Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis

What Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis does

Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis is a registered charity-operated performing arts venue located on Church Street in Lyme Regis, Dorset, within the UNESCO World Heritage Jurassic Coast. The building, originally opened as sea water baths in 1806 and converted to a Drill Hall in 1894, was acquired by Lyme Regis Town Council in 1960 and transferred to the LymeArts Community Trust in 2003 following a community referendum. The venue operates a 220-seat (394 standing) auditorium with professional-grade technical infrastructure including d&b Q7 and Q-SUB speakers, Allen & Heath SQ6 digital mixing desk, an FLX s 48 lighting rig, and a recently installed Canon WUX 6010 DCP cinema projection system.

The core offering is a multi-format live and recorded entertainment programme: professional theatre (including an annual summer-rep season with Gilroy Theatre), music, comedy, cinema, and talks. The venue also operates substantial community and education programming — Marine Youth Theatre (80+ children aged 3-18 weekly), Senior Creatives (60 monthly participants), Young Technicians and Young Filmmakers courses, and a monthly play reading group — plus commercial venue hire for weddings and corporate events. The full-time team is 9 employees.

Revenue is derived from a diversified mix: ticket sales through TicketSource and the Bridport TIC, venue hire, tiered memberships (Caliban £50/£65 and Prospero £110/£160), bar sales, programme advertising across 7,000 quarterly print copies, corporate sponsorship at £3,000/year, and grants from Arts Council England, Dorset Council, National Lottery, Garfield Weston, Lyme Regis Town Council, Linbury Trust, The Theatres Trust, Backstage Trust, and Dorset Leader. Direct revenue and audited income are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis

Legal name

Marine Theatre

Website

https://marinetheatre.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1894

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Marine Theatre is a registered charity-operated performing arts venue in Lyme Regis, Dorset (UNESCO Jurassic Coast), offering theatre, music, comedy, cinema, and community education programmes for local residents, visitors, and youth.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Venue

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Musical Groups and Artists (711130)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Live Music Clubs & Venues (MPAGAIAB), Event Operations & Venue Services (Box Office, FOH/BOH, Concessions) (MPAIAFAL), Live Music Venues & Concert Bars (THAFAEAD)

Keywords

• Live theatre performances
• Cinema screenings
• Wedding venue hire
• Youth performing arts
• Community arts events

Headquarters

HQ city

Lyme Regis

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from selling tickets to performances including theatre, music, comedy, cinema, and talks. Tickets available online via TicketSource, by phone, and in person.
2. Venue Hire: Hiring out the venue for weddings, meetings, parties, and public events. Includes auditorium, bars, and dressing rooms.
3. Membership Subscriptions: Annual and three-year membership tiers offering discounts on tickets and bar purchases. Caliban (1 year): £50 single/£65 joint. Prospero (3 years): £110 single/£160 joint.
4. Bar Sales: Revenue from two bars serving local beers, ales, wines, spirits, and cocktails. Includes the upstairs bar with balcony views.
5. Programme Advertising: Businesses advertise in the printed programme distributed to 7,000 copies across Lyme Regis and surrounding areas.
6. Corporate Sponsorship: Major sponsorship at £3,000 per year includes quarterly programme listing, newsletter inclusion (130,000 emails annually), website listing, complimentary tickets, and event invitations.
7. Donations and Grants: Charitable donations from individuals and organisations. Received funding from Arts Council England, Dorset Council, Lyme Regis Town Council, Garfield Weston, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Marine Theatre operates a 134-seat performing arts venue presenting live theatre, music, comedy, and DCP cinema programmes, supported by an upstairs licensed bar. It hires out the auditorium and ancillary spaces for weddings, conferences, meetings, and private events, and runs participation programmes including Marine Youth Theatre, Senior Creatives, Young Technicians, Play Reading, and Young Filmmakers. The venue is operated by the LymeArts Community Trust registered charity.

Product overview

Marine Theatre is a performing arts venue offering a multi-faceted portfolio of live entertainment and community programs. The core offering centers on live theatre productions (plays, comedy, music, and cinema), delivered through both touring productions and an annual summer rep season. Supporting this are community engagement programs including the Marine Youth Theatre for ages 3-18, the Young Technicians Course for technical theatre training, and the Senior Creatives program for older adults. The venue also operates as a wedding and event space with comprehensive hire packages. A tiered membership program provides subscriber benefits including ticket discounts. The theatre has recently launched a cinema program with modern DCP projection technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Live theatre programming Year-round professional live theatre performances, including touring productions and community work, presented in the 134-seat main auditorium for local and visiting audiences.
• Live music programme Year-round live music performances spanning genres presented in the main auditorium and ancillary spaces for local and touring audiences.
• Comedy programme Stand-up and comedy performance programme run throughout the year alongside theatre and music programming in the main auditorium.
• Cinema screenings DCP digital cinema screenings using a Canon WUX6010 projector, presented alongside live programming for film audiences in the Lyme Regis area.
• Wedding venue hire Hire of the Marine Theatre auditorium and ancillary spaces for wedding ceremonies and receptions, including bar service and event coordination for couples.
• Venue hire for conferences, meetings, talks, and receptions Commercial hire of the Main Auditorium, Upstairs room, and Lounge Bar for conferences, meetings, talks, and receptions, with optional licensed bar service.
• Marine Youth Theatre and Senior Creatives Term-time performing-arts participation programme Marine Youth Theatre, with a Senior Creatives strand for older participants, run on a membership/enrolment basis.
• Marine Youth Young Technicians Course Training course within the Marine Youth programme teaching technical theatre skills using the venue's professional sound, lighting, and projection equipment.
• Marine Youth Play Reading Group Recurring Marine Youth play reading group activity offering guided play-reading participation for young participants.
• Marine Youth Young Filmmakers Course Training course within the Marine Youth programme teaching filmmaking skills, leveraging the venue's cinema projection capability.
• Membership subscription programme Subscription-based membership scheme providing paying members with benefits such as discounts and priority access across the performance programme.
• Upstairs licensed bar On-site licensed bar adjacent to the auditorium offering drinks service to performance audiences and event hirers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80+ children and young people participate weekly in Marine Youth Theatre
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Lyme Bay HolidaysminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor corporate sponsor for 2023. Tourism partner with over 350 properties across Devon and Dorset.
• Andy and Jane Littler Consultancy LtdminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor offering advice on landscape and biodiversity. Supports the Marine as lovers of live music and theatre.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Exeter Phoenix: Multi-purpose arts venue in Devon offering theatre, music, cinema, comedy, workshops and community programmes on a similar scale and with a comparable regional UK charity operating model.
• Old Market, Hove: Independent arts venue in Brighton & Hove presenting theatre, music, comedy and cinema with community and youth programmes; comparable scale, multi-format programming and charitable-style operations.
• Bridport Arts Centre: Small West Dorset community arts venue presenting music, theatre, cinema and workshops; closely matches Marine Theatre's scale, charitable structure and rural-coastal audience profile.
• Quarterhouse, Folkestone: Multi-purpose community arts venue in a coastal town offering theatre, film, music, comedy and participatory programmes; matches Marine Theatre's combination of ticketed events, cinema and community engagement under a single roof.
• Lighthouse, Poole: Dorset-based arts centre hosting theatre, music, comedy and cinema in a coastal conurbation; comparable mix of ticketed events, venue hire, community engagement and digital cinema programming.
• The Plough Arts Centre: Rural North Devon arts centre offering theatre, music, cinema, exhibitions and community outreach; similar scale and programming breadth with comparable coastal/rural UK positioning.
• Dorchester Arts: Dorset community arts organisation programming theatre, music, comedy and workshops in and around Dorchester; directly comparable as a small county-based arts charity adjacent to Marine Theatre's market.
• The Electric Palace, Bridport: Historic cinema and live events venue in Bridport offering film, music and community programming; directly comparable to the Marine's cinema-plus-live-theatre hybrid operating model.
• Merlin Theatre, Frome: Independent community theatre in Somerset presenting drama, music, comedy, cinema and youth programmes; matches Marine Theatre's multi-format venue model with charitable governance.

Broad incumbents

• Theatre Royal Bath: Established regional theatre in the South West with a substantially larger programming slate and capacity; operates in the same region and category, providing a benchmark for regional theatre scale in West-of-England markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marine-theatre-lyme-regis

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis