The Australian Shakespeare Company

Name

The Australian Shakespeare Company

Legal name

The Australian Shakespeare Company

Website

https://shakespeareaustralia.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Theatre & Performing Arts

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Musical Groups and Artists (71113)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Touring Theatre Productions (MPAGABAC), Musical Theatre (Non-Broadway/Fringe) (MPAGABAG)

Keywords

• Outdoor theatre productions
• Shakespeare performances
• Family theatre shows
• School incursion programs
• Musical theatre productions

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from live theatre performances across outdoor venues and indoor theatres. Ticketing categorized by day as Off-Peak or Peak pricing. General admission for outdoor family events priced at child rate for all attendees.
2. School Incursions: Educational theatre programs delivered in schools across Victoria and NSW with structured per-student pricing and free teacher tickets.
3. Workshops & Classes: Fee-paying workshops for young actors including Graduate Players program (12-week course) and school holiday workshops like Hamlet: Speak the Speech.
4. Merchandise: Sale of branded merchandise including CDs featuring original music from productions, activity books, T-shirts, and hoodies.
5. Donations: Registered not-for-profit charity relying on ticket sales and patron generosity. Donations accepted through website to support operations.
6. Gift Vouchers: Gift vouchers redeemable for any production with no expiry date. Available in single, group of 4, and experience double pass formats.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Australian Shakespeare Company produces and performs live theatre productions, including outdoor Shakespeare plays, family theatre, and large-scale musicals, at iconic venues such as Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, and Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in London. The company supplements its live performance business with educational services, including school incursions, holiday workshops, and the Graduate Players training program, alongside branded merchandise and gift vouchers.

Product overview

The Australian Shakespeare Company is Australia's largest independent theatre company offering a diversified portfolio of live performance products. The core offerings include outdoor Shakespeare productions performed under the stars at venues including Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne and Kew Gardens London, family theatre productions featuring classic stories with interactive elements, and large-scale musical theatre productions. The company supplements its live performances with education services including school incursions across Victoria and NSW, workshops for children and adults, and the Graduate Players program for emerging actors. Ancillary offerings include branded merchandise (CDs, activity books, apparel) and gift vouchers. All performances are ticketed through the company's proprietary online ticketing platform, with secondary distribution through Ticketmaster, TodayTix, and Halftix.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shakespeare Under The Stars
• Family Theatre Productions

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Trafalgar EntertainmentflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Australian Shakespeare Company in association with Trafalgar Entertainment presenting HAIR The Musical at Theatre Royal Sydney from 6 June 2026. Trafalgar Entertainment provides venue and production partnership for this major touring production.
• Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (UK)flagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2016Ten-year partnership for outdoor theatre productions at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, London. ASC has transformed a corner of Kew Gardens into an open-air theatre presenting Shakespeare Under the Stars productions. The 2026 season includes Twelfth Night, The Wind in the Willows, and Jack and the Beanstalk.
• Djilpin ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003Since 2003, ASC Artistic Director Glenn Elston has been collaborating with Djilpin Arts and co-presenting the Walking with Spirits festival - a powerful celebration of Aboriginal traditions held at Malkgulumbu (Beswick Falls) in the Northern Territory. This partnership continues to amplify Indigenous voices on the international arts scene and features upcoming Indigenous musical talent from across Australia.
• Melbourne OperacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between Shakespeare Australia and Melbourne Opera for Mozart by Moonlight outdoor concert series at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. Features Melbourne Opera orchestra and artists performing Mozart's most beloved arias and duets under the stars.
• TicketmastercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSecondary ticketing partner for distribution of Australian Shakespeare Company productions alongside owned ticketing platform.
• TodayTixminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSecondary ticketing partner for distribution of Australian Shakespeare Company productions. Note: Exchange requests must go through TodayTix directly rather than ASC exchange form.
• HalftixminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDiscount ticketing partner for distribution of Australian Shakespeare Company productions.
• Camp QualityminorOthersCommunity access program partnership allowing children affected by cancer to access Australian Shakespeare Company productions.
• Make a Wish FoundationminorOthersWish granting partnership enabling children to experience live theatre productions.
• Starlight Children's FoundationminorOthersPartnership with Starlight for access programs and venue email contact at [email protected] for Kew Gardens performances.
• Royal Children's Hospital MelbourneminorOthersCommunity access partnership bringing theatre experiences to patients at Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne.
• Ronald McDonald HouseminorOthersCommunity access partnership supporting families staying at Ronald McDonald House with theatre experiences.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Emerging players

• Shake & Stir Theatre Co: Brisbane-based touring theatre company producing Shakespeare adaptations and classics for schools and mainstage. Comparable in education incursion focus and Shakespeare-centric repertoire, but smaller and primarily regional compared to ASC's national and international footprint.
• Essential Theatre: Australian school incursion theatre company touring Shakespeare and classics to primary and secondary schools. Comparable in the school incursion business model and per-student pricing, but operates more narrowly without ASC's mainstage outdoor Shakespeare production arm.

Direct peers

• Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Long-running US outdoor Shakespeare and classics festival in Ashland, Oregon, producing a multi-play repertory season annually. Directly comparable in outdoor seasonal Shakespeare festival model, multi-week run length, and education program scale; relevant international benchmark for ASC's outdoor programming depth.
• Bell Shakespeare: Australia's other major dedicated Shakespeare company, founded by John Bell, producing mainstage Shakespeare, education programs, and actor training. Most directly comparable in mission, content focus, and education revenue model; competes for the same school and theatre-going audiences in Australia.
• Regent's Park Open Air Theatre: London's premier outdoor theatre producer, operating an iconic outdoor Shakespeare and musical season in Regent's Park. Directly comparable in outdoor picnic-theatre format, summer-seasonal production model, and family/evening audience split, and operates in the same London market as ASC's Kew partnership.

Regional players

• Queensland Theatre: Brisbane-based state theatre company producing a mix of classics, musicals, and new Australian works. Comparable in scale and education/outreach focus but operates primarily in Queensland rather than ASC's Melbourne/Sydney/London footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Sydney Theatre Company: Major Sydney-based theatrical producing company at The Wharf Theatres, presenting classics, new Australian work, and musicals. Overlaps with ASC in the Sydney market and in producing Shakespeare adaptations, but operates a larger-scale, year-round, indoor-producing model rather than outdoor seasonal.
• Melbourne Theatre Company: Australia's largest professional theatre company based at Southbank Theatre, Melbourne. Competes for mainstream Melbourne theatre audiences and produces a broader repertoire including classics, musicals, and new works; a broader incumbent in the same city with overlapping Shakespeare/programming but not niche-focused.
• Malthouse Theatre: Melbourne-based performing arts presenter at Malthouse Theatre known for contemporary, experimental, and classic work. Competes for Melbourne theatre audiences and producer talent, but skews to avant-garde contemporary work rather than outdoor Shakespeare and family theatre.

Others

• Royal Botanic Gardens Kew: UK heritage garden and venue partner that co-presents ASC's 10-year London outdoor theatre season. Not a competitor but a strategic venue/distribution partner that materially shapes ASC's international economics and brand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/australianshakespearecompany
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/australian-shakespeare-company
• Instagraminstagram.com/shakespeareaust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 The Australian Shakespeare Company