Out of the Darkness Theatre Company

What Out of the Darkness Theatre Company does

Out of the Darkness Theatre Company is a registered charity founded in 1992 and based in Elgin, Moray, Scotland. It employs 9 people and operates under a board chaired by Jamie MacMillan. Its mission is to produce creative arts — including live theatre (pantomimes and murder mysteries) and filmed productions — involving and serving adults with learning disabilities in the Moray region.

The company's product set centers on annual live productions, with pantomimes (most recently 'Sleeping Beauty' in 2024) and a 30th-anniversary 'Cinderella' (2022) as anchor events, alongside a newer filmed productions / Media Group offering. These outputs are produced in collaboration with regional education partners, notably UHI Moray for student involvement in productions and UAL-style showcases such as 'Little Shop of Horrors'. The organization is a Disability Confident Employer and maintains an active presence across four social media platforms for audience engagement.

The commercial model is primarily ticket-driven: live performances are sold via ticketsource.co.uk, with additional revenue likely from charitable donations, grants, and earned media from filmed productions. As a registered charity it benefits from tax-advantaged status and grant eligibility, and its partnership with UHI Moray provides access to student talent and creative-arts infrastructure. The business is inherently regional and community-anchored, with no disclosed geographic expansion beyond Moray.

Name

Out of the Darkness Theatre Company

Legal name

Out of the Darkness Theatre Company

Website

https://odtheatre.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Out of the Darkness Theatre Company is a Moray-based registered charity, founded in 1992, that produces live theatre and filmed productions involving adults with learning disabilities, with 9 employees and ticket sales as its primary revenue channel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Theatre / Performing Arts

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG), Musical Theatre (Non-Broadway/Fringe) (MPAGABAG)

Keywords

• Community theatre productions
• Disability arts charity
• Live theatrical performances
• Creative arts programmes
• Filmed stage productions

Headquarters

HQ city

Elgin

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Theatre Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from ticket sales for live theatre productions and filmed performances. Productions include pantomimes, murder mysteries, and original performances created and performed by members.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Out of the Darkness Theatre Company is a Scottish registered charity that produces live theatre and filmed productions created by and featuring adults with learning disabilities. The company also runs a Creative Arts Skill Development Programme that builds participants' personal, social, and performance skills, and partners with higher-education performing-arts students to deliver collaborative showcase productions.

Product overview

Out of the Darkness Theatre Company offers a unified portfolio of creative arts services centred on live theatre and filmed productions. The core offering comprises live theatrical performances (pantomimes, murder mysteries, adaptations) and filmed productions (videos, music videos, audiobooks), created collaboratively by members with learning disabilities. These are delivered through integrated sub-products including the Performance Group (acting, singing, dancing), Media Group (filming, editing, technical production), and Creative Groups (props, sets, design). All activities feed into a structured skill development programme targeting interpersonal skills (confidence, teamwork, communication, independence, listening, decision-making). The company also partners with UHI Moray and UAL institutions for student showcase productions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Live Theatre Productions
• Filmed Productions
• Creative Arts Skill Development Programme
• Student Showcase Productions

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• UHI MoraycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with UHI Moray Performing Arts students on joint productions. Students worked alongside ODTC members on the 30th anniversary panto 'The Good, The Bad and the Disnae', providing educational and creative partnership in theatre production.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• Scran Theatre: Scottish community theatre producing accessible and inclusive live performances. Comparable to ODTC as a small UK theatre company delivering participatory creative arts programming.
• Take A Bow Theatre Company: A UK community theatre producing inclusive and disability-accessible productions. Comparable to ODTC as a smaller inclusive theatre producing participatory live performance.

Direct peers

• Access All Areas: An inclusive theatre company running performance ensembles for learning-disabled and autistic adults in London. Closely mirrors ODTC's mission of producing live theatre with and for learning-disabled adults.
• Hijinx Theatre: Welsh inclusive theatre company producing bold theatre with learning-disabled and autistic performers. Comparable to ODTC as a UK charity operating touring productions with learning-disabled adult artists.
• Mind The Gap: One of the UK's largest learning disability performance companies, producing touring theatre and engagement programmes. Highly comparable to ODTC as a UK-based performing arts company specifically serving learning-disabled adults.
• Graeae Theatre Company: A champion of disabled-led theatre producing live performances and training programmes. Directly comparable to ODTC as a disability-led UK theatre company producing original theatrical work.

Regional players

• Eden Court Highlands: Inverness-based performing arts venue serving the Highlands region including Moray. Comparable to ODTC as a regional arts organisation delivering live theatre programming in the same Scottish geography.
• His Majesty's Theatre Aberdeen: Aberdeen-based theatre presenting touring and community productions. Comparable to ODTC as a Scottish regional theatre operator serving the North-East Scotland audience.

Broad incumbents

• Citizens Theatre: Long-established Glasgow-based producing theatre with community and learning engagement programmes. Comparable to ODTC for theatre production and community-facing creative arts work in Scotland.
• Royal Conservatoire of Scotland: Scotland's national conservatoire producing performing arts graduates and productions. Comparable to ODTC as a producer of theatre and creative arts programming, and as a partner for ODTC's UHI Moray collaboration.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/odtheatre
• Facebookfacebook.com/odtheatre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/odtheatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/odtheatre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Out of the Darkness Theatre Company