Arts Alive

What Arts Alive does

Arts Alive (legal name: Arts Alive In Shropshire and Herefordshire) is a UK Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO number 1182373) founded in 1999 and headquartered in Bishops Castle, Shropshire. Its mission is to deliver live performances, cinema screenings, and cultural events to rural communities in Shropshire, Herefordshire, and (more recently) Telford and Wrekin, serving approximately 50,000 attendees annually across a network of 25+ venues. The organisation operates through a portfolio of programmes: Flicks in the Sticks (a 25-year-old rural cinema initiative), a touring Live Events programme, NT Live broadcasts, the Young Audience Club (for ages 0–12), the Inn Crowd rural pub performance scheme (in partnership with Applause and Creative Arts East), Off Grid scratch nights for emerging artists (with The Courtyard Hereford), and Pitch Up (rural), a digital pitching platform.

The underlying technology stack is composed of off-the-shelf third-party SaaS tools rather than proprietary infrastructure. Eventotron handles event management and ticketing, Mailchimp powers email newsletters, Stripe processes ticket payments, and CAF Donate manages fundraising. Distribution is delivered through a hybrid model combining a self-serve website booking system with a volunteer promoter network that sells tickets locally at each village hall venue, plus channel partnerships such as Telford Theatre on Tour.

Arts Alive's revenue model is multi-stream and characteristic of a UK arts charity. Income derives from ticket sales (Early Bird £10 tickets confirmed for the Feb–Apr 2026 season), recurring Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) funding, Shropshire local authority grants, BFI lottery funding, project grants from trusts and foundations including The Elmley Foundation and UKSPF, individual donations, and corporate sponsorship. The organisation employs approximately 6 staff and is governed by a board of Trustees, with no shareholders, no venture capital exposure, and no subsidiaries. Pricing data points include a Screening Operator self-employed role at £85 per event plus £0.45 per mile, and a Creative Programme Coordinator role at £12.75 per hour for 10 hours per week on a fixed-term contract.

Name

Arts Alive

Legal name

Arts Alive In Shropshire and Herefordshire

Website

https://artsalive.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Arts Alive is a UK charitable organisation founded in 1999 that delivers live performances, cinema screenings, and cultural events to rural communities in Shropshire, Herefordshire, and Telford and Wrekin through a network of 25+ venues, serving approximately 50,000 attendees annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts Touring and Rural Cinema Programming

NAICS

Performing Arts Companies (7111), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Alternative Content Exhibition (Live Broadcasts, Concert Films, Sports, Opera) (MPADAKAG), Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB)

Keywords

• Rural cinema screenings
• Live event touring
• Community arts programming
• Rural venue touring
• Charitable arts organisation

Headquarters

HQ city

Bishops Castle

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue from ticket sales for live events and film screenings at rural venues.
2. Public Funding and Grants: Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation funding, Shropshire local authority funding, BFI Programming Development Fund, and project grants.
3. Donations and Charitable Support: Individual donations, trusts and foundations support, and corporate sponsorship.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Arts Alive is a UK-registered charitable organisation that delivers rural cinema screenings (Flicks in the Sticks, running 25+ years) and touring live performance programmes (theatre, music, comedy, family shows) across 25+ village halls, community venues, and rural pubs in Shropshire, Herefordshire, and Telford and Wrekin. It also broadcasts National Theatre Live performances, runs a Young Audience Club for ages 0-12, organises scratch nights (Off Grid) for emerging artists, and provides an Outdoor Screen hire service for outdoor cinema events.

Product overview

Arts Alive operates as a charitable organization delivering a portfolio of arts programmes to rural communities in Shropshire and Herefordshire. The core offerings include Flicks in the Sticks (rural cinema screenings, 25+ years), NT Live broadcasts, and a Live Events touring programme. Supporting initiatives include the Young Audience Club for children ages 0-12, the Inn Crowd pub-based performance project, and Off Grid scratch nights for emerging artists. The organization also coordinates Pitch Up (rural) for artist networking and manages outdoor screenings, school programmes, and the Flicks Rural Remix initiative with independent cinemas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Flicks in the Sticks: Flagship cinema programme bringing big-screen films to rural communities, running for 25 years in Shropshire and Herefordshire.
• Inn Crowd
• Young Audience Club
• Off Grid
• Flicks Rural Remix

Products and services

• Flicks in the Sticks Rural cinema initiative delivering big-screen film screenings to village halls and community venues across Shropshire and Herefordshire; aimed at rural audiences who lack access to mainstream cinemas.
• NT Live Broadcasts of live theatre performances from the National Theatre shown at rural venues, bringing world-class theatre to local communities in Shropshire, Herefordshire, and Telford and Wrekin.
• Live Events Programme Touring programme of live theatre, music, comedy, family performances, and cultural events presented in rural community venues throughout Shropshire, Herefordshire, Telford and Wrekin.
• Young Audience Club Special programme offering live events, participatory activities, and film screenings for children ages 0-12 years, nurturing younger audiences in rural areas.
• Inn Crowd Project presenting live performances in rural pubs to help publicans attract new customers and reinforce pubs as community hubs, run in partnership with Applause and Creative Arts East.
• Outdoor Screen Outdoor cinema screening service for venues and communities wanting to host film events in outdoor settings.
• Off Grid Scratch night showcase presenting emerging and experienced artists across all art forms, providing opportunities to test new work with audiences and industry professionals; run in partnership with The Courtyard Hereford.
• Flicks Rural Remix Collaboration between Flicks in the Sticks and four independent cinemas for special rural cinema events in Shropshire.
• Schools & Community Groups Programme Outreach programme bringing arts experiences to educational settings and community organisations, including HAF (Holiday Activities and Food) programmes, in the Shrewsbury and Telford area.
• Pitch Up (rural) Digital platform allowing theatre-makers to pitch their work directly to rural touring schemes across the UK, held online via Zoom; complements the rural touring distribution network.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50,000 people attend Arts Alive events annually
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Integration4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Telford Theatre on TourcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Arts Alive and Telford Theatre on Tour joined forces to bring live performance to local communities during Telford Theatre's major refurbishment. Partnership brings Arts Alive's expertise in rural touring with Telford Theatre's commitment to cultural provision.
• The Courtyard HerefordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Off Grid scratch night showcasing emerging talent across all art forms. The Courtyard hosts the performance venue while Arts Alive coordinates the event.
• Inn Crowd (with Applause and Creative Arts East)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative project bringing performances to rural pubs, helping publicans attract new customers and reinforce the pub as a community hub.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pentabus Theatre: Shropshire-based rural touring theatre company producing original work for village halls and community venues. Operates in overlapping geography and pursues an analogous mission of taking professional theatre to underserved rural audiences.
• Junction Arts: Derbyshire-based rural touring and community arts charity. Operates a similar promoter network model and is part of the same National Rural Touring Forum ecosystem, making it a close operational peer.
• Rural Arts (North Yorkshire): North Yorkshire-based charity delivering rural touring, cinema, and community arts programmes with a comparable village-hall and volunteer-promoter model. Strong functional match to Arts Alive's combined cinema-plus-live-events approach.
• Take Art: Somerset-based rural touring scheme operating a volunteer promoter network to present live performance in village halls. Directly comparable to Arts Alive in operating model, mission, and reliance on Arts Council England funding.
• Applause Rural Touring: UK rural touring scheme that partners with Arts Alive on the Inn Crowd pub-performance programme. Operates a directly comparable model bringing live performance to rural venues using volunteer promoters.
• Creative Arts East: East Anglia-based rural touring organisation and Inn Crowd partner alongside Arts Alive. Runs the same kind of volunteer-promoter rural touring scheme, making it a directly comparable peer for community-led performing arts delivery.
• Meadow Arts: Worcestershire and Shropshire-focused rural arts charity curating performances, exhibitions, and community programmes in non-traditional venues. Comparable geography and mission even though programming skews more visual-arts led.

Others

• National Rural Touring Forum (NRTF): UK sector body supporting rural touring schemes including Arts Alive. Not a direct competitor but the network umbrella that convenes Arts Alive's peer organisations and runs the Rural Touring Awards where Arts Alive was nominated in 2026.

Broad incumbents

• The Courtyard Hereford: Larger regional arts centre in Hereford and active Arts Alive partner on the Off Grid scratch night. Comparable performing arts presenter in overlapping geography but operates a fixed venue and broader programming remit.
• Telford Theatre: Established borough-level theatre currently in major refurbishment, partnering with Arts Alive to extend its touring reach. Larger fixed-venue incumbent whose touring arm intersects directly with Arts Alive's rural network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arts-alive-in-shropshire-and-herefordshire

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Arts Alive