Scene & Heard

What Scene & Heard does

Scene & Heard is a UK-registered charity and company limited by guarantee, founded in 1999 and headquartered at 128a Chalton Street in Somers Town, Camden, London. It operates a one-to-one mentoring programme that pairs inner-city children of Somers Town, aged nine and above throughout adolescence, with volunteer professional theatre artists for sustained playwriting mentoring. Children's original scripts are then professionally produced and staged, currently at Theatro Technis, with the organisation actively seeking a new partner venue in North London or the West End via the Theatre Campaign 2026 ahead of a planned departure from Theatro Technis at the end of 2026.

The core offering comprises structured playwriting courses and productions, supplemented by Young Ambassadors, Work Experience, In the Community activities, a Storyteller in Residence role supporting the Wellcome-funded Melting Metropolis partnership, studio hire, and an online merchandise shop selling books, keyrings, keep cups, caps, tea towels and CDs at £4-£18 price points. Technology is limited to a Squarespace website with PayPal and CAF Donate payment processing, Give as you Live donation affiliate integration, Google Analytics and a mailing provider; no proprietary technology platform, AI/ML capability, or API offering is documented.

The business model is donation-dependent. All courses, performances and activities are free for beneficiaries. Income is diversified across trusts, foundations and corporate donations; the Eyes & Ears individual regular-giving scheme; major benefactors; legacy and in-memory giving; and modest merchandise revenue. The organisation is governed by a board of trustees chaired by Emma Bell, with John Nevin as Deputy Chair and David Stewart as Treasurer, and is led day-to-day by CEO & Artistic Director Rosalind Paul MBE and a small staff team of roughly six to seven supported by more than 350 volunteer arts professionals drawn from institutions including the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, The Globe and West End theatres.

Name

Scene & Heard

Legal name

Scene & Heard

Website

https://sceneandheard.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Scene & Heard is a Somers Town, London charity founded in 1999 that pairs inner-city children with volunteer professional theatre artists for free one-to-one playwriting mentoring and professional stage productions, self-funded through donations and merchandise sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Arts Education

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s & Youth Theatre (MPAGABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Playwriting & Scriptwriting Workshops (Stage) (EDAMAMAD), Community Theatre & Storytelling Festivals (MPAGAEAI)

Keywords

• Youth theatre education
• Arts mentoring programmes
• Community theatre charity
• Playwriting workshops
• Creative arts education

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Trusts, Foundations and Corporate Donations: Scene & Heard has been a self-funding charity since 1999. All courses, performances and activities are free. Reliant on trusts, foundations, corporations and individuals who fund the organization directly or through in-kind donations.
2. Individual Giving (Eyes & Ears Scheme): Monthly or annual regular donations from individual supporters. Members receive invitations to special events, latest news, performance dates and priority ticket booking.
3. Benefactors and Major Donors: Significant long-term financial contributions from individual benefactors who are committed to the organization's future, offering guidance and championing the cause.
4. Legacy and In Memory Giving: Gifts left in wills and memorial donations in memory of loved ones.
5. Online Shop: Sale of merchandise including books, keyrings, keep cups, caps, tea towels, and CDs. Products sold at £4-£18 price points with UK shipping via Royal Mail.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Scene & Heard is a registered charity that runs free one-to-one playwriting mentoring for children aged nine and above in Somers Town, London, pairing each child with a volunteer professional theatre artist to write an original play which is then produced on stage. The charity is self-funded through trusts, foundations, corporate sponsors, individual donors and a small online merchandise shop, and offers all its courses, productions and community activities free of charge.

Product overview

Scene & Heard is a charitable mentoring programme operating as a single integrated offering rather than a modular platform. The core service pairs children from Somers Town, London with volunteer theatre professionals for one-to-one playwriting mentoring. Productions bring children's written plays to professional stage. Supporting offerings include an online shop for merchandise, studio hire for external use, community arts activities, and the Eyes & Ears regular giving scheme. A notable initiative is the Melting Metropolis partnership focused on climate storytelling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Playwriting Courses Structured playwriting courses where children aged nine and older are paired with volunteer theatre professionals for one-to-one mentoring to write their own original plays. Delivered free of charge to children in Somers Town, London.
• Productions Professional theatre productions where the original plays written by children are brought to life on stage at partner venues, celebrating their success, boosting self-esteem and raising aspirations.
• Studio Hire A large, bright, fully accessible studio space at Scene & Heard's Somers Town HQ available to hire for work creation, readings, meetings, rehearsals and workshops by external organisations and individuals.
• Online Shop E-commerce platform selling merchandise including tea towels, keyrings, keep cups, baseball caps, blank cards, CDs and books including the 20th Anniversary Book with foreword by Hilary Mantel. Ships to UK only via Royal Mail with collection options from office or theatre.
• Melting Metropolis Partnership An 18-month collaboration with the Wellcome-funded Melting Metropolis project, exploring everyday histories of urban heat and health through storytelling with children, young people, volunteers and the wider Somers Town community.
• Eyes & Ears Regular Giving Scheme Individual giving programme where regular donors (monthly or annual) receive invitations to special events, latest news, early access to performance dates and reserved tickets.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of children feel their play was a success
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Melting Metropolis (University of Liverpool)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScene & Heard is a community partner in Melting Metropolis, a Wellcome-funded international project exploring everyday histories of urban heat and health in cities including London, New York and Port of Spain. Adam Njenga serves as Storyteller in Residence working with Member Playwrights and the wider community to gather stories about living in the city and heat effects.
• Somers Town Community AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal community partner working alongside Scene & Heard on the Melting Metropolis Heat Stories project in London.
• A Space for UscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal arts, heritage and wellbeing group partnering with Scene & Heard on the Melting Metropolis project.
• 52nd Street ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew York-based organization that inspired the founding of Scene & Heard. Founders Sophie Boyack and Kate Coleman were inspired by Kate's work with 52nd Street Project to create Scene & Heard in 1999.
• Theatro TechniscoreOthersVenue partner for Scene & Heard productions for a quarter of a century. Scene & Heard must leave at the end of 2026 due to major building works. Currently seeking a new theatrical home in North London or the West End.
• Mayor of Camden (Cllr Samata Khatoon)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerScene & Heard selected as one of the Mayor's charities of the year 2024-2025. Mayor serves as ambassador and champion for the organization.
• Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre, The Globe, West End TheatresminorOthersMajor theatre institutions where Scene & Heard volunteer arts professionals work when not volunteering. Indicates quality and prestige of volunteer network.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Synergy Theatre Project: Theatre charity working with young offenders and at-risk young people through outreach and in-custody programmes. Comparable model pairing professional theatre artists with disadvantaged young people for creative outcomes.
• The Big House Theatre Company: London-based theatre company working with care-experienced and disadvantaged young people in Islington through long-term mentoring and creative programmes. Scene & Heard's Assistant to the Artistic Director joined from here, evidencing direct operational overlap.
• Polka Theatre: London's dedicated children's theatre, producing and presenting professional productions for young audiences alongside participation and outreach programmes targeting school-age children.
• Clean Break: Theatre company working with women affected by the criminal justice system, producing original theatre and running participation programmes. Closely comparable small charity operating in the intersection of arts and social impact.
• 52nd Street Project: New York-based youth theatre charity explicitly cited as the inspiration for Scene & Heard's founding model. Pairs inner-city children with professional theatre artists for one-to-one playwriting mentoring and produces their plays on stage — virtually identical operating model.
• Cardboard Citizens: UK theatre charity making work with and for people with experience of homelessness, poverty and social exclusion. Comparable as a high-quality theatre-making charity using the arts to serve disadvantaged communities.
• Little Angel Theatre: North London puppet theatre dedicated to producing and presenting work for children and young people, including outreach programmes in schools and communities. Comparable children-focused theatre charity.
• Half Moon Theatre: East London theatre company dedicated to producing work for and by young people, with a long-running young people's programme and commitment to accessible community theatre for under-served audiences.

Broad incumbents

• Royal Shakespeare Company: Major UK theatre company and significant contributor of professional volunteers to Scene & Heard. Operates extensive learning and young people's programmes but on a national scale, serving as a broad incumbent rather than a direct community-mentoring peer.
• National Theatre: Largest UK producing theatre and a key source of Scene & Heard's volunteer mentors. While operating at a vastly larger scale with national reach, it overlaps on the children's arts education mission through its extensive learning and participation programmes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scene-&-heard_2

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 Scene & Heard