HandMade Theatre

Name

HandMade Theatre

Legal name

HandMade Theatre

Website

https://handmadetheatre.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Theatre and Community Performing Arts

NAICS

Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s & Youth Theatre (MPAGABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Puppetry & Marionette Theatre (MPAGABAK), Dementia Companion & Engagement Care (HSABAEAA), Cognitive Stimulation & Reminiscence Therapy (Non-Clinical) (HSABAEAH)

Keywords

• Interactive touring theatre
• Family puppetry productions
• Dementia creative therapy
• Community arts education
• Sustainable handcrafted theatre

Headquarters

HQ city

Nottingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and 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 1169406), HandMade Theatre relies on donations from individuals and organisations who share their vision of love, play and creativity. Donations are collected via PayPal and support bringing laughter, joy and healing to children, older people and communities.
2. Trust and Foundation Project Funding: Project funding from trusts, foundations and arts organisations including Arts Council England and The National Lottery Community Fund. The National Lottery Community Fund 2023-26 is funding a 3-year project expanding dementia care work across Gedling, Ashfield, and Newark and Sherwood district councils.
3. Performance Bookings and Commissions: Booking fees for touring productions at venues, schools, festivals and community events. The company receives commissions for specific productions such as The Butterfly House commissioned by Applause Rural Touring and murals commissioned by various organisations.
4. Bespoke School Projects: The company creates bespoke projects for schools including nurseries, primary and secondary schools, SEND schools, colleges and universities. Projects are tailored to curriculum themes and needs of young people.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

HandMade Theatre devises, produces, and tours original interactive family theatre productions built around handcrafted puppets, tactile sustainable sets, and original live music. In parallel, it delivers weekly creative therapy sessions for people with dementia in care homes and community settings, plus bespoke creative projects for schools, murals, and heritage installations. The work is co-created with communities and performed in both indoor and outdoor non-traditional venues across the UK.

Product overview

HandMade Theatre is a registered charity and touring theatre company producing newly devised, highly visual, tactile, and interactive performances suitable for children and families (ages 0-100). Their portfolio consists of: current touring shows including The Butterfly House (2026), Life at the Lido (2025), Tell Me a Story, and The Puppet Petting Farm; seasonal Christmas shows including Too Many Cooks at Christmas, The Twelve Birds of Christmas, and The Great Christmas Dig; past productions such as Wildernests, The Flying Machine, How Time Flies!, Flying The Nest, Too Many Cooks, Are We Nearly There Yet?, and Puppet Busking; and community services including dementia care workshops, murals, installations, and school projects. All work is devised collaboratively with original songs, stories, puppets, and handcrafted sets using sustainable materials. The company is small-scale and self-sufficient, performing in both indoor and outdoor environments including schools, festivals, community spaces, and theatres.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Butterfly House Brand-new touring puppet show featuring handcrafted puppets made from sustainable materials, original live music and a technological twist; tells the story of transformation from caterpillar to butterfly. Commissioned by Applause Rural Touring and supported by Arts Council England. For family audiences and suitable for venues, festivals, and community settings.
• Life at the Lido Original family show combining music and storytelling where three swimmers retell stories from past and present, meeting interesting characters along the way. Supported by Arts Council England. For family audiences at festivals and venues.
• Tell Me a Story Devised family show exploring childhood stories and memories, inspired by creative work in care homes for those with dementia. Features storytelling, live music, original songs, puppets, and colourful characters, with multiple versions available for different venue sizes.
• The Puppet Petting Farm Family puppet show featuring handcrafted animals from recycled materials, including a cheeky goat, giant highland cow, and other farm animals. Commissioned by Applause Rural Touring. Suitable for outdoor and indoor festival and venue bookings.
• Too Many Cooks at Christmas Festive version of the popular food competition show featuring prize-winning puddings, a giant turkey, and whacky waiters. Includes handcrafted puppets, costumes, and Christmas treats. For family audiences at venues and community events during the Christmas season.
• The Twelve Birds of Christmas Immersive family theatre performance set at Hatchling College where bird professors teach about the twelve birds of Christmas through songs and interactive activities. Developed in collaboration with Cast Theatre Doncaster.
• The Great Christmas Dig Interactive family show following curious archaeologists on a festive treasure hunt back through time, encountering characters from Romans to Vikings. Developed at Cast Theatre in Doncaster.
• Dementia Creative Therapy Programme Weekly creative sessions in care homes and community settings for people with dementia and cognitive impairments, including music, craft, theatre performances, singing, movement sessions and memory cafe shows. Planned in collaboration with care home staff and families. Delivered across Gedling, Ashfield, and Newark and Sherwood with National Lottery Community Fund support.
• Schools Projects Bespoke creative projects for schools including nurseries, primary and secondary schools, SEND schools, colleges and universities. Applies multidisciplinary arts including visual art, drama, music and puppetry, tailored to curriculum themes and the needs of young people.
• Community Murals Collaborative mural projects created with communities, including commissions for NHS hospitals, Theatre Royal Nottingham, Gedling Borough Council, and Culture Leicestershire. Delivered through community workshops and co-creation processes.
• Community Installations Community-led immersive spaces and installations, particularly for heritage properties including National Trust Lyme. Embraces history, intergenerational participation, and sustainable practice. Includes the 3-year 'A World of Christmases' Christmas installation project with National Trust Lyme.

Quantifiable outcome

• 72.2% of patients demonstrated increase in happiness scores after creative activity sessions at Nottingham University Hospitals
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Culture LeicestershireminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Commissioned People at Work in Harborough 2024 mural, funded by Arts Council England. Over 220 local people shared personal experiences for this creative response.
• Jigsaw HomesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Wild Wellness project ran weekly creative programme at two Jigsaw Homes locations in Nottingham, working with approximately 30 residents. Karla Jones also runs projects supported by Jigsaw Homes Foundation.
• Nottingham University Hospitals NHS TrustminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Dementia care project on Health Care of Older People (HCOP) wards. HandMade Theatre artists delivered creative sessions with data collected using Art Observation scale, showing positive patient outcomes.
• CAST Theatre DoncasterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Developed The Great Christmas Dig at CAST, adapted from popular show How Time Flies. Also developed The Twelve Birds of Christmas at Cast Theatre.
• Carenza Lewis / Time TeamminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Archaeologist from Time Team and Lincoln University collaborated on research for How Time Flies! production exploring themes of archaeology, history and discovery.
• Applause Rural TouringcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommissioned The Butterfly House (2026) for rural touring circuit. Previously commissioned Puppet Petting Farm (2024) and Too Many Cooks (2018). Applause enables rural community access to professional touring theatre.
• National Trust LymecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThree-year Christmas project 'A World of Christmases' (2026) working with National Trust volunteers, staff and community groups to create decorations and a Christmas installation inspired by travel and traditions around the world.
• Rosehill Special SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal collaboration in 2011 for 'Creative Environments' residency project that led to creation of first touring production The Flying Machine. Ongoing relationship with special school for children aged 4-19 on the autistic spectrum.
• 101 Outdoors ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported initial project residency for Life at the Lido production, an original HandMade Theatre show for 2025 supported by Arts Council England.
• START CreativeminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSet builder Ben Thomas at START Creative designed and built structures for productions including Flying The Nest and How Time Flies using sustainable, tactile materials inspired by Bedouin tent design.
• Gedling Borough CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned multiple mural projects including Burton Road Park Pavilion (2020) and Arnot Hill Park Centenary Mural (2019), created in collaboration with community groups and young people.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Magic Me: London-based charity delivering intergenerational arts projects bringing older and younger people together through creative activities. Partially comparable to HandMade Theatre's community co-creation work with older people and dementia cohorts.
• Open Theatre: West Midlands-based inclusive theatre company making original, multi-sensory productions for audiences with learning disabilities and complex needs. Comparable to HandMade Theatre's use of Makaton, accessibility, and SEND-specialist work.
• Frozen Light: Sussex-based theatre company making original multi-sensory productions specifically for audiences with profound and multiple learning disabilities. Comparable to HandMade Theatre's accessible, sensory, and SEND-specialist performance design.

Direct peers

• Little Angel Theatre: London-based puppetry theatre company producing original, innovative puppetry productions for children and families. Directly comparable to HandMade Theatre's puppetry-led, family-focused touring model with an extensive crafted-puppet portfolio.
• Equal Arts: Newcastle-based charity running creative programmes for older people, including those living with dementia, in care homes and community settings. Directly comparable to HandMade Theatre's dementia care creative sessions model.
• Theatre-Rites: Middlesex-based puppetry and object-theatre company specialising in original productions blending puppetry, music, and visual storytelling for young audiences. Comparable as a UK puppetry-led company producing touring family shows.
• Norwich Puppet Theatre: UK's only purpose-built puppet theatre, producing and touring puppetry productions for children and families. Directly comparable as a UK puppetry specialist with both education programming and family touring.
• Squashbox Theatre: Devon-based small-scale touring theatre company producing highly visual, interactive, family-friendly shows with puppetry and storytelling. Closely comparable to HandMade Theatre's small-scale, self-sufficient, outdoor-capable touring model.
• Arts 4 Dementia: UK charity that devises and delivers arts programmes for people with dementia and their carers, including training for arts practitioners. Comparable as a specialist dementia-arts organisation with similar programme design to HandMade Theatre's weekly care home sessions.
• tutti frutti: Leeds-based children's theatre company producing original, high-quality touring productions for young audiences. Comparable as a UK family/children's touring theatre company working with schools and venues.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC9BmK59goCheGVz900Tn9Tg
• Facebookfacebook.com/HandMadeTheatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/handmadetheatre
• Xx.com/HandMadeTheatre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/handmade-theatre

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 HandMade Theatre