Leith Theatre Trust
Leith Theatre Trust is a Scottish registered charity operating a 1932 Grade B-listed Art Deco theatre in Edinburgh as a pop-up venue for live music, theatre, comedy, film/TV location hire and heritage tours, while restoring the building to permanent year-round operation with backing from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and City of Edinburgh Council.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersEdinburgh, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Leith Theatre Trust does
Leith Theatre Trust is a Scottish registered charity (SC042359) operating a Grade B-listed 1932 Art Deco civic theatre at 28-30 Ferry Road, Edinburgh, as a pop-up cultural venue while undertaking a major capital restoration. The Trust was formalised in 2013 from a community action group formed in 2004 to protect the building from redevelopment, and secured a 50-year lease from the City of Edinburgh Council in September 2023. Core products include the Main Auditorium (1,500 capacity, barrel-vaulted ceiling, proscenium stage, U-shaped balcony), Thomas Morton Hall, Crush Foyer, Mezzanine, Backstage facilities and Exterior Grounds, offered for hire, performance, film/TV location work and heritage tours.
The Trust generates operating revenue through five streams: venue hire (notably to BBC One's The Bidding Room and Netflix's Department Q), ticketed live events sold via Skiddle, Eventbrite and direct website booking, heritage tours priced at £5 per person, charitable donations, and the in-house LIVE IN LEITH production line launched in April 2021 featuring emerging Scottish talent. Film and TV location hire, formally initiated in May 2022, has emerged as a distinct commercial vertical. The organisation is governed by a board of trustees, supported by a wholly-owned trading subsidiary (Leith Theatre Trading Ltd), and employs a small core team that grew to four in 2024.
The Trust is currently executing the "Back to Life" restoration project, backed by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Creative Scotland, the Architecture Heritage Fund and Foundation Scotland, with a £5 million Visitor Levy award secured from the City of Edinburgh Council in February 2026. Once complete, the venue is projected to operate year-round seven days a week with 200,000 annual visits, transforming the Trust from a pop-up operator into a permanent mid-size performance, community and cultural destination serving Leith and the wider Edinburgh market.
Leith Theatre Trust firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Leith Theatre Trust
- Legal name
- Leith Theatre Trust
- Website
- https://leiththeatre.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Leith Theatre Trust is a Scottish registered charity operating a 1932 Grade B-listed Art Deco theatre in Edinburgh as a pop-up venue for live music, theatre, comedy, film/TV location hire and heritage tours, while restoring the building to permanent year-round operation with backing from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and City of Edinburgh Council.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Leith Theatre Trust industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Performing Arts Venue
- NAICS
- Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Other Performing Arts Companies (71119)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG), Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB)
Keywords
Where Leith Theatre Trust is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Edinburgh
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Leith Theatre Trust business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Venue Hire (Film & TV Location): Leith Theatre generates income through renting its spaces to film and TV production companies. The Main Auditorium has become a highly sought-after filming location. Productions have included BBC's The Bidding Room, Netflix's Department Q, and various music video shoots.
- Event Ticketing: Revenue from ticket sales for performances, concerts, theatre productions, comedy shows, and other live events held at the venue.
- Heritage Tours: Guided heritage tours of the 1930s Art Deco building offering visitors the opportunity to experience the venue in its current atmospheric form.
- Donations and Fundraising: Charitable donations from supporters to fund the restoration project. The trust relies on donations to support ongoing work.
- LIVE IN LEITH Production: In-house production line featuring live music broadcasts with emerging Scottish talent, first launched in April 2021.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Heritage Tour |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Leith Theatre Trust product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Leith Theatre Trust operates a 1932 Grade B-listed Art Deco theatre complex in Leith, Edinburgh as a pop-up cultural venue. It earns revenue by hiring its multiple indoor and outdoor spaces to film and TV producers, staging live music, theatre and comedy events, running paid heritage tours of the historic building, and producing in-house broadcasts under the LIVE IN LEITH banner while undertaking a multi-year capital restoration.
Product overview
Leith Theatre Trust operates as a venue management organization offering multiple hireable spaces within a historic Art Deco theatre complex. The core offering includes: the Main Auditorium (1,500-capacity performance space), Thomas Morton Hall (smaller hall with kitchen), Crush Foyer, Backstage facilities, Mezzanine, and Exterior Grounds. The Trust provides Film & TV Location Hire services and Heritage Tours alongside a regular events programme of live music, theatre, comedy, and community activities. The organization is currently undertaking the 'Back to Life' restoration project, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, to establish the venue as a permanent year-round cultural destination.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Leith Theatre Trust
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Leith Theatre Trust technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Leith Theatre Trust partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.
- Holmes MillercoreAppointed as Architect Design Team in November 2025 for the Back to Life heritage restoration project. Leading the design for capital project refurbishment.
- MacFadyen's PreservationminorBuilding preservation specialists working on vital building repairs, familiar with the heritage structure.
- James Breck (Roofing)minorRoofing company engaged in building repairs, known the building well.
- Hidden Door FestivalmajorArts organization that helped reopen the Main Auditorium to the public for the first time in decades in 2017.
- Leith Comedy FestivalminorPartnership with Leith Comedy Festival for mini-festival of Work-in-Progress comedy shows in 2025.
- BFI Film AcademyminorHosted BFI Film Academy activities at the venue in 2025.
- Independent Spirits FestivalminorHosted Independent Spirits Festival at the venue in 2025.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Leith Theatre Trust competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Summerhall: Edinburgh arts venue hosting theatre, music, film, and visual arts across multiple spaces. Comparable as a multi-space Edinburgh venue with a similar hybrid model combining ticketed events, venue hire, and community/artist development.
- Festival Theatre Edinburgh: Edinburgh's principal large-scale performing arts venue operated by Edinburgh Theatres. Comparable as a year-round performing arts venue serving the same Edinburgh catchment with overlapping genres (music, theatre, dance, opera).
- King's Theatre Edinburgh: Major historic Edinburgh theatre presenting touring musicals, drama, comedy, and music. Comparable as a heritage performance venue in Edinburgh competing for the same touring artists, audiences, and cultural-tourism spend.
- Battersea Arts Centre: Grade II-listed former town hall in London repurposed as a community arts venue. Comparable as a heritage building restoration project operating a year-round programme of theatre, comedy, music, and community events from a trust structure.
- Citizens Theatre Glasgow: Historic Glasgow theatre that has undergone major capital restoration in recent years. Comparable as a Scottish heritage theatre trust in active capital-renewal mode, balancing restoration with live performance and community programming.
- Traverse Theatre: Edinburgh's flagship new-writing theatre operating a year-round programme of theatre, music, and events. Directly comparable as another Edinburgh-based venue offering live performance, community engagement, and year-round cultural programming to overlapping audiences.
- Assembly Rooms: Historic Edinburgh venue hosting live music, theatre, comedy, and events, particularly during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Comparable as a multi-space heritage venue monetized through ticket sales, venue hire, and event programming in the same city.
- Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh: Edinburgh's producing theatre presenting a season of drama, musicals, and community-focused programming. Directly comparable as a Scottish theatrical institution with similar community engagement, education, and ticketed-performance model.
Regional players
- Dundee Rep Theatre: Major producing theatre in Dundee serving as a regional Scottish cultural anchor. Comparable as a Scottish theatre institution delivering year-round performance and community engagement, though it operates from a different city.
Broad incumbents
- EIF (Edinburgh International Festival): Edinburgh's flagship international arts festival that has historically used Leith Theatre and other city venues. Comparable as the dominant cultural programming body in Edinburgh whose venue choices and partnerships materially shape demand for Leith Theatre.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Leith Theatre Trust social profiles
Digital presenceLeith Theatre Trust financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Leith Theatre Trust leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Leith Theatre Trust subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Leith Theatre Trust funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Leith Theatre Trust M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Leith Theatre Trust
What does Leith Theatre Trust do?
Leith Theatre Trust operates a 1932 Grade B-listed Art Deco theatre complex in Leith, Edinburgh as a pop-up cultural venue. It earns revenue by hiring its multiple indoor and outdoor spaces to film and TV producers, staging live music, theatre and comedy events, running paid heritage tours of the historic building, and producing in-house broadcasts under the LIVE IN LEITH banner while undertaking a multi-year capital restoration.
Is Leith Theatre Trust a public or private company?
Leith Theatre Trust is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Leith Theatre Trust founded?
Leith Theatre Trust was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Leith Theatre Trust based?
Leith Theatre Trust is headquartered in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Leith Theatre Trust make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Venue Hire (Film & TV Location) is the primary driver. The others are event Ticketing, heritage Tours, donations and Fundraising and LIVE IN LEITH Production.
Who are Leith Theatre Trust's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Summerhall, Festival Theatre Edinburgh, King's Theatre Edinburgh, Battersea Arts Centre, Citizens Theatre Glasgow, Traverse Theatre, Assembly Rooms and Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh. Dundee Rep Theatre is listed as a regional player. EIF (Edinburgh International Festival) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Leith Theatre Trust have an API?
No public API is recorded for Leith Theatre Trust.
What industry is Leith Theatre Trust in?
Leith Theatre Trust's product category is Performing Arts Venue. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGABAM, Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking), with a secondary code of THAHAAAG, Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums). Its NAICS code is 711110 and its SIC code is 7900.