The Y Theatre

What The Y Theatre does

The Y Theatre is Leicester's oldest surviving live performance venue, opened on December 5, 1900, as The Association Hall and now operated by YMCA Leicestershire, a registered charity (Charity No: 213513). Located at 7 East Street, Leicester city centre, the venue runs an eclectic programme of comedy, music, theatre, dance, and family shows, plus artist-development initiatives such as the 14/48 Theatre Festival (174 plays and 332 artists to date), Rough Draft scratch nights, and Creative Café workspace sessions. It is the only venue that has participated every year since the inception of the Leicester Comedy Festival and has won the festival's Best Large Venue award for four consecutive years (2022–2025).

The venue's core offering consists of a multi-purpose auditorium (up to ~350 standing, with Victorian features and a modern lighting/sound rig) paired with two ancillary hireable spaces — the Percy Barrett Room (meetings/workshops from £35/hour) and a city-centre Sports Hall (16m x 13m) — sold through direct box-office sales on the Ticketsolve platform and packaged venue hire (show packages from £1,100). Supporting programmes include Events Lab (theatre training for vulnerable young people), free rehearsal space for community performers, and a new weekly dance-class partnership with 118 Dance Studio from January 2025. A 2024–2025 Historic England-funded Hidden Gems heritage project and the 2025 125th anniversary programme extend the venue's role beyond performance into heritage and community development.

Commercially, The Y Theatre is a small non-profit operating on a diversified revenue mix: ticketed box-office sales, venue hire, donations and tiered community sponsorships (£25 thank-you wall, £200+ seat dedication, £500+ brochure recognition), with step sponsorship reaching 12,000+ visitors annually. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. Operations are run by a core team of approximately 12 staff (including a Theatre & Arts Manager, Deputy Theatre & Arts Manager, Theatre & Events Coordinator, Technical Coordinator and Senior Technician), with the venue functioning as a key programming and revenue arm of YMCA Leicestershire's broader youth and community mission rather than as a standalone profit-seeking enterprise.

Name

The Y Theatre

Legal name

YMCA Leicestershire

Website

https://ytheatre.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Y Theatre is Leicester's oldest surviving live performance venue (est. 1900), operated by YMCA Leicestershire charity. It runs a diverse comedy, music, theatre, dance and family programme, supports emerging artists through the 14/48 Theatre Festival and Rough Draft, and hires its auditorium and ancillary spaces.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Performance Venue

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB), Live Music Clubs & Venues (MPAGAIAB), Dance Performances (THAJAFAD)

Keywords

• Live performance venue
• Venue hire services
• Community arts programming
• Comedy theatre programming
• Performing arts events

Headquarters

HQ city

Leicester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream through box office ticket sales via Ticketsolve platform
2. Venue Hire: Rental of theatre spaces (auditorium, Percy Barrett Room, Sports Hall) for performances, conferences, meetings, and rehearsals. Show package from £1,100.
3. Donations and Sponsorships: Community donations, seat sponsorship (£25+ for thank you wall, £200+ for seat dedication, £500+ for brochure recognition), and step sponsorship reaching 12,000+ annual visitors

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Y Theatre operates Leicester's oldest live performance venue (founded 1900), delivering a year-round ticketed programme of comedy, music, theatre, dance, and family shows alongside venue hire of its 280-seat auditorium, the Percy Barrett Room, and Sports Hall. It also runs community arts programmes including the 14/48 Theatre Festival, Rough Draft scratch nights, Creative Café, and the Events Lab youth training programme.

Product overview

The Y Theatre operates as a multi-award-winning live performance venue offering a unified experience combining ticketed performance programming with venue hire services. The core offering consists of the main auditorium (theatre venue hire) paired with diverse performance programming spanning comedy, music, theatre, dance, and family shows. Supporting offerings include the Percy Barrett Room and Sports Hall for hire, community programmes such as the 14/48 Theatre Festival, Rough Draft scratch nights, Creative Café, and free rehearsal space, alongside youth development programmes like Events Lab and emerging artist support. Since 2025, the venue also hosts 118 Dance Studio as a weekly partner programme for dance classes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Auditorium Venue Hire Hire of the 280-seat auditorium including venue hire, box office, in-house technical coordination, and marketing support for conferences, shows, and events.
• Percy Barrett Room Hire Hire of the upstairs meeting room suitable for meetings, workshops, and small group activities, equipped with smart TV.
• Sports Hall Hire Hire of the Sports Hall for sports, rehearsals, and large-group activities.
• Performance Programming Curated year-round ticketed programme of professional touring and local comedy, music, theatre, dance, and family shows held in the Y Theatre auditorium.
• 14/48 Theatre Festival Community theatre festival showcasing short new-play work developed and performed at the Y Theatre.
• Rough Draft Scratch nights providing emerging artists with a low-friction platform to test and develop new performance work in front of a live audience.
• Events Lab Youth training programme supporting under-25s in event production, theatre arts, and creative skills development.

Named customers7 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

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• YMCA LeicestershirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Y Theatre is owned and operated by YMCA Leicestershire, a charity supporting young people experiencing homelessness. This parent organization relationship is fundamental to the theatre's mission and community focus.
• Historic EnglandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeritage funding for Hidden Gems project (2024-2025) that worked with YMCA Leicestershire residents to uncover stories from the theatre's 123-year history.
• In Good CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMidlands network of venues championing new work. The Y Theatre participates as part of this network supporting emerging artists.
• Leicester Comedy FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEurope's largest comedy festival (30+ years running). The Y Theatre is the only venue that has participated every year since the festival began. Hosts the prestigious Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year Competition.
• 118 Dance StudiominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNew home for 118 Dance Studio starting January 2025, offering dance classes for children and adults including Ballroom, Latin American and Street dance styles.
• 14/48 Theatre FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld's quickest theatre festival - creates 14 plays in 48 hours. Hosted three times yearly across the Midlands, bringing together 70 artists each time. 174 plays written and 332 artists have taken part.
• Leicester Jazz HouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresents jazz performances at The Y Theatre, including shows like Hejira celebrating Joni Mitchell.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tobacco Factory Theatre: Tobacco Factory Theatres is an independent mid-scale venue in Bristol producing and hosting drama, comedy, music and family shows. Comparable as a charity-run, eclectic mid-scale venue with a strong community and emerging-artist focus.
• mac Birmingham: mac Birmingham is a Midlands arts centre hosting theatre, comedy, music and family work with a strong community and emerging-talent remit. Closely comparable to The Y Theatre on programme mix and community-mission positioning.
• Curve Theatre Leicester: Curve is Leicester's flagship producing theatre offering drama, musical theatre, dance, and family shows in a single city-centre venue. It is the most directly comparable performing-arts venue in the same primary market as The Y Theatre.
• The Old Rep: The Old Rep is a Midlands heritage theatre venue in Birmingham offering drama, comedy and community programming. Comparable to The Y Theatre on heritage-building profile and mixed community/touring programme.
• Belgrade Theatre: Belgrade is a mid-scale regional producing theatre in Coventry with a mixed programme of drama, comedy, music, and community work. Comparable to The Y Theatre in scale, regional-midlands positioning, and mixed touring/community programme.
• Soho Theatre: Soho Theatre is a London venue renowned for new writing, comedy, and emerging artist development. Comparable to The Y Theatre on its eclectic comedy/theatre/music mix and its role as an emerging-talent platform.
• The Glee Club: The Glee Club is a UK comedy-venue chain hosting touring stand-up acts. Directly comparable to The Y Theatre's comedy programming and awards positioning at Leicester Comedy Festival.
• Birmingham Repertory Theatre: Birmingham Rep is a major producing and presenting theatre in the West Midlands offering drama, comedy, musicals and family productions. Overlaps with The Y Theatre on touring productions and a Midlands regional audience.
• Royal & Derngate: Royal & Derngate is a large two-venue theatre complex in Northampton producing and presenting drama, musicals, comedy and dance. Comparable as a regional touring destination within easy reach of Leicester.
• Warwick Arts Centre: Warwick Arts Centre is a large multi-venue Midlands arts centre hosting theatre, music, comedy, dance and family shows. Comparable as a Midlands touring venue competing for the same acts and audiences.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheYTheatre
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheYTheatre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/theytheatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/theytheatre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Y Theatre