Small touring theatre company

Audiences buying tickets, venues offering a fee or a box office split, and funders who back new or local work.

Ticket sales and venue fees, topped up by grants, crowdfunding and sometimes workshops or bar sales at your own events.

• Acting, directing or writing
• Organising people and schedules
• Promoting shows and building an audience
• Keeping to a budget

• Performance rights: check whether the play is in copyright and who to ask for a licence
• Public liability insurance, and check whether venues require their own cover or risk assessments
• Whether to set up as a partnership, sole trader or limited company, and how you will pay performers
• Arts council and other grants are competitive and rules differ between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, so check eligibility
• Shows can lose money if audiences are small, so keep costs low until you have tested demand

Startup costs are typically around £1,000 to £6,000, depending on cast size, set, travel and promotion. Keeping costs low until you have tested demand helps, since shows can lose money if audiences are small.

Check whether the play is in copyright and who to ask for a performance licence. Also check public liability insurance, any venue requirements for cover or risk assessments, and whether to run as a partnership, sole trader or limited company.

Monthly revenue is typically around £400 to £2,000, depending on ticket sales, venue fees and any funding. Grants are competitive and rules differ across the UK nations, so check eligibility before relying on them.