and-beverage uplift via the adjacent White Bear Bar, where ticket holders receive 10% off pre-show dining.

The operating stack is intentionally minimal: the theatre is run by Artistic Director Michael Kingsbury (founder) and Lighting/Technical Associate Chuma Emembolu, with administration, website management and social media outsourced to Silvester Design (which also serves as data controller). Marketing is conducted through Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, a Wix-managed email newsletter, and earned media coverage (The Stage, The Guardian, Evening Standard). There is no proprietary technology, no app, and no disclosed funding or parent-company backing; the business is privately held and self-funded. Notable awards include Timeout Best Fringe Theatre, the Peter Brook Empty Space Award, multiple Offies (Best Director/Actor/Actress), and the 2022 London Pub Theatre Award for Outstanding Contribution (Kingsbury).

Name

White Bear Theatre

Legal name

White Bear Theatre

Website

https://whitebeartheatre.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

White Bear Theatre is a privately held 50-seat fringe theatre in Kennington, London, founded in 1989, that hires its venue to independent production companies and self-presents new writing, devised, and physical theatre productions, with ticket prices of £8–£22 and ancillary food-and-beverage revenue via the co-located White Bear Bar.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing arts venue / fringe theatre

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB), Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB)

Keywords

• Fringe theatre venue
• Live theatrical productions
• Theatre venue hire
• Performing arts programming
• New writing theatre

Headquarters

HQ city

London

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from selling tickets to theatrical productions. Standard tickets range from £8-22 depending on production, with concession rates available.
2. Theatre Hire: Venue hire to external production companies. The theatre offers competitive hire rates, box-office splits, and rehearsal space. They advise on production development from early stages to opening night.
3. Food and Beverage: Pre-show dining and bar services at the White Bear Bar and Restaurant. Theatregoers receive 10% off food with a valid ticket.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

White Bear Theatre operates a 50-capacity fringe theatre located above the White Bear Bar and Restaurant at 138 Kennington Park Road, London. It programmes and produces theatrical productions (new writing, physical theatre, occasional revivals) and hires the venue out to external production companies with competitive hire rates, box-office splits, and rehearsal space. Pre-show dining and bar service is offered through the co-located pub-restaurant, with 10% off food for theatre ticket holders.

Product overview

White Bear Theatre is a fringe theatre venue offering two interconnected services: venue hire for external productions and self-presented theatre productions. The 50-capacity theatre space (5.59m x 7.2m) is located above the White Bear pub at Kennington Park Road, London. Their core offering consists of programming new writing, physical theatre, and occasional revivals. The venue provides hire services to production companies with competitive rates, box-office splits, and rehearsal space. Theatregoers can also enjoy food and drink at the adjacent White Bear bar and garden with 10% off food when showing theatre tickets. Current productions include The Ugly One, May I Borrow Your Husband?, Live from the Warehouse, Coco the Time Travelling Tart, Waving, The Man from Earth, Three Shots, and We'll Always Have Paris.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Theatre Venue Hire Hire of a 50-capacity fringe theatre (5.59m x 7.2m, 3.6m height, state-of-the-art soundproofing, air conditioning) located on the first floor above the White Bear pub, with competitive hire rates, box-office splits, rehearsal space, and production development support. Targeted at independent theatre companies and emerging theatre makers producing new work and fringe productions.
• The Ugly One Theatrical production presented by Broken Nose Theatre running 15th–27th June; standard tickets at £22; received an Offies Nomination. Targeted at fringe-theatre audiences attending new writing.
• May I Borrow Your Husband? Theatrical production presented by Maurice Thorogood running Tuesday 30th June – Saturday 4th July; standard £17, concessions £15; 1 hour 45 minutes with 15-minute interval; contains sexual references and adult themes. For adult fringe-theatre audiences.
• Live from the Warehouse Joint theatrical production by Mythology Workshop and Joy Of Drama Stageworks running 7th–18th July 2026; directed by Aryaman Krishna Aggarwal with Vrishab Wig and Shashwat Srivastava; 90 minutes without interval; contains gunshots, stabbing, and family separation themes. For adult fringe-theatre audiences.
• Coco the Time Travelling Tart Theatrical production created by Max Norman running 22nd–23rd July; early bird £8, general admission £12; 1-hour run, doors at 6:45pm, show at 7pm. For fringe-theatre audiences seeking accessible new work.
• Waving Theatrical production presented by Dogs in Wellies running 28th July – 1st August at 7:30pm; standard £16, concessions £12; 50 minutes without interval; contains strong language and a drug-use scene. For adult fringe audiences.
• The Man from Earth White Bear Theatre production running 18th–22nd August at 7:30pm; standard £15 with £1.00 booking fee; Tuesday–Saturday performances. For fringe-theatre audiences.
• Three Shots White Bear Theatre production running 1st–12th September; Tuesday–Sunday at 7:30pm with additional matinees on Saturday 5th and Thursday 10th; tickets include a £1.30 booking fee. For fringe-theatre audiences.
• We'll Always Have Paris World premiere co-produced by Exit The Garret and Open Page Productions running 15th September – 3rd October 2026; written by Kay Brattan and Paul Kalburgi; standard £20, concessions £17; 2 hours with 15-minute interval; themes of grief and loss, strong language, sexual references. For adult fringe audiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• Productions successfully transferred to West End venues including Garrick Theatre (Maggie and Ted), The Other Palace and Theatre Royal Windsor (Dom), and main house at Riverside Studios (I Found My Horn)

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Broken Nose TheatreminorOthersPresenting company for 'The Ugly One' production (15th - 27th June). Broken Nose Theatre uses the White Bear Theatre as a venue for their production.
• Maurice ThorogoodminorOthersProducer presenting 'May I Borrow Your Husband?' (30th June - 4th July) at White Bear Theatre.
• Mythology Workshop & Joy Of Drama StageworksminorOthersJoint presenting company for 'Live from the Warehouse' (7th - 18th July 2026). Production directed by Aryaman Krishna Aggarwal with actors Vrishab Wig and Shashwat Srivastava.
• Dogs in WelliesminorOthersPresenting company for 'Waving' (28th July - 1st August) at White Bear Theatre.
• Max NormanminorOthersCreator of 'Coco the Time Travelling Tart' (22nd - 23rd July), an independent theatre maker producing their work at the venue.
• Exit The Garret and Open Page ProductionsminorOthersJoint presenting companies for world premiere of 'We'll Always Have Paris' (15th September - 3rd October 2026). Written by Kay Brattan and Paul Kalburgi.
• White Bear Bar and RestaurantcoreOthersCo-located venue providing food and beverage services. Theatregoers receive 10% off food with valid ticket. The theatre is based above this establishment.
• LineupNowcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party ticketing provider that processes payments for ticket purchases. Neither White Bear Theatre nor LineupNow retain financial information. SSL/SHA-2 256-bit cryptography used for security.
• WixcoreTechnology or IntegrationWebsite platform provider using Wix Shout Out for email marketing and Wix Engage for order management. PCI DSS compliant and ISO 27001:2013 certified.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Young Vic: Larger London theatre near Waterloo with a comparable new-writing and emerging-director programming mission, but at significantly greater scale and with institutional funding. Represents the established-end benchmark for fringe-to-mainstream development pipelines.
• Bush Theatre: West London theatre with a long-standing new-writing focus and emerging-writer development remit. Comparable in curatorial philosophy (championing new writing) but operates at a larger scale with greater institutional backing than White Bear.
• Old Vic Theatre: Historic London theatre near Waterloo with a broader programming remit that includes new writing, classics, and transfers. Represents the larger-venue destination where successful White Bear productions could ultimately transfer.

Direct peers

• New Diorama Theatre: Central London fringe venue programming new and emerging companies; co-board member with White Bear via the Society of Independent Theatres. Directly comparable in target market (emerging theatre makers), venue-hire business model, and central London catchment.
• Soho Theatre: Central London fringe venue programming new writing, comedy, and cabaret with a venue-hire and in-house production model. Comparable in scale tier (small-to-medium fringe), target audience, and programming breadth, though with a stronger comedy skew.
• Arcola Theatre: East London fringe venue with a new-writing and international work focus, operating both self-produced productions and venue hire. Comparable in fringe positioning, capacity tier, and target audience of emerging theatre-makers.
• Theatre503: Small London fringe venue at Battersea focused on new writing, co-board member with White Bear on the Society of Independent Theatres. Highly comparable in scale, audience profile, and new-writing programming focus.
• Southwark Playhouse: South London fringe venue offering a mix of new writing, musicals, and revivals with similar venue-hire and self-produced model. Targets the same South London theatre-going audience and emerging-producer market as White Bear.
• Finborough Theatre: Small London fringe theatre focused on new writing and rarely-seen work, sitting alongside White Bear on the Society of Independent Theatres board. Comparable in scale, programming philosophy (new writing focus), and target audience of theatre-makers and fringe audiences.
• The Cockpit Theatre: Small London fringe venue in Marylebone offering venue hire and in-house production with a focus on new and emerging work. Comparable capacity tier, venue-hire business model, and emerging-producer customer segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WhiteBearTheatr
• Facebookfacebook.com/WhiteBearTheatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/whitebeartheatre/?hl=en

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 White Bear Theatre