Sole Purpose Productions

What Sole Purpose Productions does

Sole Purpose Productions is a not-for-profit charitable theatre company (Registered Charity NIC100618) founded in 1997 in Derry, Northern Ireland by Patricia Byrne and Dave Duggan, and currently led by Byrne as sole Artistic Director. The company produces and tours original professional theatre addressing social and public issues — including domestic violence, elder abuse, mental health, human trafficking, gender politics, climate change, and the legacy of mother-and-baby institutions — to schools, community venues, healthcare trusts, migrant and refugee organisations, and mainstream theatres across Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, the wider UK, and selectively in the USA.

Its product and service portfolio spans live touring productions (e.g. The Marian Hotel, Blinkered, Don't Say A Word, See No Evil, Life and Love: Lesbian Style), community programmes (Common Shores, Songs Without Borders, The Sunflower Project), script development services under the Sole Routes programme (script reports from £70, studio development from £200 half-day to £600 weekend), a published plays catalogue (£6.95–£9.95), and bespoke commission services. Distribution combines in-person touring, an e-commerce storefront, and digital exhibitions such as marianhotel.solepurpose.org.

The business model is grant-led: Arts Council of Northern Ireland has been the principal funder for over 20 years, supplemented by PEACEPLUS, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Ideas Fund / Wellcome, Community Foundation for Northern Ireland, and other charitable trusts. Earned income from ticket sales, publications, script development services, and commissions is a secondary stream, with no disclosed revenue figures. The core "technology" is creative production craft — playwriting, directing, and workshop facilitation — rather than software or data systems.

Name

Sole Purpose Productions

Legal name

Sole Purpose Productions

Website

https://solepurpose.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sole Purpose Productions is a Northern Ireland-based not-for-profit theatre company, founded in 1997, that creates and tours issue-based productions on social justice themes to schools, community groups, healthcare providers, and migrant organisations across the UK and Ireland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Theatre and Performing Arts

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Touring Theatre Productions (MPAGABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater & Drama Education (Acting, Improvisation, Musical Theater) (EDAMAAAG), Fringe & Experimental Performing Arts (MPAGABAI)

Keywords

• Issue-based theatre
• Script development services
• Published plays
• Community arts programmes
• Social justice theatre

Headquarters

HQ city

Londonderry

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Primary funding from Arts Council of Northern Ireland as principal funder for over two decades, supplemented by other grant-giving organisations including PEACEPLUS, Community Foundation for Northern Ireland, and various charitable trusts
2. Sales of Published Plays: Sale of published play books ('Plays for Social Impact') covering topics like domestic violence, elder abuse, underage drinking, and abusive relationships among young people. Price range £4.95-£9.95 depending on format and location.
3. Script Development Services: Script reading/reporting services and studio development workshops offered to writers. Pricing from £70 for short scripts to £600 for weekend development. Rehearsed readings available for selected plays.
4. Performance Tickets and Commissions: Revenue from theatre performances and commissioned works produced for partner organisations

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sole Purpose Productions creates, develops and tours issue-based theatrical productions on social-justice themes for schools, community audiences and mainstream venues. It also delivers a script development programme for writers, and sells published play texts aimed at teachers, community workers and theatre makers.

Product overview

Sole Purpose Productions is a multi-award winning theatre company founded in 1997 that uses theatre as a tool for social change. Their portfolio consists primarily of live theatrical productions addressing social issues including domestic violence, mental health, immigration, LGBTQ+ rights, climate change, and historical trauma. Core productions such as 'The Marian Hotel', 'Blinkered', and 'Don't Say A Word' are performed for schools, community venues, and mainstream theatre audiences. The company also operates community programs through 'Common Shores' (cross-border diversity arts) and 'Songs Without Borders' (singing workshops for migrants and newcomers). They offer the 'Sole Routes' script development programme providing theatre labs, script reports, and studio development for writers. Their 'Plays for Social Impact' publication makes four educational plays on social issues available for purchase by teachers and community workers. Additionally, they provide commission services for organizations seeking custom theatre productions on specific social topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Marian Hotel A touring issue-based theatre production created by Sole Purpose Productions addressing social-justice themes.
• The Sunflower Project A community programme run by Sole Purpose Productions engaging with social issues through participatory arts.
• Songs Without Borders A community programme engaging migrant communities through participatory music and theatre activity.
• Common Shores A community programme of the company working with communities around shared cross-border themes.
• Blinkered A touring issue-based theatre production by Sole Purpose Productions.
• Don't Say A Word A touring issue-based theatre production by Sole Purpose Productions.
• See No Evil A touring issue-based theatre production by Sole Purpose Productions.
• Pits and Perverts A touring issue-based theatre production by Sole Purpose Productions with LGBTQ+ themes.
• Life and Love: Lesbian Style A touring issue-based theatre production by Sole Purpose Productions with LGBTQ+ themes.
• Mothers Out Front A touring issue-based theatre production by Sole Purpose Productions.
• She Wants to be a What? A touring issue-based theatre production by Sole Purpose Productions.
• Plays for Social Impact A catalogue of published play texts from Sole Purpose Productions aimed at teachers, community workers and theatre makers for educational and amateur use.
• Sole Routes Script Development Programme A structured script development service for individual writers and playwrights, offering studio and one-to-one development pathways to ready plays for production or publication.
• Commission Services A bespoke commission service through which the company creates tailored theatrical productions for schools, healthcare trusts, community groups and other organisations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Productions have toured for extended periods (Don't Say A Word toured for 10 years)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• The Exchange InishowencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Community and cultural organisation based in Buncrana, supporting creativity, inclusion, and community engagement across Inishowen. Partner in the Common Shores cross-border diversity arts project.
• North West Migrants ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Supporting migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and ethnic minority communities throughout the North West. Key partner in Common Shores project supporting diversity and inclusion.
• Donegal Intercultural ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Working to promote inclusion, diversity, and intercultural understanding across County Donegal. Partner in Common Shores cross-border arts initiative.
• In Your Space CircussupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Company led by Cath McBride (Board Treasurer of Sole Purpose). Provides circus workshops for children as part of Common Shores project, promoting creativity and participation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Prime Cut Productions: Belfast-based producing theatre company staging contemporary socially engaged new work, sharing the model of producing original scripts on social issues for touring and community engagement.
• Cardboard Citizens: UK theatre company working with homeless and marginalised people using Theatre of the Oppressed methods, directly comparable as a participatory issue-based touring theatre company serving excluded communities.
• Bruiser Theatre Company: Belfast-based touring theatre company producing accessible, socially relevant productions for community and education audiences, highly comparable in mission and target audience.
• Fishamble: The New Play Company: Dublin-based touring theatre company focused on developing and producing new Irish plays, closely comparable in new-play development and touring production model.
• Anu Productions: Multi-award-winning theatre company based in Belfast and Derry producing socially engaged work on contemporary issues, a near-direct peer operating in the same region and same commissioning space.
• Tinderbox Theatre Company: Belfast-based producing theatre company commissioning and staging new Irish plays, comparable as a peer producing organisation developing new theatrical work in Northern Ireland.
• Clean Break Theatre Company: UK-wide theatre company producing work with and about women affected by the criminal justice system, a strong analogue as a specialist issue-based theatre company using theatre for social impact with marginalised audiences.
• Kabosh Theatre Company: Belfast-based professional theatre company producing issue-driven touring work on social and political themes for community and mainstream audiences, directly comparable as a small NI touring theatre company with a similar funding model.
• Pan Pan Theatre: Award-winning Dublin-based experimental theatre company producing new and devised work for touring audiences, comparable in producing original experimental socially engaged theatre.

Regional players

• Barnstorm Theatre Company: Galway-based touring theatre company producing new work for young and family audiences across the west of Ireland, comparable as an Irish regional touring theatre company though more family-focused than Sole Purpose's issue-based remit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCB0tmWTSVUYUwT6hxCPRV5w/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/Sole-Purpose-Productions-118776918143791
• Instagraminstagram.com/solepurposeproductions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sole-purpose-productions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Sole Purpose Productions