Shaper/Caper

What Shaper/Caper does

Shaper/Caper is a registered Scottish charity (SC047014) and diversity-led dance company founded in 2015 and headquartered in Dundee, operating with 1–10 employees. Its core activity is the creation and delivery of live dance-theatre productions and participatory community dance programmes, anchored by the multi-award-winning production Small Town Boys (The List Festival Awards 2025, OffFEST at the Offies 2026, Proud Scotland Creative Arts Award 2024), which explores queer nightlife during the 1980s–early '90s AIDS crisis through dance and spoken word. The company's product portfolio spans professional touring theatre (Small Town Boys, Paper Moon), therapeutic and inclusive community classes (Dance for Parkinson's, Community Company for LGBTQ+ adults, OUTLOUD for LGBTQIA+ young people, Dance Capers for children aged 5–12, Gilbert's Adventures Through Books for under-5s), school-delivered health education (the Well Good programme in partnership with NHS Tayside, reaching 116 primary schools and 70,000+ children annually across Dundee, Angus, and Perth & Kinross), and ancillary programming such as the National Lottery Heritage Fund-supported Queer & Now exhibition.

The business model is a hybrid of earned and contributed income. Earned revenue comes from ticket sales for touring and Edinburgh Festival Fringe productions, plus termly class subscriptions (e.g., £60 for a 12-week block at £5/class) and flexible 5-class library passes at £25. Contributed revenue comes from grants and donations from Creative Scotland, the RS MacDonald Charitable Trust, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and public donations; several flagship programmes (Dance for Parkinson's, Community Company, OUTLOUD) are delivered free of charge and are entirely funder-supported. The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven, combining direct-to-consumer class bookings via the website, venue-based ticket sales, NHS/school partnership distribution for Well Good, and touring/festival showcases. No proprietary technology, mobile app, or AI/ML capability is disclosed; the company's competitive position rests on original creative content, multi-year institutional partnerships (NHS Tayside, Dance Base, Scottish Ballet, Parkinson's UK, Terrence Higgins Trust, Waverley Care), and a recognised brand in LGBTQ+ and inclusive dance theatre.

Name

Shaper/Caper

Legal name

Shaper Caper Limited

Website

https://shapercaper.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Shaper/Caper is a Dundee-based diversity-led dance charity producing award-winning dance theatre (Small Town Boys) and delivering community classes, school health-education workshops, and LGBTQ+ programmes across Scotland, funded by grants, ticket sales, and class subscriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts and Community Dance Services

NAICS

Dance Companies (711120), Dance Companies (71112), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Dance Festivals & Dance Series (MPAGADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Dance & Movement (Ballroom, Contemporary, Social Dance) (EDAAAGAD)

Keywords

• Community dance programmes
• Dance theatre productions
• Children's dance classes
• Therapeutic dance workshops
• LGBTQ+ performing arts

Headquarters

HQ city

Dundee

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Dance Classes and Workshops: Revenue from parent/child movement workshops, children's dance classes, and community company sessions. Includes Gilbert's Adventures Through Books, Dance Capers for ages 5-8 and 8-12, and Community Company membership.
2. Theatre Production Tickets: Ticket revenue from professional dance theatre productions including Small Town Boys touring across Scottish venues and Edinburgh Festival Fringe performances.
3. Charitable Funding and Donations: Funding from trusts, foundations, and charitable donations including Creative Scotland, RS MacDonald Charitable Trust, National Lottery Heritage Fund, and public donations. Core funding supports free programmes like Dance for Parkinson's.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Shaper/Caper is a diversity-led dance charity that produces and delivers live dance-theatre performances, participatory dance classes for children and families, therapeutic dance programmes for people with Parkinson's, LGBTQ+ community dance groups, and school health-education workshops in partnership with NHS Tayside. Offerings are delivered in-person across Dundee and touring Scottish venues, with some classes and community groups offered free of charge through charitable funding.

Product overview

Shaper/Caper is a diversity-led dance company offering a portfolio of live performance productions and community dance programmes. The core products include: Small Town Boys (award-winning dance-theatre production), Paper Moon (interactive children's show), and community classes such as Gilbert's Adventures Through Books (under-5s), Dance Capers (children's classes), Dance for Parkinson's, Community Company, and OUTLOUD (LGBTQIA+ youth group). The company also runs the Well Good school programme and the Queer & Now exhibition. These offerings range from professional theatrical productions to participatory community workshops and classes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Small Town Boys: Triple award-winning production exploring queer nightlife during the 1980s and early 90s AIDS crisis through dance-theatre.
• Gilbert's Adventures Through Books
• Dance for Parkinson's
• OUTLOUD
• Queer & Now

Quantifiable outcome

• 70,000+ children engaged through health education programme with NHS Tayside
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dance Base (Scotland's National Centre for Dance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDance Base and Scottish Ballet originally established the Dance for Parkinson's Scotland programme, with Shaper/Caper now delivering the Dundee and Angus sessions in partnership with Parkinson's UK.
• Scottish BalletcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiative founders of Dance for Parkinson's Scotland programme alongside Dance Base and in partnership with Parkinson's UK.
• Parkinson's UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational charity partner for Dance for Parkinson's Scotland programme. Provides resources and support for participants.
• Terrence Higgins TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK's leading HIV and sexual health charity partnered on Small Town Boys development. Provides Q&As at performances and resources on HIV awareness and queer history.
• Waverley CarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScotland's leading HIV and hepatitis C charity, partnered on Small Town Boys production. Offers Q&As and educational resources at shows.
• NHS TaysidecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner10+ year partnership delivering Well Good primary school workshop programme exploring addiction issues (tobacco and vaping) across Dundee, Angus and Perth & Kinross.
• Gardyne TheatreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction partner for Small Town Boys.
• Dundee Rep TheatreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction partner for Small Town Boys and venue for Paper Moon performances.
• Leisure & Culture DundeeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Monday Dance for Parkinson's class at Olympia venue.
• PASS at Edinburgh CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Small Town Boys production alongside Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
• Citymoves Dance AgencyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of Dancelive Festival with Small Town Boys Aberdeen shows at Cheerz venue.
• OurStory ScotlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided oral history training for 10 commissioned queer artists creating artwork for Queer & Now exhibition.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Scottish Ballet: Scotland's national ballet company, much larger scale, producing touring classical and contemporary productions with significant education and community engagement arms. Overlaps Shaper/Caper on community dance and touring but operates at substantially greater scale and repertoire breadth.
• Dance Base: Scotland's National Centre for Dance in Edinburgh — both a venue, class provider, and producer/developer. Shaper/Caper is a delivery partner for Dance Base's Dance for Parkinson's programme; comparable in offering participatory classes but with broader infrastructure role.
• Northern Ballet: Major UK dance company producing large-scale touring narrative productions and substantial learning/participation programmes. Comparable in combining narrative touring with community learning but operating at significantly larger institutional scale.

Direct peers

• Candoco Dance Company: UK-wide inclusive dance company producing both professional performances and community/therapeutic programmes for underrepresented groups. Closely comparable mission around inclusion, therapeutic engagement, and touring productions.
• Protein Dance: London-based dance theatre company producing critically acclaimed narrative shows with strong community and learning programmes. Comparable model of producing touring dance theatre alongside participatory class/workshop programming.
• StopGap Dance Company: UK inclusive dance company creating integrated performances and extensive community participation programmes. Comparable mix of professional touring work and inclusive community dance delivery.
• Scottish Dance Theatre: Dundee-based contemporary dance company producing touring live performances and community engagement programmes. Most direct geographic and operational peer, sharing both Scotland-wide touring and local community work with Shaper/Caper.
• Barrowland Ballet: Glasgow-based dance theatre company creating bold, narrative-driven productions and participatory community programmes. Comparable scale, Scottish base, and blend of touring shows with community outreach.
• Jasmin Vardimon Company: UK dance theatre company producing award-winning narrative touring productions with associated education and community programmes. Comparable in producing critically acclaimed touring dance-theatre alongside participatory learning work.

Others

• Dance Umbrella: London's international dance festival producing and commissioning contemporary dance work alongside learning programmes. Comparable as a UK dance presenter/festival mechanism Shaper/Caper could engage with for touring opportunities, though Dance Umbrella is primarily a festival/commissioner rather than producing company.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/shapercaper
• Facebookfacebook.com/shapercaper
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shaper-caper

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Shaper/Caper