What SCRUM Theatre does

SCRUM Theatre is a registered charity (no. 1201124) in England & Wales, founded in 2022 and headquartered at 191 Talgarth Road, Hammersmith, London. The organisation operates as a cooperative arts centre and theatre collective, providing affordable training and creative infrastructure for emerging and mid-career theatremakers. Its core offerings comprise pay-what-you-can workshops and masterclasses, intensive programmes (The Shake Up Shakespeare intensive at £490, the Krymov Lab), youth development initiatives (Fresh Ink Young Writers Lab for ages 13-16, West London Young Creatives for ages 18-30 funded by Hammersmith & Fulham Council), theatrical productions including Twelfth Night with national touring plans, and subsidised rehearsal space hire through SCRUM Studios. Training methodology draws on physical theatre traditions including Lecoq, Laban, Chekhov, and Stanislavsky-based approaches, delivered by practitioners such as Adrian Lester OBE, Dmitry Krymov, Declan Donnellan, Lyndsey Turner, and Tinuke Craig.

The business model blends charitable giving with earned income. Donations and grants from Hammersmith & Fulham Council and the Hawthornden Foundation form the financial backbone; supplemented by workshop fees (PWYC model with £15 suggested contribution), paid intensives (£490 Shake Up), and subsidised studio hire. The customer base spans multiple segments: individual emerging theatremakers (primary), drama school graduates, West End and emerging theatre companies hiring studio space, schools receiving Twelfth Night education outreach, and 18-30 year olds in West London accessing free programmes. Co-led by Lucie Dawkins (also associate with Cheek by Jowl and Krymov Lab London) and Dominic Applewhite, with Wofai J.E. as Executive Director, the charity operates with approximately 5 staff and over 300 volunteers.

From March 2026, SCRUM Theatre becomes Resident Company at Riverside Studios, marking the wind-down of the 191 Talgarth Road venue (keys handed in 13 March 2026) and the start of a new phase. The organisation has flagged future plans for a modular 250-seat touring theatre designed to serve arts-underfunded UK postcodes. No revenue is publicly disclosed, and the entity has no parent company, subsidiaries, or external equity ownership.

Name

SCRUM Theatre

Legal name

SCRUM Theatre

Website

https://scrumtheatre.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SCRUM Theatre is a UK registered charity providing pay-what-you-can theatre training workshops, subsidised studio hire, and youth programmes for emerging theatremakers and West London young creatives, based in Hammersmith, London, and transitioning to Riverside Studios in March 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Training

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Theatre Education, Training & Conservatories (MPAGABAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater & Drama Education (Acting, Improvisation, Musical Theater) (EDAMAAAG), Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM), Community & Amateur Theatre (MPAGABAD)

Keywords

• Performing arts training
• Theatre workshops
• Youth arts programmes
• Rehearsal space hire
• Theatre productions

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Funding: As a registered charity (no. 1201124), SCRUM Theatre relies significantly on donations to fund operations, building improvements, and accessibility initiatives including elevator repairs.
2. Workshop and Masterclass Fees: Revenue from pay-what-you-can workshops, intensive courses like The Shake Up (£490), and masterclasses led by industry professionals.
3. Studio Space Hire: SCRUM Studios generates revenue through hirers renting rehearsal and workshop spaces, serving West End productions, emerging companies, and individual creatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

SCRUM Theatre is a UK registered charity that delivers pay-what-you-can theatre workshops and masterclasses, intensive training programmes (The Shake Up, Krymov Lab), youth development initiatives (Fresh Ink Young Writers Lab, West London Young Creatives), and theatrical productions (Twelfth Night). It operates SCRUM Studios as an affordable rehearsal venue in Hammersmith and hosts the SCRUM Theatre x Nick Hern Books Resource Library. The organisation is funded by donations, workshop fees, studio hire, and grants.

Product overview

SCRUM Theatre is a registered charity operating as a theatre collective and arts centre, offering a portfolio of workshop programmes, productions, and venue hire services. Its core offerings include pay-what-you-can workshops and masterclasses for theatremakers, intensive programmes like The Shake Up (Shakespeare training) and Krymov Lab, youth development initiatives including Fresh Ink (young writers aged 13-16) and West London Young Creatives (18-30 year olds), theatrical productions such as Twelfth Night, and community art projects like The Mural. The organisation also operates SCRUM Studios as an affordable rehearsal venue. From March 2026, SCRUM Theatre will become the Resident Company at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Twelfth Night: SCRUM Theatre's production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, directed by Co-Lead Lucie Dawkins, with an associated education programme for schools.
• Fresh Ink
• The Shake Up

Products and services

• Workshops and Masterclasses Pay-what-you-can workshops and masterclasses led by industry professionals for emerging and mid-career theatremakers, covering acting, directing, voice, movement, and other theatrical disciplines.
• The Shake Up A five-day intensive Shakespeare workshop for professional actors and directors, led by Lucie Dawkins and Grace Andrews with a masterclass from Adrian Lester. Priced at £490 with bursary places available.
• Fresh Ink: Young Writers Lab A programme for young people aged 13-16 from Hammersmith & Fulham to develop writing skills for theatre and film, featuring guest artists and mentoring. 20 young people per cohort.
• Twelfth Night Production SCRUM Theatre's production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, directed by Lucie Dawkins, with an associated education programme for schools in Arts Council England and DCMS-identified underfunded postcodes.
• West London Young Creatives A series of workshops and networking events for 18-30 year olds in West London interested in developing practical skills in the creative industries. Free of charge and funded by Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
• Krymov Lab Advanced masterclass with Dmitry Krymov for actors and directors with professional credits, exploring Chekhov through practical workshop sessions.
• SCRUM Studios (Rehearsal Space Hire) Affordable rehearsal and workshop spaces available for hire at 191 Talgarth Road, Hammersmith, supporting the creative community with subsidised rates. Studio bookings wind down in March 2026 with relocation to Riverside Studios.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,300+ creatives housed at venue
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Riverside StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrom March 2026, SCRUM Theatre becomes Resident Company at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. This year-long residency enables expansion of performance and education programmes, access to new facilities, and continuation of the script library open to the public.
• Nick Hern BookscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing the SCRUM Theatre x Nick Hern Books Resource Library - one of the only dedicated script libraries open to public in London. Books by Nick Hern authors are sold at SCRUM workshops.
• Compass CollectiveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning refugee arts charity. SCRUM collaborated with Compass on mural workshop with Murugiah and their young people, inspired by Refugee Week theme of 'home'.
• MurugiahminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning artist who worked with Compass Collective and SCRUM team to create a mural for SCRUM Studios Mezzanine. Inspired by Refugee Week theme of 'home'.
• Lyric HammersmithminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Fresh Ink programme where participants visit to watch Relics at the Lyric Hammersmith theatre.
• Cheek by JowlcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLucie Dawkins is an associate with Cheek by Jowl. SCRUM hosts events featuring Cheek by Jowl founders Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod, including conversations about their books.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Graeae Theatre Company: UK theatre company focused on Deaf and disabled artists, combining professional productions with training and outreach. Comparable as a small charity-led theatre with a strong access, training, and emerging-talent mandate.
• Lyric Hammersmith: One of the UK's leading producing theatres, based in Hammersmith alongside SCRUM, with a comparable mix of in-house productions, learning programmes for young people, and community engagement. SCRUM has a direct partnership with the Lyric through the Fresh Ink programme, making it the closest same-geography peer.
• Young Vic: London theatre known for taking artistic risks and pairing professional productions with substantial community and education programmes. Its dual focus on producing bold work and serving local communities is structurally similar to SCRUM's theatre-plus-training model.
• Bush Theatre: Small-to-mid London theatre focused on new writing and developing emerging playwrights and theatremakers. Its writer-development programmes and mission to nurture next-generation talent directly parallel SCRUM's Twelfth Night, Fresh Ink, and PWYC workshop model.
• Clean Break: Charity-run theatre company producing work by and about women with experience of the criminal justice system. Comparable as a small UK charity combining theatre-making with training and access programmes for under-served communities.
• Cardboard Citizens: Theatre company working with people who have experienced homelessness. Similar in being a small charity-led company that pairs productions with participation and training programmes for marginalized groups.
• Cheek by Jowl: International touring theatre company co-founded by Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod, with whom SCRUM co-lead Lucie Dawkins is an Associate Director. Comparable as a small, director-led company with a distinctive training-led methodology and London base.

Broad incumbents

• Old Vic: Historic London theatre with a prominent education and community engagement arm (Old Vic New Voices, Take Part). Overlaps with SCRUM on training and access programmes but operates at substantially larger scale and scope.
• Royal Court Theatre: London's leading new-writing theatre with extensive writer development programmes. A much larger, established incumbent operating in overlapping territory around developing new work and emerging theatremakers, but with a far broader portfolio than SCRUM.
• National Theatre: UK's flagship publicly funded producing theatre with extensive learning, talent development, and national touring programmes. Represents the largest-scale incumbent in SCRUM's space and a natural benchmark for what a scaled version of SCRUM's mission could become.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/scrumtheatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/scrumtheatre
• TikToktiktok.com/@scrumtheatre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scrum-theatre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 SCRUM Theatre