The Quarry Theatre

What The Quarry Theatre does

The Quarry Theatre at St Luke's is a small performing arts venue located on St Peter's Street in central Bedford, United Kingdom. The venue is owned by Bedford School, part of the historic Harpur Trust educational charity, and operates as a dual-purpose facility serving both the school's and Bedford Preparatory School's performing arts needs and the wider Bedford community. Its physical footprint comprises a Main Auditorium, a smaller Studio Theatre, and a Gallery/Exhibition Space, with accessibility features including step-free access, an induction loop, wheelchair seating, and Blue Badge parking.

The core programmed offering consists of professional touring productions (comedy, theatre, live music, dance, spoken word, and family programming) plus school events and the annual 19th International Bedford Festival Fringe (Bedfringe), which in 2026 runs 22-26 July across 100+ events in 5 venues. The technology stack is minimal: ticket sales are transacted through the third-party TicketSolve platform across three separate storefronts (Quarry, Bedford School, Bedfringe), with supplementary phone and walk-up box-office channels. Marketing is conducted through the Squarespace-hosted website, an email mailing list, and Instagram.

The revenue model is overwhelmingly ticket-driven with concessionary pricing for students, under-18s, unemployed, disabled, senior (60+) patrons, and select Bedford School employees. Limited venue hire is available but constrained by daytime school teaching and rehearsal use. The operation runs with 6 employees, no disclosed revenue, no external capital structure, and no standalone commercial P&L; the theatre functions as a mission-aligned facility of its parent charity rather than as an investable operating company.

Name

The Quarry Theatre

Legal name

The Quarry Theatre at St Luke's

Website

https://quarrytheatre.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Quarry Theatre at St Luke's is a Bedford-based performing arts venue owned by Bedford School (Harpur Trust), hosting touring productions, school events, and the annual Bedford Festival Fringe, selling tickets through TicketSolve to local and regional audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Venue

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Fringe & Experimental Performing Arts (MPAGABAI), Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB)

Headquarters

HQ city

Bedford

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from pre-booked tickets for Quarry Theatre events, school events, and Bedford Festival Fringe performances. Tickets sold online via TicketSolve platform, over the phone, or in-person one hour before curtain up.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Quarry Theatre is a performing arts venue hosting professional touring productions in comedy, theatre, live music, film, dance, spoken word and poetry, as well as school events for Bedford School and Bedford Preparatory School, and the annual Bedford Festival Fringe. The venue operates a Main Auditorium, Studio Theatre, and Gallery/Exhibition Space, with tickets sold through the TicketSolve online platform, phone bookings, and a limited in-person box office.

Product overview

The Quarry Theatre is a performing arts facility operated by Bedford School (part of the Harpur Trust) located on St Peter's Street in Bedford. The venue operates as a single unified theatre with multiple spaces including the Main Auditorium, Studio Theatre, and Gallery/Exhibition Space. The venue hosts its own professional programme of events including theatre productions, comedy shows, live music, and the annual Bedfringe Festival, while also serving Bedford School and Bedford Preparatory School for educational performances. Venue hire is available on a limited basis. Ticket sales are managed through the TicketSolve platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Quarry Theatre Main Auditorium

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bedford SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Quarry Theatre is owned by Bedford School, a Boarding and Day School for boys aged 7-18, which is part of the Harpur Trust. The theatre serves as a performing arts facility for the school and the town.
• Harpur TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Harpur Trust is the parent organization of Bedford School, which owns The Quarry Theatre.
• The Place TheatreminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Place Theatre is a partner venue for Bedford Festival Fringe events, working alongside The Quarry Theatre to host the festival across multiple venues.
• TicketSolvecoreTechnology or IntegrationTicketing platform used for online ticket sales for Quarry Theatre events, Bedford School events, and Bedfringe events.
• EAAA (East Anglia Art Awards)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerBedfringe's 2026 charity partner.
• LCH Production ServicesminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 in-kind sponsor for Bedfringe.
• Future Legend MediaminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 in-kind sponsor for Bedfringe.
• The Bedford ClangerminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 in-kind sponsor for Bedfringe (local news outlet).
• White Hart PressminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 in-kind sponsor for Bedfringe.
• BrewpointminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 in-kind sponsor for Bedfringe.
• Bedford RadiominorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 in-kind sponsor for Bedfringe (local radio station).
• Youth TVminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 in-kind sponsor for Bedfringe.
• WoodfinesminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 in-kind sponsor for Bedfringe.
• Eagle TapesminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 in-kind sponsor for Bedfringe.
• Ready Steady RollminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBoard game company joining Bedfringe 2026 in the gallery space throughout the festival.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cambridge Arts Theatre: Mid-scale regional receiving house in the East of England region offering theatre, comedy, dance, and music programming. Closely comparable as a similarly positioned East-of-England professional touring venue with a mixed community and educational mission.
• Tobacco Factory Theatre: A small UK regional producing and presenting theatre in Bristol with a mixed professional/community programme. Closely comparable in scale and the combination of own-productions, touring work, and community programming.
• The Watermill Theatre: A small UK regional producing theatre known for intimate programming and community engagement. Directly comparable in scale and operational model to The Quarry as a smaller-capacity regional theatre balancing professional and community programming.
• Oxford Playhouse: A historic UK regional theatre presenting touring drama, comedy, dance, and music. Comparable as a similarly positioned mid-size regional receiving house serving a university-town community with mixed professional and community programming.
• The Marlowe Theatre: A larger regional receiving theatre in Canterbury presenting drama, comedy, music, and family shows. Comparable as a South-East regional theatre competing for similar touring acts and audience demographics as The Quarry.
• The Albany, Deptford: A community arts venue in South-East London with multiple performance and participation spaces. Comparable in operating model as a multi-space community venue with educational, professional, and participatory programming under one roof.
• The Place Theatre, Bedford: The other major Bedford theatre venue, directly comparable as a community-focused performing arts space. Already a formal Bedfringe partner venue, making it the closest geographic and operational peer to The Quarry.
• New Diorama Theatre: A small London studio theatre known for emerging and independent companies, comparable in capacity and the focus on fringe and experimental work that connects with The Quarry's Bedfringe programming.
• Bedford Corn Exchange: The larger Bedford event venue hosting concerts, comedy, and touring productions. Comparable as a Bedford-based ticketed live entertainment venue competing for similar local audiences and touring content.

Others

• Brighton Fringe: The UK's largest open-access fringe festival after Edinburgh, comparable as a regional multi-venue performing arts festival format. Relevant peer to Bedfringe in scale, open-access structure, and mixed-genre programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/p/DVifmldDN2t
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-quarry-theatre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The Quarry Theatre