Quirky Bird Theatre

What Quirky Bird Theatre does

Quirky Bird Theatre is a UK performing arts education company founded in 2013 by Anna Friend in Swindon, England. It delivers drama classes, workshops, and tuition for young people aged roughly 7 to 18+, organized into tiered programmes including Bold Birds for beginners and Quirky Crew for more advanced students. The business operates with a small team of approximately five staff, supported by working theatre-makers and directors who lead sessions and produce the company's own touring work.

The product mix spans weekly in-person classes, school-based workshops built around contemporary texts (DNA, The IT, That Face, and an Intro to Shakespeare package), one-to-one tuition, and downloadable digital study resource packs. School workshops are priced at £250–£450 per booking, indicating a deliberate B2B channel alongside the core B2C parent-and-child cohort. The company has also produced and toured its own productions, including a debut at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019, signalling ambition beyond its immediate Swindon catchment.

Commercially, Quirky Bird earns revenue through termly class fees, per-workshop school contracts, 1:1 tuition, and digital resource sales. It has served more than 500 young people across its operating history and maintains consistent 5-star parent ratings. Spring 2026 enrollment is actively open, confirming ongoing operations. The business model is operationally lean, founder-led, and dependent on the continuous recruitment of local cohorts and school contracts.

Name

Quirky Bird Theatre

Legal name

Quirky Bird Theatre

Website

https://quirkybirdtheatre.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Quirky Bird Theatre is a UK performing arts education company founded in 2013 in Swindon, delivering drama classes, school workshops, touring productions, and digital study resources for young people aged 7-18+.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Purton, Swindon

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Weekly Drama Classes: Weekly theatre classes for young people organized by age and skill level. Bold Birds (beginners) and Quirky Crew (advanced). Term-based enrollment with showcases.
2. School Workshop Tours: Full-day educational workshops touring to schools. Curriculum-mapped for KS3, GCSE and A Level Drama. Includes practical exploration, character work, and performance presentation. Prices from £450 per day plus travel.
3. Study Resource Packs: Digital resource packs for GCSE Drama study texts (DNA, That Face). Includes character key cards, staging prompts, and directorial interpretation materials.
4. 1:1 Speech & Drama Tuition: Private individual tuition for speech and drama coaching, building performance skills and confidence.
5. Theatrical Performances: Ticket sales for theatre productions including Edinburgh Fringe performances. DNA for Schools tour tickets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Quirky Bird Theatre runs a portfolio of theatre education services for young people aged 7-18+, including weekly drama classes (Bold Birds for beginners and Quirky Crew for advanced actors), touring school workshops on set GCSE/A Level Drama texts (DNA, The IT, That Face, Introduction to Shakespeare), 1:1 Speech & Drama tuition, digital study resource packs, and theatrical productions. The company operates as a single, founder-led theatre education practice with no separate product lines for enterprises versus consumers.

Product overview

Quirky Bird Theatre is a performing arts education company offering a portfolio of programmes for young people aged 7-18+. The core offerings consist of weekly drama classes: Bold Birds (beginner-friendly classes with script work, improvisation, and ensemble work) and Quirky Crew (advanced programme for serious young actors with professional production opportunities). The company also operates a touring school workshop programme delivering curriculum-mapped sessions for KS3, GCSE, and A Level Drama, including workshops on specific texts (DNA by Dennis Kelly, The IT by Vivienne Franzmann, That Face by Polly Stenham, Introduction to Shakespeare) and accompanying digital resource packs. Additional offerings include 1:1 Speech & Drama tuition and intensive holiday programmes. All programmes are led by working theatre-makers and focus on building confidence through performance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bold Birds: Scripted scenes, improv and ensemble work that turn shy starters into confident storytellers. Includes script work, character building, and termly showcases.
• Quirky Crew

Products and services

• Bold Birds Programme Weekly drama class for young people covering scripted scenes, improvisation, and ensemble work, designed to turn shy starters into confident storytellers through script work, character building, and termly showcases. Aimed at parents enrolling children aged 7-18+ at beginner level.
• Quirky Crew Programme Advanced weekly drama programme for serious young actors covering devising, directing, audition coaching, and academic subject support, with professional production opportunities. Aimed at parents enrolling committed teenage actors.
• DNA by Dennis Kelly School Workshop Full-day touring school workshop enabling KS3 and GCSE Drama students to develop their understanding of Dennis Kelly's popular set text through practical exploration, directing choices, character work, and design elements. Led by Director Anna Friend. Sold to schools at prices starting at £450 per day plus travel.
• The IT by Vivienne Franzmann School Workshop Full-day touring school workshop for KS3 and GCSE Drama students exploring Vivienne Franzmann's dynamic text through directing choices, physical theatre, ensemble movement, live sound, and proxemics. Sold to schools at prices starting at £450 per day plus travel.
• That Face by Polly Stenham A Level Workshop Full-day A Level intensive workshop taking a deep dive into context, interpretation, and performance of Polly Stenham's play, including masterclass scene explorations, design discussions, in-depth Q&A with Anna Friend, and optional live actors (Martha and Henry) at additional cost. Prices from £450 per day plus travel.
• Introduction to Shakespeare Workshop Half/full-day Shakespeare workshop for primary and KS3 students featuring energising warm-ups, language exploration, and practical work with short extracts from classic plays. Prices start at £250 per day plus travel.
• DNA by Dennis Kelly Edexcel GCSE Study Resource Pack Digital resource pack for Edexcel GCSE Drama students studying DNA by Dennis Kelly, featuring Character Key Cards, Staging Prompts, and resources exploring costume, lighting, sound, and directorial interpretation. Sold via the company's online shop.
• That Face by Polly Stenham GCSE Study Resource Pack Virtual digital resource pack for GCSE Drama students studying That Face by Polly Stenham, available in digital format via the company storefront.
• 1:1 Speech & Drama Tuition Private one-to-one speech and drama coaching sessions delivered to individual students to develop performance skills, presentation confidence, and exam preparation. Booked directly by parents.
• Play in the Week Intensive Week-long intensive theatre programme where young performers create and perform an original play, engaging in games, character development, and scene work culminating in a final performance. Holiday programme for enrolled young people.
• DNA for Schools Tour Tickets Ticket-based theatrical performances of DNA by Dennis Kelly toured to schools and venues across the region, sold directly to audiences and schools. Tickets are non-refundable with 6 weeks' notice required for potential 80% refund if resold.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ young people built confidence through theatre
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Competitive moat2 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/quirkybirdrocks
• Facebookfacebook.com/quirkybirdtheatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/quirkybirdtheatre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/quirky-bird-theatre

Compliance2 records

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 Quirky Bird Theatre