Actors Touring Company
Actors Touring Company is a UK-registered charity founded in 1978 that produces and tours international contemporary theatre throughout the United Kingdom. The company partners with regional theatres on co-productions, reaching over 110,000 audience members since 2023, and serves UK audiences and under-served communities seeking global artistic perspectives.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1978
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Actors Touring Company does
Actors Touring Company (ATC) is a UK-registered charity (No. 279458) founded in 1978 that produces and tours international contemporary theatre throughout the United Kingdom. The company sources, commissions, and stages plays from around the world and from global cultures within the UK, with an explicit focus on amplifying voices often overlooked in British theatre. ATC operates through a co-production model, partnering with established regional theatres including Leeds Playhouse, Birmingham Rep, Nottingham Playhouse, Bush Theatre, and Young Vic, which premiere and host touring productions and sell tickets through their own box offices. The company does not sell tickets directly; pricing is determined by individual venue box offices.
ATC is led by Artistic Director Matthew Xia (appointed November 2018, Olivier Award winner) and Interim Executive Director Helen Jeffreys, supported by a small core team that includes a General Manager & Producer, an Associate Director, a Finance Director, and a Marketing & Administration Coordinator. The company is financed as an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, receiving recurring multi-year baseline funding, and is supplemented by grant income from at least eleven charitable foundations (Cockayne Grants for the Arts, Royal Victoria Hall Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, John Ellerman Foundation, Wates Foundation, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Garrick Trust, D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, Stanley Thomas Johnson Foundation, and The 29th May 1961 Charitable Trust). Additional revenue comes from box office receipts shared with co-production partners and individual donations through a Friends programme.
The company's recent and upcoming productions include Family Tree (winner of the 2021 Alfred Fagon Award for Best New Play), Tambo & Bones (LA Drama Critics Award winner, 2025 national tour), Rice, The Architect, Amsterdam, and Bodies of Water, with Darkling (Bush Theatre co-production) and Small Island (Leeds Playhouse, Birmingham Rep, and Nottingham Playhouse co-production) scheduled for 2026. The company also runs an Associate Director programme for emerging diverse directors, presents work at festivals including Greenwich & Docklands International Festival, and maintains participatory community programming. ATC holds PIPA Campaign Charter Partner status, has adopted the AR-rider (Anti-Racism Touring Rider), and is registered with the Fundraising Regulator. According to company-reported figures, over 110,000 people have attended ATC productions since 2023.
Actors Touring Company firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Actors Touring Company
- Legal name
- Actors Touring Company (London) Limited
- Website
- https://atctheatre.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1978
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Actors Touring Company is a UK-registered charity founded in 1978 that produces and tours international contemporary theatre throughout the United Kingdom. The company partners with regional theatres on co-productions, reaching over 110,000 audience members since 2023, and serves UK audiences and under-served communities seeking global artistic perspectives.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Actors Touring Company industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Theatre Production Services
- NAICS
- Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Performing Arts Companies (7111)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Touring Theatre Productions (MPAGABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB), Touring & Production Services (Staging, Lighting, Sound, Video) (MPAIAFAF), Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)
Keywords
Where Actors Touring Company is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Actors Touring Company business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Arts Council England Funding: ATC receives regular funding as a National Portfolio Organisation, providing foundational support for operations and programming.
- Foundation and Trust Grants: Support from trusts and foundations including Cockayne Grants for the Arts, Royal Victoria Hall Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, John Ellerman Foundation, and Wates Foundation.
- Individual Donations: Donations from individual supporters including board members and the ATC 'Friend' programme.
- Box Office Revenue: Revenue from co-produced touring productions shared with partner venues such as Leeds Playhouse, Birmingham Rep, and Nottingham Playhouse.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Actors Touring Company product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Actors Touring Company is a UK theatre production company that sources, commissions, and produces international plays for UK audiences, touring productions nationally through co-productions with established regional theatres. The company produces an annual season of international contemporary theatre that tours across the UK, connecting global artistic voices to local communities.
Product overview
Actors Touring Company (ATC) is the UK's leading theatre producer of international plays, operating as a portable portal to the world. The company sources, commissions and produces work from around the world and from the global cultures within the UK, connecting global artistic voices to local communities. The core offerings are theatrical productions that tour nationally and internationally, including Darkling (a 2026 co-production with Bush Theatre), Small Island (a 2026 co-production with Leeds Playhouse, Birmingham Rep, and Nottingham Playhouse), and Tambo & Bones (a 2025 national tour). Past productions include Family Tree (Alfred Fagon Award winner), Rice, Amsterdam, The Architect, and Bodies of Water. The company also runs an Associate Director programme and creates participatory community programmes. ATC is supported by Arts Council England as a National Portfolio Organisation and registered as Charity No. 279458.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Darkling A co-production by ATC and Bush Theatre featuring the world premiere of Titas Halder's play set in Bhopal, India 1984, following a girl whose life is ravaged by ecological disaster. Directed by Matthew Xia with Simon Kenny as Designer and Sara Aniqah Malik as Associate Director.
- Small Island An adaptation of Andrea Levy's multi-award-winning novel about migration, memory, empire and entitlement, following characters from Jamaica to 1940s London. Co-production with Leeds Playhouse, Birmingham Rep, and Nottingham Playhouse.
- Tambo & Bones A satirical play by Dave Harris examining capitalism and Black performance, spanning 500 years from minstrel show origins to hip-hop superstars to future America. Directed by Matthew Xia. Named one of TimeOut London's best plays of 2023 and winner of the LA Drama Critics Award for Best New Play.
- Family Tree An exploration around ethics in healthcare, racism, environment and a woman's right to autonomy, inspired by the story of Henrietta Lacks. Winner of the 25th Alfred Fagon Award for Best New Play of the Year 2021. Joint commission by ATC and Young Vic.
- Rice A play by Michele Lee exploring themes of human connection and desperation, performed by Zainab Hassan and Sarah Lam.
- Amsterdam UK premiere of Maya Arad Yasur's thriller about an Israeli violinist in Amsterdam who receives an unpaid gas bill from 1944, exploring collective identity, foreignness and alienation. Matthew Xia's debut as ATC Artistic Director.
- The Architect An immersive theatrical experience on a moving Routemaster bus exploring lives of Black Londoners, part of ATC's 2023 Transformation Season.
- Bodies of Water A production presented at Greenwich & Docklands International Festival (GDIF) 2024.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 110,000 people have seen ATC productions since 2023
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Actors Touring Company
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Actors Touring Company technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Actors Touring Company partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and supporting.
- Bush TheatreflagshipBush Theatre is co-producing Darkling with ATC in 2026, a world premiere at the Bush Theatre before national tour.
- Leeds PlayhouseflagshipLeeds Playhouse is lead co-producer with ATC on Small Island national tour 2026, hosting the premiere in the Quarry Theatre.
- Birmingham RepflagshipBirmingham Rep co-produces Small Island with ATC, hosting the production as part of the national tour.
- Nottingham PlayhouseflagshipNottingham Playhouse co-produces Small Island with ATC, hosting the final leg of the national tour.
- Young ViccoreYoung Vic co-commissioned Family Tree with ATC and previously collaborated on other productions.
- Greenwich & Docklands International Festival (GDIF)supportingGDIF partnered with ATC to present Family Tree as a work-in-development showing.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Actors Touring Company competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bush Theatre: London's flagship new-writing theatre and current co-production partner with ATC (Darkling 2026). Produces new plays including international voices; comparable producing model, scale, and overlapping writer/audience base.
- Yellow Earth Theatre: UK's leading East Asian touring theatre company producing new writing. Comparable niche focus on international (specifically East Asian) stories for UK audiences and similar touring/co-production distribution.
- Kali Theatre: UK touring company producing new South Asian plays. Comparable niche, scale, and touring model — another small international-plays specialist producing for UK audiences.
- Tara Theatre: London-based theatre company producing South Asian and international work for UK audiences. Closely comparable niche focus (international/diaspora stories), touring model, and small-team nonprofit structure; Helen Jeffreys (ATC Interim ED) was previously Tara's CEO.
- Out of Joint: UK touring theatre company that produces new plays and international work for UK audiences — historically the closest analogue to ATC's touring international-plays model. Directly comparable niche, touring distribution approach, and nonprofit-producing structure.
- New Perspectives Theatre Company: Mid-scale UK touring theatre producing new writing including international work for regional audiences. Comparable touring model, regional-reach focus, and small-team nonprofit structure.
- Tiata Fahodzi: UK touring company producing African and international diaspora stories. Closely aligned niche focus on overlooked international voices and touring distribution to regional venues.
Broad incumbents
- Royal Court Theatre: The UK's leading new-writing theatre, producing and commissioning international and UK playwrights. Overlaps with ATC on international play commissioning and touring distribution, but at much larger scale and with own venue.
- Headlong: Major UK touring theatre company producing new plays and adaptations including international work. Overlaps with ATC on touring new international writing but at substantially larger scale and with broader programming remit.
- Young Vic: London theatre producing international and diverse new work; co-commissioning partner with ATC (Family Tree). Comparable mission-driven focus on diverse voices and international storytelling, with broader programming and own venue.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Actors Touring Company social profiles
Digital presenceActors Touring Company compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Actors Touring Company financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Actors Touring Company leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Actors Touring Company funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Actors Touring Company 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 Actors Touring Company
What does Actors Touring Company do?
Actors Touring Company is a UK theatre production company that sources, commissions, and produces international plays for UK audiences, touring productions nationally through co-productions with established regional theatres. The company produces an annual season of international contemporary theatre that tours across the UK, connecting global artistic voices to local communities.
Is Actors Touring Company a public or private company?
Actors Touring Company is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Actors Touring Company founded?
Actors Touring Company was founded in 1978. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Actors Touring Company based?
Actors Touring Company is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Actors Touring Company make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Arts Council England Funding is the primary driver. The others are foundation and Trust Grants, individual Donations and box Office Revenue.
Who are Actors Touring Company's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bush Theatre, Yellow Earth Theatre, Kali Theatre, Tara Theatre, Out of Joint, New Perspectives Theatre Company and Tiata Fahodzi. Broad incumbents are Royal Court Theatre, Headlong and Young Vic.
Does Actors Touring Company have an API?
No public API is recorded for Actors Touring Company.
What industry is Actors Touring Company in?
Actors Touring Company's product category is Theatre Production Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGABAC, Touring Theatre Productions, with a secondary code of THAJAFAB, Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts. Its NAICS code is 71111 and its SIC code is 7900.