The Space Theatre

What The Space Theatre does

The Space Theatre, operated by St Paul's Arts Trust (registered charity no. 801587), is a performing arts venue and community arts organisation housed in a Grade II listed converted 19th-century church on the Isle of Dogs, London. Operating since 1996, the venue provides affordable performance space, live and streamed theatre, script development, and participatory arts programmes to emerging artists, local residents, and remote audiences. Sir Ian McKellen serves as patron, and the organisation is governed by 12 trustees.

The venue is configured for flexible staging (end-on, thrust, in-the-round) and equipped with livestreaming infrastructure, recording services, and a Steinway B piano. Core offerings include live theatre performances, the Online Theatre streaming platform, the Tech Academy (skills training), the SpaceWorks participatory programme, ScriptSpace (which has supported 500+ playwrights since 2020), Space Productions (in-house production company), festivals such as Voila! Europe, and the Space Bar. The organisation supports over 600 artists and hosts 200+ performances per year, and extends its footprint to Crossrail Place Roof Garden through a partnership with Canary Wharf Group.

Revenue is generated through venue hire at £300 per performance or £90-120 per hour, a 6% admin fee on ticket sales (with 94% flowing to the hiring company), annual membership at £30/year, bar revenue, corporate sponsorship (Canary Wharf Group, Franklyn James), and charitable grants from Arts Council England and the Garfield Weston Foundation. The customer base is a long tail of emerging theatre companies, with no dominant single hirer, while funding-side exposure is concentrated in a small number of institutional grant-makers.

Name

The Space Theatre

Legal name

St Paul's Arts Trust

Website

https://space.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Space Theatre is a registered charity (St Paul's Arts Trust) operating a Grade II listed converted church on London's Isle of Dogs, providing affordable performance space, script development, streaming, and participatory programmes to emerging artists, local residents, and remote audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Venue

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB), Multi-Purpose Event Halls & Community Centers (THAHAAAI)

Keywords

• Performing arts venue
• Community arts centre
• Live theatre productions
• Venue hire services
• Arts education programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales & Box Office: Primary revenue from ticket sales for theatre productions, comedy nights, music events, and livestreamed performances. Box office split model (94% to hirer, 6% admin fee) or room hire at £300 per performance.
2. Venue Hire: Revenue from hiring the venue for performances (£300/performance or hourly rates £90-120), rehearsals (£36/hour subsidized), meetings (£45-90/hour), and filming (£72/hour).
3. Space Bar & Kitchen: In-house bar and kitchen operation offering hot/cold refreshments, evening meals, weekend brunch, and burger menu. All alcoholic beverages must be purchased through the bar.
4. Membership & Donations: Friends of the Space membership at £30/year offering £10 tickets and free monthly livestream access. Individual donations, legacy giving, and corporate sponsorships.
5. ScriptSpace Script Development: Script development service for playwrights at £15 standard rate or £30 supporter rate. Limited bursary places available for free submissions.
6. Corporate Sponsorship: Sponsorship arrangements including chair sponsorship (£250 for custom plaque), building element sponsorship, and season brochure sponsorship. Canary Wharf Group and Franklyn James estate agents are named sponsors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Space is a Grade II listed converted 19th century church on the Isle of Dogs, London, operating as a performing arts and community venue. It hosts live theatre, comedy, music, dance, recitals, and festivals (including the multilingual Voila! Theatre Festival), streams performances online, and hires the space for performances, rehearsals, filming, and private events. It also runs participatory programmes (SpaceWorks), script development (ScriptSpace), technical training (Tech Academy), and an in-house bar and kitchen (The Space Bar).

Product overview

The Space Theatre offers a portfolio of live performance products centered around its converted 19th-century church venue on the Isle of Dogs. Core offerings include Live Theatre Performances (drama, comedy, music, dance) and Online Theatre streaming for remote audiences. The venue provides Space Bar dining services and Venue Hire for external events. Supporting products include SpaceWorks participatory theatre workshops, ScriptSpace script development with professional feedback, Tech Academy technical training, the Voila! multilingual theatre festival, Space For Laughs comedy nights, Piano Space piano concerts, Recitals at the Space, and a Membership programme. The venue also hosts events at the Crossrail Place Roof Garden during summer months.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SpaceWorks: Participatory theatre programme providing workshops and creative opportunities for community members, led by industry professionals.
• ScriptSpace
• Space For Laughs
• Voila! Theatre Festival
• The Space Bar
• Space Productions

Products and services

• Live Theatre Performances

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 600 artists supported annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Cockpit (Voila! Europe Festival)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-cultural, multilingual theatre festival produced by The Cockpit. The Space hosts Voila! Festival performances annually, programming 2-3 weeks of border-busting productions.
• Theatres OnlineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline theatre platform supporting The Space's online theatre offerings and promotional activities.
• SPLASH ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal arts organization partnership for community engagement activities.
• George Green's SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal school partnership for educational and community arts activities.
• Matt Badenoch PhotographyminorOthersPhotographer who created the 360° virtual tour of the Space venue.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Camden People's Theatre: London fringe theatre specifically focused on emerging artists, new work, and underrepresented voices. Direct peer in mission (artist development platform rather than commercial theatre), programming model (scratch nights, festivals, mixed-genre programming), and audience development approach.
• Jacksons Lane: Community arts centre in Highgate, North London, housed in a converted church building. Highly comparable physical asset (former church conversion), community-anchor identity, and mixed-genre programming including theatre, circus, comedy, and participatory workshops.
• Arcola Theatre: East London fringe theatre in Dalston with a focus on new writing, international work, and emerging companies. Geographic and programmatic peer of The Space with comparable artist-support initiatives and scale.
• Battersea Arts Centre: A community-rooted performing arts centre in South London operating from a Grade II* listed former town hall. Closely comparable model to The Space: charity-led, multi-purpose programming including theatre, comedy, music; participatory community programmes; venue hire; in-house bar; emphasis on emerging artists and local engagement.
• The Cockpit: London fringe theatre in Marylebone hosting emerging artists and multi-lingual productions. Direct operational peer, and an actual programming partner of The Space through the Voila! Europe multilingual theatre festival.
• Southwark Playhouse: London fringe theatre producing new work, musicals, and plays with a reputation for launching emerging companies. Comparable in scale, fringe positioning, and mission to develop new theatrical talent in a flexible non-traditional venue setting.
• The Albany Theatre: Community arts centre in Deptford/South-East London with a similar charity-led model, participatory programmes, and focus on local engagement and emerging artists. Comparable in operating philosophy and multi-use community venue economics.
• The Pleasance Theatre London: London/Edinburgh fringe venue with strong emerging-artist programming and pre-Fringe development pipeline. Comparable in supporting new work and touring productions, with similar venue-hire and box-office split economics for small companies.

Broad incumbents

• Young Vic: Larger, established London theatre known for new work and international co-productions. Overlaps with The Space's emerging-artist and new-writing mission but operates at substantially greater scale, capacity, and production budget as a receiving house rather than a fringe venue.
• Roundhouse: Major London performing arts venue in Camden with deep history of emerging-artist programming and creative participation for young people. Direct historical link to The Space (founder Robert Richardson later worked on the Roundhouse project), and shares the heritage-building-plus-young-artist-development positioning, but at significantly greater scale and funding base.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PL9GqtSKzMVJdpo7Xmzt2n289KN25BJaIo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-space-theatre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Space Theatre