New Diorama Theatre

What New Diorama Theatre does

New Diorama Theatre is a London-based registered charity (Charity No. 278795, company number 1453811) founded in 2010 that operates an 80-capacity studio theatre at 15–16 Triton Street, Regent's Place. The venue presents a year-round programme of live theatre featuring independent companies and ensembles making devised, collaborative, and process-led work, and is recognised by The Stage 100 as the most influential studio theatre in the UK, having received four Peter Brook Awards and ten OffWestEnd Awards.

Beyond presenting productions, New Diorama operates a comprehensive artist support ecosystem comprising Artist & Company Surgeries, the Makers on Making workshop series, The Allotment (a free Central London R&D and rehearsal space programme launched in partnership with Theatre Deli in September 2025), the Edinburgh Untapped Award partnership with Underbelly and Concord Theatricals, the Migrant Artist Solidarity Grants, and The Knot development programme with Guildhall School of Music & Drama. In 2021 the organisation extended its infrastructure footprint by opening NDT Broadgate, a 20,000 sq ft free rehearsal and development complex. Community engagement reaches 11,000+ local people annually through affordable tickets, Camden Youth Theatre, school performances, babes-in-arms matinees, and elderly resident programmes.

The business model blends earned and contributed income: ticket sales (with Autumn 2026 season tickets under £20, preview discounts at £5 for unwaged or striking workers, Pay What You Can Saturdays), café and bar revenue, venue hire of the theatre, garden studio and café spaces, and a tiered Supporters Scheme (£5/month Emerging, £15/month Artist, £500/year Commissioning). Institutional funding is provided by Arts Council England as principal funder, alongside British Land, Esmee Fairbairn, Bloomberg, John Ellerman Foundation, and the Cockayne Foundation. The organisation is governed by a Board of Trustees chaired by Philip Graham and operates a Co-CEO leadership model with Alex Ferguson and Sophie Wallis (currently on maternity leave, with Vanessa Stone as Interim Executive Producer). The core technology asset is a flexible physical performance space accommodating in-the-round, traverse, and end-on configurations, supported by an internal Ticketbooth booking platform and standard social media distribution channels.

Name

New Diorama Theatre

Legal name

New Diorama Theatre

Website

https://newdiorama.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

New Diorama Theatre is a London registered charity operating an 80-capacity studio venue dedicated to independent theatre companies, presenting devised and collaborative work while running an artist support ecosystem of workshops, free rehearsal space, grants, and Edinburgh Fringe partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Studio Theatre

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

akta.pro primary industry

Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM), Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB), Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG)

Keywords

• Studio theatre performances
• Artist support programmes
• Live theatre venue
• Community engagement programmes
• Theatre education partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from box office ticket sales for theatre productions and performances
2. Café and Bar: Café and bar services serving coffee, drinks, pastries, wines, spirits, beers and snacks during theatre hours and standard daytime operations
3. Venue Hire: Hiring out theatre space (capacity 80), garden studio, and cafe space for presentations, readings, events, rehearsals, workshops, auditions, and social occasions
4. Donations and Supporters Scheme: Individual donations and monthly supporter subscriptions (£5/month Emerging Supporter, £15/month Artist Supporter, £500/year Commissioning Supporter) that fund artistic mission

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

New Diorama Theatre develops, produces, and presents a year-round programme of collaborative studio theatre featuring independent UK ensembles and devised performance work. It also operates an extensive artist support ecosystem including free R&D space, surgeries, workshops, grants, and the Edinburgh Untapped Award, alongside an on-site café/bar, venue hire, youth theatre programmes, and community engagement activities.

Product overview

New Diorama Theatre operates as a live theatre venue offering a portfolio of distinct products and services. The core offering is live theatre productions featuring independent companies in its 80-capacity studio space, supplemented by an on-site Café & Bar. The venue provides extensive artist support services including Artist & Company Surgeries, Makers on Making workshops, The Allotment (free R&D space), Edinburgh Untapped Award, Migrant Artist Solidarity Grants, and The Knot development programme. Additional services include Camden Youth Theatre (free youth drama club), Venue Hire, Babes-in-Arms performances, and comprehensive Accessibility Services. The theatre also offers a Supporters Scheme for membership donations. In 2021, NDT launched NDT Broadgate, a 20,000 sq ft free rehearsal and development complex.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Live Theatre Productions Year-round curated programme of live theatre performances featuring work from independent UK theatre companies and ensembles, including world and London premieres of devised and collaborative work in an 80-capacity studio space.
• Café & Bar On-site café and bar serving Allpress coffee, hot and cold drinks, wines, spirits, beers, pastries, and snacks. Open 8:30am-5:30pm weekdays, extended until 11pm during show times.
• Artist & Company Surgeries Monthly sessions offering artists and companies guidance on producing, fundraising, marketing, art-making, and career trajectory. Company Formation Surgeries provide finance advice on legal structures and Companies House registration.
• Makers on Making Workshops Free workshop series featuring UK theatre companies demonstrating their devising approaches and making processes, focusing on collaborative process and theatre-making techniques.
• The Allotment Free R&D and rehearsal space programme in Central London offered in partnership with Theatre Deli, with spaces allocated through lottery selection to independent theatre companies developing new work.
• Edinburgh Untapped Award Annual award partnership with Underbelly and Concord Theatricals supporting early- and mid-career theatre companies at Edinburgh Fringe. Winners receive £10,000, prime venue slot, 65/35 box office split, marketing support, and preview shows at NDT.
• Migrant Artist Solidarity Grants £500 grants distributed monthly to migrant theatre makers to ease visa, legal, and bureaucratic costs, allocated through lottery selection between November 2025 and June 2026.
• The Knot Week-long collective learning and development programme exploring tools for making work and building theatre careers, in partnership with Guildhall School of Music & Drama and Uproot Productions, with published Report & Artists' Toolkit PDF resources.
• Camden Youth Theatre Free after-school drama club for 13-19 year-olds who live, work, or study in Camden, with weekly Tuesday evening rehearsals and dinner provided. Run jointly with Camden People's Theatre.
• Venue Hire Theatre space (capacity 80), garden studio (approximately 3.5m x 7m), and café space available for hire for presentations, readings, events, rehearsals, workshops, auditions, and social occasions.
• Supporters Scheme Membership programme with three tiers: NDT Emerging Supporter (£5/month), NDT Artist Supporter (£15/month), and NDT Commissioning Supporter (£500/year). Includes credits, event invitations, and behind-the-scenes insights.
• NDT Broadgate 20,000 square foot rehearsal and development complex offering entirely free space to independent artists to support post-Covid recovery.

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Theatre DelicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Partnership to address chronic problem of space for artists. Launched The Allotment offering free R&D and rehearsal space in Central London to independent artists through lottery selection. First season ran through December 2025 supporting 17 companies. Second season announced for 16 weeks January-May 2026.
• Guildhall School of Music & DramasupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2023Partner in The Knot week-long collective learning and development programme exploring tools for making work and building careers. Published Report & Artists' Toolkit resource.
• Uproak ProductionssupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2023Partner in The Knot bootcamp for independent theatre makers, focusing on hard business skills and industry challenges including finance, funding, company structures, employment law, and management.
• UnderbellycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership with Underbelly to support exceptional companies bringing work to Edinburgh Fringe through the Edinburgh Untapped Award. Provides prime venue and slot at Underbelly, preferential 65/35 box office split with no upfront venue fees, show imagery and marketing support.
• Concord TheatricalscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Joined Edinburgh Untapped Award partnership in 2023 to present supercharged prize, doubling investment level. Provides publishing and licensing deal for winning companies.
• Third Age ProjectcoreOthersCommunity partner delivering activities for West Euston residents over 65 since theatre opening. Annual Pantomime performances, International Older People's Day events. TAP reaches out to older generation offering creative opportunities.
• Pan Intercultural ArtscoreOthersCommunity partner based in Camden, leading force in using arts to inspire social change. Runs programmes with young refugees, asylum seekers, survivors of trafficking, and young people at risk. NDT provides space and support for performances.
• Camden People's TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-running Camden Youth Theatre with New Diorama Theatre. CYT Director Omar Bynon leads sessions. Young people perform at both New Diorama Theatre and Camden People's Theatre.
• Old Diorama Arts CentresupportingOthersRehearsal partner for Camden Youth Theatre. Also supported through The Robert Gavron Charitable Trust, Camden Council Culture Service, British Land, and John Lyon's Charity.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Young Vic: London studio venue known for commissioning and producing devised, ensemble-led, and international work with a strong director-development pipeline. Operates a larger capacity but pursues a similar mission of incubating bold new productions that transfer widely.
• Royal Court Theatre: London's leading new-writing theatre with a dedicated studio space (Jerwood Theatre Upstairs) that develops and premieres work from emerging playwrights. Operates at greater scale but in the same studio-theatre-as-incubator category that New Diorama targets.
• The Gate Theatre (London): Small London studio theatre in Notting Hill producing bold, international, and politically engaged new work. Comparable as a small-footprint studio with a niche-curatorial identity and strong critical reputation.
• Theatre 503: Small Battersea-based studio theatre dedicated to new writing and emerging writers, with a playwright development programme and short-run production model. Closely aligned in scale, mission, and audience profile to New Diorama.
• Soho Theatre: London studio venue presenting new and emerging writing, comedy, and cabaret. Directly comparable as a small-to-mid studio theatre focused on developing independent work and emerging artists with similar audience-development and artist-support missions.
• Bush Theatre: West London studio theatre dedicated to new writing and emerging writers. Comparable as a small-footprint London studio with a writer-development pipeline, dedicated emerging-talent support programmes, and a strong track record of transfers.
• Arcola Theatre: East London independent studio theatre staging new writing, devised work, and international collaborations. Operates at a similar small-studio scale with a comparable mix of artist development, community engagement, and risk-taking programming.
• Battersea Arts Centre: South London studio venue and creative producing house dedicated to supporting emerging artists and developing new work. Closely aligned with New Diorama on the 'studio theatre as R&D hub' model, audience access policies, and artist development programmes.
• Camden People's Theatre: North London studio theatre focused on emerging artists, early-career companies, and experimental work. Direct co-partner with New Diorama on Camden Youth Theatre and operates a near-identical small-studio programming model in the same neighbourhood.

Emerging players

• Underbelly: Edinburgh Fringe venue operator and touring producer that is a core partner on the Edinburgh Untapped Award with New Diorama. Comparable as a festival/venue operator working with emerging ensembles, but with primary footprint at Edinburgh Fringe rather than year-round London studio programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/newdiorama
• Facebookfacebook.com/newdiorama?ref=ts
• Instagraminstagram.com/newdiorama
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/newdiorama

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 New Diorama Theatre