National Theatre: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show
The Royal National Theatre has no person with significant control recorded on the Companies House register. In the year to March 2025 it reported turnover of £129m.
- In the year to March 2025, National Theatre had turnover of £129m, up 6.0% on the year before.
- It made a pre-tax loss of £3m, losing £1.94 of every £100 of sales.
- It employed an average of 931 people, with staff costs of £51m.
- These figures are from The Royal National Theatre's group accounts for the year to March 2025, filed at Companies House on 23 December 2025.
- Registered name
- THE ROYAL NATIONAL THEATRE
- Company number
- 00749504
- Status
- Active
- Incorporated
- 8 February 1963
- Registered office area
- South East London
- Industry code on the register
- 90010: Creative, arts and entertainment activities
- Accounts
- Group accounts, covering the companies it owns
- Accounts type
- Full group accounts
- Latest accounts
- Year to March 2025, filed 23 December 2025
What does National Theatre do?
The Royal National Theatre is the charity behind the National Theatre, which produces and stages plays at its three theatres on London's South Bank. Founded in 1963, it also tours productions across the UK and abroad, broadcasts them to cinemas through NT Live and streams them online through NT at Home. Its income comes from ticket sales, donations and memberships, public funding, corporate support, restaurants and bars, and venue hire.
In brief: theatre charity · plays on the South Bank · touring and NT Live
Source: National Theatre's own website, retrieved 27 September 2026.
Who owns National Theatre?
The Royal National Theatre, company number 00749504, has no person with significant control recorded on the register. The full record is linked below.
The full ownership record is on the Companies House register. Control is given in the bands the register uses, not as exact shareholdings.
Who runs National Theatre?
The Companies House register lists 13 current officers for The Royal National Theatre.
All 13 current officers
| Officer | Appointed |
|---|---|
| Sir Damon Marcus Buffini | 9 June 2016 |
| Dr Timothy Score | 31 July 2017 |
| Louise Elizabeth Durant | 31 January 2019 |
| Simon Minty | 20 November 2020 |
| Melanie Jane Richards | 3 February 2021 |
| Amanda Kate Pritchard | 2 October 2023 |
| Dame Marit Mohn | 25 September 2024 |
| Cate Blanchett | 27 November 2024 |
| Sarah Maria Wiggins | 27 November 2024 |
| James Matthew Graham | 27 November 2024 |
| Deborah Weinstein | 2 July 2025 |
| Baroness Beeban Kidron | 25 September 2025 |
| Luke Bradley-Jones | 25 June 2026 |
Every current officer, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
What did National Theatre file?
The Royal National Theatre reported turnover of £129m in the year to March 2025. That was up 6.0% on £121m the year before.
It reported 931 employees. The year before it reported 840.
It filed a pre-tax loss of £3m for the year, against a pre-tax loss of £4m the year before.
Staff costs came to £51m. That is an average of £54,000 a head. It ended the year with £37m at the bank and net assets of £89m.
| Measure | Mar 2025 | Mar 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £129m | £121m |
| Pre-tax profit | -£3m (filed) | -£4m (filed) |
| Employees | 931 | 840 |
| Staff costs | £51m | £48m |
| Average staff cost per head | £54,000 | £57,000 |
| Bank and cash | £37m | £31m |
| Net assets | £89m | £82m |
Read the accounts to March 2025 (PDF, Companies House) · every accounts filing
What do these figures mean? Turnover vs profit · Profit per £100 · Cash vs profit · Net assets · Group accounts
Are there any charges against National Theatre?
The Royal National Theatre has registered 5 charges at Companies House, of which 4 are still outstanding. A charge is security a lender takes over a company's assets; one is satisfied when the lending behind it is repaid or released.
All 4 outstanding charges
| Charge holder | Created |
|---|---|
| The Arts Council of England | 6 February 2025 |
| The Trustees of the National Heritage Memorial Fund | 13 June 2013 |
| The Arts Council of England | 22 December 2012 |
| The Arts Council of England | 16 December 2010 |
Each charge, with its holder and dates, is on the Companies House register.
How National Theatre compares
Of the 4 theatres, National Theatre is 3rd on turnover, 4th on profit margin and 3rd on growth. Delfont Mackintosh Theatres keeps the most of every £100 of sales: £25.09.
| Rank | Theatres | Turnover | Profit per £100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Royal Opera House | £182m | £4.08 |
| 3rd | National Theatre | £129m | −£1.94 |
| + 2 more theatres ranked |
Ranked by turnover. Profit per £100 is pre-tax profit for every £100 of turnover, shown only where the profit is filed.
National Theatre files as The Royal National Theatre, with turnover of £129m in its latest filed year.
Questions about National Theatre
What does National Theatre do?
The Royal National Theatre is the charity behind the National Theatre, which produces and stages plays at its three theatres on London's South Bank. Founded in 1963, it also tours productions across the UK and abroad, broadcasts them to cinemas through NT Live and streams them online through NT at Home. Its income comes from ticket sales, donations and memberships, public funding, corporate support, restaurants and bars, and venue hire.
Is National Theatre bigger than Royal Opera House?
No, by turnover. National Theatre reported £129m in its latest accounts, against £182m at Royal Opera House. Our Royal Opera House v National Theatre page compares the two on profit, margin, growth and staff. Royal Opera House v National Theatre →
How does National Theatre compare with its rivals?
By turnover, National Theatre is 3rd of the 4 companies in our battle of the theatres, behind Royal Opera House. The battle ranks them on turnover, pre-tax profit, margin, growth and net assets. The battle of the theatres →
Who owns National Theatre?
The Royal National Theatre has no person with significant control recorded at Companies House.
How much does National Theatre make?
The Royal National Theatre reported turnover of £129m in the year to March 2025. It filed a pre-tax loss of £3m.
How many people work at National Theatre?
The Royal National Theatre reported 931 employees in the year to March 2025.
Who runs National Theatre?
The Companies House register lists 13 current officers for The Royal National Theatre. The full list, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
- Figures come from The Royal National Theatre's filings at Companies House, company number 00749504, for the period shown at the top of the page.
- These are group accounts: they include the companies it owns.
- Pre-tax profit is the figure the company filed, for both years.
- A figure the filing does not disclose is shown as n/d. A zero in the filing is treated as not disclosed, never as nil.
- Rounding: below £0.1m in thousands, from £0.1m to £2m to one decimal place, from £2m to the nearest million.
- Ownership is shown in the control bands the register of people with significant control uses, not as exact shareholdings.
- Officers' names and appointment dates come from the Companies House register. Job titles come from the company's own website. The description of what the company does comes from its website, or is marked Spark Intel editorial where it is written from stable, checked facts, with the date either way.
Spark Intel, “National Theatre: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show”, updated 9 November 2026. https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/companies/national-theatre/. Figures from Companies House filings for THE ROYAL NATIONAL THEATRE (00749504).
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