Box of Tricks Theatre

Name

Box of Tricks Theatre

Legal name

Box of Tricks Theatre Company

Website

https://boxoftrickstheatre.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Theatre Production & Playwright Development

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (7115)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Playwriting & Scriptwriting Workshops (Stage) (EDAMAMAD), Dance Festivals & Dance Series (MPAGADAJ)

Keywords

• Theatre production
• Playwright development
• Community theatre
• New playwriting
• Arts education

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Box of Tricks generates revenue through ticket sales for theatre productions that tour to venues across the North of England and nationally.
2. Donations and Fundraising: The company operates a PlayMakers Fund for regular supporters, accepting donations from as little as £3 per month. As a registered charity (No. 1146483), donations can be Gift Aided, adding 25p per £1 donated.
3. Crowdfunding: The company has run crowdfunding campaigns including an 18th Birthday Appeal that raised over £10,000 to support the PlayMakers programme.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Box of Tricks Theatre develops and produces new plays, operating a PlayMakers Network that provides creative development programmes for Northern playwrights including year-long attachments (PlayBox), 9-month Accelerate cohorts, exchange programmes (Pen Pals, Pen Pals International), free Script Surgeries, Masterclasses, an LGBTQ+ writing group (Blood Beats), and the PlayMakers Podcast. The company also stages touring productions at regional theatres and in community spaces across the UK.

Product overview

Box of Tricks Theatre is an award-winning theatre company based in Manchester that makes plays and champions playwrights. The company operates as a unified theatre production company with multiple interconnected development programmes. Core offerings include theatrical productions (such as Danesha and How Soon is Now?), supported by the PlayMakers Network – a creative community for Northern playwrights. The PlayMakers Network encompasses sub-programmes including Accelerate (for writers 35+), PlayBox (year-long attachments), Blood Beats (LGBTQ+ writers group), Pen Pals/Pen Pals International (UK-Singapore exchange), Masterclasses, Script Surgeries, Workshops, and the PlayMakers Podcast. The company also runs an Engagement Programme targeting emerging professionals, communities, and young people, and accepts donations via the PlayMakers Fund. All activities centre on fighting for new writing and empowering playwrights to tell their stories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PlayMakers Network: A creative community for Northern playwrights to connect, collaborate and create. Includes programmes such as Pen Pals, PlayBox, Accelerate, Masterclasses, and Script Surgeries.
• Blood Beats
• Accelerate
• Pen Pals

Quantifiable outcome

• 72 writers matched through Pen Pals programme across six cohorts
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Centre 42coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Centre 42 is a Singaporean theatre development space committed to the creation, documentation and promotion of Singapore theatre. The partnership launched Pen Pals International in January 2025, matching 6 UK playwrights with 6 Singaporean writers for an international playwriting exchange, culminating in live showcases in Manchester and Singapore.
• Hear the PicturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAudio description partnership providing creative audio description for all performances. Hear the Picture is an actor-led creative audio description company that creates character-led, imaginative audio descriptions. The partnership enabled every Danesha performance to have audio description available, a first for both companies.
• HOME McrcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHOME Manchester is a key venue partner for PlayMakers Takeover events and Accelerate Showcase, hosting the annual new play extravaganza.
• The Yard McrcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Yard Mcr is Box of Tricks' headquarters location and hosts many PlayMakers activities, workshops, and events including the Christmas Coffee Morning.
• Live Theatre NewcastlecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional theatre partner that hosts Masterclasses and has been involved in the Masterclass Season Six programme.
• Royal Exchange ManchestersupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorManchester theatre venue that hosted Masterclass Season Five session 'Building Worlds: People, Places and Things' with Lauren-Nicole Mayes.
• Liverpool EverymansupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLiverpool theatre venue that hosted Masterclass Season Five session 'Small/Scale: Ambitious writing for small casts' with Tommo Fowler.
• Leeds PlayhousesupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLeeds theatre venue that hosted Masterclass Season Five and Season Six sessions, and is a touring venue for productions.
• Rose Bruford CollegesupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEducation partner for the Remix project, reimagining Box of Tricks' short plays with third-year acting students at Rose Bruford College in Wigan.
• Unity Theatre LiverpoolcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLiverpool venue partner hosting workshops and productions including Danesha tour and Making Connections workshop.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Royal Court Theatre: London's flagship new-writing venue with a much larger scale and global reputation. Comparable mission (championing new playwrights) but materially larger resources, permanent venue, and broader commissioning programme.
• Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester: Manchester's flagship producing theatre with in-the-round programming. Already a Box of Tricks venue partner; comparable geography but materially larger scale, permanent venue, and broader programming slate.
• Bush Theatre: London-based new-writing theatre with a strong emerging-writer focus. Shares the new-writing mission and playwright-development orientation but operates at a larger scale with a permanent West London venue.

Direct peers

• Graeae Theatre Company: Disability-led touring theatre producing new work with a strong access-and-equity lens. Comparable as a small charity championing underrepresented voices through new writing and access-led programming.
• Live Theatre: Newcastle-based new-writing theatre with a longstanding playwright development programme (including writers' groups). Directly comparable as a Northern England theatre championing new writing and emerging playwrights; already listed as a Box of Tricks programming partner.
• Tamasha Theatre Company: Touring new-writing company focused on stories from culturally diverse backgrounds. Comparable as a small-to-mid charity producing new plays with an underrepresented-voices lens, although London-based.
• Out of Joint: Touring new-play company producing premieres by living playwrights for regional and London audiences. Comparable in size and new-writing focus, with a similar artist-development orientation.
• Paines Plough: UK touring new-writing theatre company that produces and tours short-run new plays to regional venues. Closest comparable in scale, mission (championing new playwrights), and touring model, though London-headquartered rather than Northern.

Others

• The Lowry: Salford-based arts venue that has hosted multiple Box of Tricks productions including the Danesha tour and the 2026 How Soon is Now? premiere. Functions as a venue partner rather than a competitor, but its broader programming context shapes Box of Tricks' touring market.
• New Writing North: Development agency supporting writers across the North of England. Complementary rather than competing — both serve Northern playwrights, but New Writing North operates as a talent-development agency rather than a producing theatre.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@boxoftrickstheatre
• Facebookfacebook.com/boxoftrickstheatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/boxoftrickstheatre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/box-of-tricks-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 Box of Tricks Theatre