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Chipping Norton Theatre Impact Report 2025-26

Chipping Norton Theatre is a small producing theatre serving its Oxfordshire community and touring nationally. Its Impact Report 2025-26 records 35,984 visitors watching live shows, 6,700 children at its Beauty and the Beast pantomime, and 25,000 people seeing its biggest national tour across 27 venues.

Report snapshot
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About

Chipping Norton Theatre is a producing theatre, cinema and community arts space in Oxfordshire, creating and touring work nationally while anchoring cultural life in its local community.

Key Metrics

Theatre visitors 35,984 visitors watched live shows in the theatre this year.
Children at panto 6,700 children watched Beauty and the Beast, the theatre's community pantomime.
National tour reach 25,000 people saw The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) across 27 venues in the theatre's biggest national tour to date.
Volunteers Over 150 people volunteer each year, from a team of more than 70 ushers to trustees and community helpers.

Key Outcomes

  • 35,984 people experienced live theatre in a small Oxfordshire market town.
  • The theatre's largest-ever tour reached 25,000 people in 27 venues nationwide.

Geography

South East

Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
Total income £138,600,000 and total expenditure £108,350,000 (year ended 31 March 2025, charity no. 1068852); 5 million people welcomed through palace gates; £138.6m income...
Key Metric 2
Over 160,000 members making 300,000+ visits generating £5.8m membership income plus £814k Gift Aid; 217,400 £1 Universal Credit tickets sold; 304,000 visitors to Untold...
Key Metric 3
89% of visitors gained a better understanding of stories (discovery); 83% felt happier after their visit (joy); 76% were inspired to learn more; 28,365...
83% of visitors felt happier after their visit; 89% gained better understanding of palace stories; 94% charitable activities allocation of total expenditure; Tomorrow's Tower campaign secured £1.9m including £1m from Sandys Trust and National Lottery Heritage Fund development grant
Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
3,943 young people reached across 279 learning sessions in 16 programmes; 46 public performances reaching 8,517 audience members
Key Metric 2
100+ Emerging Professionals supported with 159 paid performance opportunities; 32% from regions beyond London; 32% from African, Asian, Caribbean or Mixed Heritage backgrounds
Key Metric 3
46% of Under-18 participants receive bursaries; 46% benefit from free access (Pupil Premium, free school meals or low-income families)
Largest single concert audience of 1,500 for British Standard Time at Berlin's Konzerthaus; NYJO Under 18s alumni have gone on to Birmingham Conservatoire, Leeds Conservatoire and Cambridge University
Impact Snapshot
25 years of dance
Marking 25 years of inclusive and accessible dance in Stoke-on-Trent, creating safe spaces where members describe the organisation as a lifeline and a highlight...
In November 2025 more than 100 nurses, consultants, care workers and allied health professionals took part in a hospital performance project.