THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON

Charity overview
Activities - how the charity spends its money
To conserve, advance and disseminate the dramatic heritage of Shakespeare and advance and improve the dramatic art in the UK and throughout the world; producing and presenting dramatic performances of all kinds and teaching, training and other educational activities. These objectives are achieved by the production of plays by Shakespeare, other classic playwrights and commissioning new work.
Income and expenditure
Data for financial year ending 31 March 2024
Total income:
£92,171,000
Donations and legacies | £5.44m | |
Charitable activities | £75.68m | |
Other trading activities | £7.09m | |
Investments | £1.62m | |
Other | £2.34m |
Total expenditure:
£87,918,000
Raising funds | £7.58m | |
Charitable activities | £80.34m | |
Other | £0 |
£2,300,000 investments gains (losses)
Total income includes £17,527,930 from 4 government grant(s)
Charitable expenditure
Charitable expenditure with investment gains
Charitable expenditure
Some charities generate all, or a substantial part, of their income from investments which may have been donated to the charity as endowment or set aside by the charity from its own resources in the past. Such investments usually take the form of stocks and shares but may include other assets, such as property, that are capable of generating income and/or capital growth.
In managing their spending and investments charities need to strike a balance between the needs of future and current beneficiaries. They also need to take account of spending commitments that may stretch over a number of future years. To do this, charities will normally adopt an investment strategy designed to generate both income and capital growth. To maximise returns trustees may commit to investment strategies for several years.
Investments can experience large swings in value so trustees may, in a particular year, decide to realise and spend part of their charity’s capital or to invest part of its income.
By clicking the investment gains checkbox the charitable spending bar is adjusted to take account of capital growth as well as income. This shows the balance the charity is striking, between spending on current beneficiaries and retaining resources for future beneficiaries.
Raising funds and other expenditure | £7.58m | |
Charitable expenditure | £80.34m | |
Retained for future use | £4.25m |
Raising funds and other expenditure | £7.58m | |
Charitable expenditure | £80.34m | |
Retained for future use | £6.55m |
People

951 Employee(s)
15 Trustee(s)
36 Volunteer(s)
Employees with total benefits over £60,000
Number of employees | |
---|---|
£60k to £70k | 19 |
£70k to £80k | 10 |
£80k to £90k | 4 |
£90k to £100k | 5 |
£100k to £110k | 3 |
£110k to £120k | 7 |
£130k to £140k | 2 |
Fundraising
Trading
Trustee payments
What, who, how, where
- General Charitable Purposes
- Education/training
- Arts/culture/heritage/science
- Children/young People
- The General Public/mankind
- Provides Buildings/facilities/open Space
- Provides Services
- Throughout England And Wales
- Scotland
- United States
Governance
- 23 February 1963: Standard registration
- ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY - R S C (Working name)
- THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE THEATRE STRATFORD-UPON-AVON (Previous name)
- Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
- Campaigns and political activity policy and procedures
- Complaints handling
- Complaints policy and procedures
- Conflicting interests
- Engaging external speakers at charity events policy and procedures
- Financial reserves policy and procedures
- Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
- Internal risk management policy and procedures
- Investing charity funds policy and procedures
- Investment
- Paying staff
- Risk management
- Safeguarding policy and procedures
- Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
- Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
- Social media policy and procedures
- Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
- Trustee expenses policy and procedures
Trustees
Trustees are the people responsible for controlling the work, management and administration of the charity on behalf of its beneficiaries. Generally trustees are treasurer, chair, board member etc. The trustees are responsible for keeping this list up to date and can do this by updating their details as they happen through the online service
15 Trustee(s)
Name | Role | Date of appointment | Other trusteeships | Reporting status of other trusteeships | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shriti Vinodkant Vadera | Chair | 29 October 2021 |
|
|
||||
Geoffrey Barton | Trustee | 10 September 2024 |
|
|
||||
Andrew Ivan Leveson | Trustee | 10 September 2024 |
|
|
||||
Professor Emma Josephine Smith | Trustee | 10 September 2024 |
|
|||||
Nicholas Robert Hytner | Trustee | 28 September 2023 |
|
|||||
Daniel Gwyn Evans | Trustee | 28 September 2023 |
|
|
||||
Tamara Catherine Harvey | Trustee | 28 September 2023 |
|
|
||||
Amanda Joycelyn Parker | Trustee | 25 February 2021 |
|
|
||||
Andrew James Miller MBE | Trustee | 25 February 2021 |
|
|||||
Professor Ayanna Thompson | Trustee | 25 February 2021 |
|
|
||||
Winsome May Pinnock FRSL | Trustee | 25 February 2021 |
|
|
||||
Liz Vernon | Trustee | 20 September 2019 |
|
|
||||
Clare Reddington | Trustee | 28 September 2017 |
|
|
||||
MARK THOMPSON | Trustee | 17 November 2016 |
|
|
||||
MARK LYNDON SMITH | Trustee | 17 November 2016 |
|
|
Financial history
Financial period end date
Income / Expenditure | 31/03/2020 | 31/03/2021 | 31/03/2022 | 31/03/2023 | 31/03/2024 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Total gross income | £72.06m | £36.10m | £39.70m | £68.12m | £92.17m | |
|
Total expenditure | £76.24m | £34.83m | £43.31m | £68.13m | £87.92m | |
|
Income from government contracts | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
|
Income from government grants | £17.69m | £25.43m | £16.05m | £15.45m | £17.53m | |
|
Income - Donations and legacies | £5.73m | £12.78m | £2.88m | £4.15m | £5.44m | |
|
Income - Other trading activities | £10.16m | £4.18m | £5.85m | £11.23m | £7.09m | |
|
Income - Charitable activities | £54.17m | £16.24m | £29.02m | £50.14m | £75.68m | |
|
Income - Endowments | £0 | £7.00m | £0 | £0 | £0 | |
|
Income - Investment | £770.00k | £646.00k | £743.00k | £986.00k | £1.62m | |
|
Income - Other | £1.23m | £9.25m | £1.20m | £1.62m | £2.34m | |
|
Income - Legacies | £42.73k | £180.69k | £323.67k | £0 | £0 | |
|
Expenditure - Charitable activities | £67.17m | £28.90m | £36.63m | £61.33m | £80.34m | |
|
Expenditure - Raising funds | £9.07m | £5.94m | £6.68m | £6.81m | £7.58m | |
|
Expenditure - Governance | £128.49k | £101.38k | £103.00k | £196.67k | £126.83k | |
|
Expenditure - Grants institution | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | |
|
Expenditure - Investment management | £95.00k | £88.00k | £94.00k | £72.00k | £72.00k | |
|
Expenditure - Other | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
Assets and liabilities
Definitions for assets and liabilities
These are assets, other than investments, which are held for more than 12 months and used to run and administer the charity such as buildings, offices, exhibits and fixtures and fittings.
Long term InvestmentsInvestments are assets held by the charity with the sole aim of generating income which will be used for their charitable purposes such as deposit accounts, shares, rental property and unit trusts.
Investment assets are re-valued every year and included in the balance sheet at their current market value.
Long term investments are held for more than 12 months.
These are assets held generally for less than 12 months such as cash and bank balances, debtors, investments to be sold within the coming year and trading stock.
Defined benefit pension scheme asset or liabilityThis is a surplus or deficit in any defined benefit pension scheme operated and represents a potential long-term asset or liability.
Total liabilitiesThese are all the amounts owed by the charity at the balance sheet date to third parties such as bills due but not yet paid, bank overdrafts and loans and mortgages.
Asset / Liability | 31/03/2020 | 31/03/2021 | 31/03/2022 | 31/03/2023 | 31/03/2024 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Own use assets | £91.98m | £92.46m | £91.43m | £93.81m | £93.21m | |
|
Long-term investments | £20.43m | £29.39m | £29.70m | £40.38m | £42.36m | |
|
Other assets | £17.24m | £34.66m | £35.85m | £29.03m | £35.18m | |
|
Defined benefit pension scheme asset or liability | £0 | -£411.00k | £0 | -£2.26m | -£1.02m | |
|
Total liabilities | £11.06m | £26.98m | £29.87m | £37.14m | £39.21m |
Accounts and annual returns
Title | Reporting year | Date received | Received | Download |
---|---|---|---|---|
Annual return | 31 March 2024 | 31 January 2025 | On Time | |
Accounts and TAR | 31 March 2024 | 31 January 2025 | On Time | Download Open in new window |
Annual return | 31 March 2023 | 31 January 2024 | On Time | |
Accounts and TAR | 31 March 2023 | 31 January 2024 | On Time | Download Open in new window |
Annual return | 31 March 2022 | 27 January 2023 | On Time | |
Accounts and TAR | 31 March 2022 | 27 January 2023 | On Time | Download Open in new window |
Annual return | 31 March 2021 | 28 January 2022 | On Time | |
Accounts and TAR | 31 March 2021 | 28 January 2022 | On Time | Download Open in new window |
Annual return | 31 March 2020 | 27 January 2021 | On Time | |
Accounts and TAR | 31 March 2020 | 27 January 2021 | On Time | Download Open in new window |
Governing document
It is not the full text of the charity's governing document.
CHARTER OF INCORPORATION DATED 21 JUNE 1979 AS AMENDED BY ORDERS IN COUNCIL DATED 11 OCTOBER 2000 AND 6 MARCH 2007.
Charitable objects
TO KEEP ALIVE THE MEMORY OF SHAKESPEARE BY THE PRESENTATION OF HIS PLAYS. (SEE ALSO ARTICLE II OF THE CHARTER OF INCORPORATION).
Area of benefit
WORLDWIDE
Linked charities
- 23 February 1963 : Standard registration
Contact information
- Address:
-
ROYAL SHAKESPEARE THEATRE
WATERSIDE
STRATFORD-UPON-AVON
WARWICKSHIRE
CV37 6BB
- Phone:
- 01789296655
- Email:
- info@rsc.org.uk
- Website:
Tell us whether you accept cookies
We use cookies to collect information about how you use your Charity Commission Account, such as pages you visit.
We use this information to better understand how you use our website so that we can improve your user experience and present more relevant content.
Thank you for your feedback. Do you have 5 minutes to tell us what you think of this service?Open in new window