THE OPEN THEATRE COMPANY LIMITED

Registered charity 291344 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as OPEN THEATRE COMPANY, THE SHYSTERS, THE SHYSTERSHADOWS

The charity's aims are to promote, maintain, improve and advance education particularly through the production of plays and the encouragement of the arts.

Causes: Education/training · Disability · Arts/culture/heritage/science · website · Get email alerts

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity generated a surplus of £19,026 for the year ended 31 March 2025, with total income of £903,294. The trustees report that free reserves stand at £266,324, which exceeds their stated policy target of £160,000. The going concern basis is adopted with no material uncertainties identified.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Corporate structure

• Registered company of the charity Companies House 01871300

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Open Theatre (matched by registered charity number).

Company officers (Companies House)

Current officers of the charity’s own company per the Companies House register, cross-checked against the Charity Commission trustee list by name. A director not on the trustee list is usually a timing or naming difference between the two registers — check both records before drawing conclusions.

• KING, Steven Andrew, Professor — director, appointed 22/01/2026not on trustee list
• AIKMAN, Jacoba — director, appointed 17/10/2024not on trustee list
• HADJINESTOROS, Victoria — director, appointed 17/10/2024not on trustee list
• REIDY, Kerry Joanne — director, appointed 17/10/2024on trustee list
• LEVY, Madeleine Carrie — director, appointed 18/01/2024on trustee list
• CARTER, Raidene Marie — director, appointed 18/01/2024on trustee list
• GREENWOOD, Luke — director, appointed 30/01/2023on trustee list
• STUBBS, Charlotte Elizabeth — director, appointed 17/02/2022on trustee list
• BLACKWOOD, Hugh — director, appointed 22/09/2018on trustee list

Official officers record.

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)

Reported reserves equal ~3.6 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 5.2 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Donations and legacies (52% of income) — components as reported reconcile to the return’s total income; not from the accounts narrative.

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 1.5% of total income — below the median for charities its size (4.9%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

• Aaliyah Ahmad Gohir
• Charlotte Stubbs
• Hugh Blackwood
• Jacobi Aikman
• Kerry Joanne Reidy
• Luke Greenwood
• Madeleine Levy
• Raidene Carter · trustee of 1 other charity
• Victoria Kinsella-Hadjinestoros

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Australia · Birmingham City · Bury · Coventry City · Cumbria · India · Netherlands · Papua New Guinea · Sandwell · Solihull · Spain · Wolverhampton

Income and spending

Common questions

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).