THEATRE WORKSHOP TRUST

Trustee
Recruitment Pack

DECEMBER 2025

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WELCOME

The Wonderful World of Dissocia  Photo:Marc Brenner

Thank you for your interest in Stratford East.

We are looking for at least two new Trustees to join our experienced and dynamic Board
of Trustees. This is an exciting opportunity to help shape the future of one of London’s
most iconic theatres.

New Trustees will join the organisation at an exciting time of change and renewal,
following the recent appointment of new Co-CEOs Lisa Spirling (Artistic Director) and
Hanna Streeter (Executive Director), and new Chair of Trustees Bindi Karia.

We’re looking for passionate and committed individuals who love theatre and believe
in our work, who want to contribute to the community in Newham, and who want to play a
part in our next chapter of growth.

No previous theatre experience is required, and we will consider applications from all
sectors, though we are particularly keen to hear from people with the following expertise:

•
•
•

Finance (to become Finance Committee Chair later in 2026)
Fundraising and philanthropy
Legal

“This is a truly exciting and pivotal time for Theatre Royal Stratford East. With new
Co-CEOs and a bold vision for the future, we’re building on our rich heritage to
create theatre that reflects and serves East London. As Chair, I’m proud to lead a
Board committed to growth, creativity, inclusion, and meaningful social impact.
We're looking for trustees who bring experience, curiosity, and sound judgement
alongside a genuine commitment to the communities we serve. This is an
opportunity to play a vital role in shaping the next chapter of this iconic theatre. If
you believe in the power of the arts to transform lives and feel you can contribute to
the team, we’d love to hear from you.” — Bindi Karia, Chair of Trustees

“Good theatre draws the energies out of the
place where it is and gives it back”- Joan Littlewood

ABOUT STRATFORD EAST

Stratford East is here to make truly great theatre in an atmosphere that
welcomes all, with extraordinary shows that are affordable for all in the
beating heart of East London.

OUR VISION:

Stratford East is a producing theatre, built in 1884, in the London
Borough of Newham, situated a short walk from Stratford station. We
have a proud history and face an exciting and challenging future. Our
culturally and socially diverse community are represented in the work we
make, the people we employ, the audiences we attract and the
participants in our learning programmes. We tell stories that are
current, political and representative of the people in our part of London.

From 1953 – 1979 the theatre was the home of Joan Littlewood’s
legendary Theatre Workshop Company. The Company received
international recognition with their acclaimed productions of shows
like Oh, What a Lovely War! and A Taste of Honey. Recent shows
programmed in our 140th anniversary season that have received 4 and 5
star reviews include The Harder They Come, Mama Goose, Animal
Farm, The Women of Llanrumney and Lovestuck: A New Comedy
Musical. Many leading actors, writers and directors have been part of the
Stratford East family including Meera Syal, Barbara Windsor, Don
Warrington, Sheila Hancock, Indhu Rubasingham, Tanika Gupta, Roy
Williams and Cynthia Erivo.

Stratford East has a 455 seat auditorium, a vibrant bar, and a rehearsal
space. In 2024-25 we welcomed over 67,275 audience members over
217 performances.

Our community is vital, and Arts Council England has identified Newham
as one of only four London boroughs that they classify as Priority Places.
The regeneration in the Olympic Park, alongside huge investment and
development across the borough, makes Newham a place with a
growing population and offers new and stimulating opportunities which
we can grasp as the much-loved theatre in the borough.

We believe that brilliant quality theatre should
be available to everyone

OUR MISSION:

We make theatre both for, and inspired by, our community in Newham,
East London. We continue the political and revolutionary ethos of our
founder Joan Littlewood as a leading London theatre and civic hub for
East London. We are driven by our art, which is inclusive and bold.
We tell stories that provoke discourse about the world we live in and our
place within it.

OUR VALUES:

• Revolutionary –  we are confident in leading change

• Inclusive –  our doors are open to all

• Bold –  we are willing to take risks

• Excellent –  we strive to make everything of outstanding quality

• Relevant –  the work we do is relevant to the place we are in,

and the times in which we live

• Eclectic –  we are informed by a wide range of thoughts,

styles, tastes

OUR PRODUCTIONS

Tambo & Bones  Photo:The Other Richard

Stratford East continues to build on its legacy of bold, inclusive, and
ambitious theatre with an exciting new chapter under Artistic Director Lisa
Spirling, Executive Director Hanna Streeter and Associate Artistic
Director Jade Lewis. Their inaugural 2026 season champions formally
inventive work, new writing, and underrepresented voices, marking a
renewed commitment to nurturing fresh talent and reflecting the diversity
of our audiences.

This follows our milestone 140th Anniversary Season, which featured
productions including Animal Farm, The Women of Llanrumney,
Lovestuck, Romeo & Juliet, and The Harder They Come.

Throughout recent years, Stratford East has produced or co-produced
four to five mainstage productions annually, alongside a vibrant
programme of touring work, one-night events, and our much-loved annual
pantomime - most recently Mama Goose.

The theatre has also presented reimagined classics, timely revivals, and
ground-breaking new work, including Now, I See by Lanre Malalou, and
landmark revivals like The Big Life and Beautiful Thing.

Lisa, Hanna and Jade’s 2026 season signals the next bold step for
Stratford East, one that celebrates experimentation, fresh perspectives,
and the vital role of theatre in public life today.

★★★★ “Unique, challenging
and oh-so necessary” -  The Guardian

The Big Life  Photo: Mark Senior

Our full programme of work –  past and future -  can be found on
our website. Our produced and co-produced work from the past
few years include:

2025
Mama Goose
The Harder They Come
Lovestuck
Tambo & Bones
The Women of Llanrumney
Animal Farm

2024

Pinocchio
Abigail’s Party
Now, I See
The Big Life

2023

2022

Jack and the Beanstalk
Beautiful Thing
Tambo & Bones
Village Idiot

Cinderella
The Wonderful World of Dissocia
Burn It Down
After the End

2021

Red Riding Hood
Shining City
Extinct
The Sun, The Moon and the Stars
Press Play Here (online only)

2020

No Masks (film)
846 Live
846 (online only)

★★★★ “Infectious,
heart-rendering  and...
achingly resonant”  -  Time Out

LEARNING & PARTICIPATION

Alongside our work on stage, we run a Learning & Participation programme
that is accessible and inclusive to all. Our range of programmes creates a
lasting impact for our local community and aims to:

Schools Programme: A programme specifically for Newham Secondary
Schools. This includes technical theatre insight days, as well as bespoke
programmes

• Provide routes into the industry, across all theatre departments, with
a particular focus on diversifying those coming into the workplace,
ensuring the theatre workplace of the future is a diverse and skilled one

Community Ambassadors: A volunteer programme, supporting volunteers
to work with groups in the community to introduce them to the theatre,
as well as to run heritage tours of the theatre.

• Provide opportunities to people of all ages to develop their creative

talents and engage with the work of the theatre, ensuring that there is a
creative outlet open to the widest possible constituency

Key projects include:

Junior Youth Theatre (11-15 year olds) and Youth Theatre
(16-21 year olds): A year-round programme for young people to develop
their acting and creativity.

Young Company: A 10-month programme for 18-25 years who are
interested in developing their acting skills. Working with a range of industry
freelancers, and led by a professional director, the programme culminates
in a full production on the Stratford East stage.

Young Techs: A short course to develop the technical theatre skills of
18-25 year olds. The course leads to paid work experience, and potentially
paid work as a technician at Stratford East or elsewhere.

Adult Drama: A termly course for any Newham adult above 26, to develop
their acting and creative skills in a friendly environment.

Community Socials: Regular light touch events to introduce local people
and community groups to the theatre.

Freelance Royalty Scheme: A free membership scheme to support all
theatre freelancers living or working in East London.  Membership includes
access to space, free tickets, workshops, networking and surgery events.

“Our children aren’t able to afford theatre trips so this
was particularly important for us. I loved the diversity in
the cast also. It allowed the students to see themselves.”
-  Newham Primary School Teacher

Young Company in SCREAM FIRE. Photo: Greta Zabulyte

REPRESENTATION, JUSTICE
AND BELONGING

★★★★ “As timeless
as ever” -  Evening Standard

We want Stratford East to reflect the community in which we work and the programming on our
stage to speak to the people who come to our theatre. We want everyone who works with us to
feel empowered and supported, and we want our theatre to feel accessible to anyone, no matter
what their background. Stratford East’s programme of work has always championed a diversity of
stories, so that any audience member might see their story on our stage. We are committed to our
anti-racism and anti-ablism work as a continuous journey of change and progression. This work is
spearheaded by ClosingTheGap, our anti-racism working group, which leads on policy, training and
accountability across the organisation.

For seven years Stratford East was part of the first Ramps on the Moon consortium, a group of
theatres working to increase D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent representation. We worked
with five other theatres around the country, elevating the presence of D/deaf, disabled and
neurodivergent people on and off stage to enrich the stories told by them and the way they are told.
Whilst the official consortium has ended, we are committed to continuing this work. We now carry
the momentum forward through RADAR, our disability and accessibility working group, which
guides inclusive practice and ensures barrier-free experiences for artists, staff and audiences alike.

ENVIRONMENTAL
SUSTAINABILITY

We need and aspire to be an environmentally sustainable organisation and are embedding our
environmental work across all departments. We want to reduce our carbon footprint by ensuring
that our buildings and processes are as efficient and sustainable as possible. We are in the process of
updating our environmental policy in alignment with our values and with the Theatre Green Book and
have a short-term and long-term set of KPIs which we are working to achieve. We are also updating
our Capital Maintenance and Renewal Schedule, which has identified some key areas for renewal
over the next five years and are looking at how we can do this to further our sustainability ambitions.

Beautiful Thing  Photo: The Other Richard

FINANCES

Stratford East Income
Year End ed 31 March 2025

Box Office Income

Theatre Tax Relief

Funding

Fundraised  Income

Local Authority Income

Investment  Income

Other Income

Local Authority Income
6.5%

Fundraised  Income
11.4%

Funding
28.5%

Theatre Tax Relief
12.1%

Our annual turnover is just over £4m.  We successfully secured Arts Council
England National Portfolio Funding for the 2023-2027 period. Additional income
com es from ticket sales, fundraising, Theatre Tax Relief and other revenue
sources.

At year end March 2025 our general reserves stood at £787,472, plus designated
funds of £670,000 (two funds for three months’ operating costs plus capital
building  maintenance).

We raise around £500k  each year from fundraising from Trusts and Foundation
grants, some major donor relationships and a small but growing membership
base.

Stratford East Expenditure

Production  Costs

Staff Costs

L&P

Building  Costs

General Overheads

General Overheads
7.6%

Box Office Income
38.9%

L&P
4.6%

Staff Costs
26.4%

Production  Costs
55.9%

GOVERNANCE

Stratford East is registered as Pioneer Theatres Limited with Companies House (Company number:
556251) and with the Charity Commission (Charity Number: 233801). The Charity is led by a highly
experienced Board of Trustees. The Board includes skilled individuals from the world of arts, local
government, finance and communications. We have two Young Trustees who have come through
our Learning & Participation programmes.

We have a trading subsidiary, Stratford East (Trading) Limited which operates our bar. We also have
a Development Board, which has no formal role in governance, but supports our fundraising, and is
chaired by one of our Board Members.

Bindi Karia was announced as Chair of the Board in September 2025.

PEOPLE

Senior Management Team
Stratford East is led by the Artistic Director and Executive Director, reporting to the Board. They are
supported by the Senior Management team of nine including the Learning & Participation Director,
Associate Artistic Director, Finance Director, Operations Director, Director of Producing, Head of
Production, Head of  Marketing & Communications, Development Director and General Manager.

Staff Base
We have a 40-strong central staff base and a customer facing casual team of 60 working across
front of house, bar and box office. We also engage a large number of freelancers to work on and
off stage in our productions, as well as casual technicians.

Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World  Photo:Pamela Raith

FACTS AND FIGURES FOR THE
2024-25 FINANCIAL YEAR

FREELANCERS ENGAGED

209 217
1500 PERFORMANCES

11
1GREAT
67,275 10,104

THEATRE

MEMBERS  OF OUR

PRODUCTI ONS

SCHEME

55,394

AUDIENCE MEMBE RS
25 O NE OFF

NIGHTS

AVERAGE M ONTH LY  WEBSITE VI SITORS

Y O UN G PEOPLE
ENGAGED WITH US

9

CO MMU NIT Y
AMBAS SADORS

ROLE

Job Title:

Trustee

Reporting
to:

Chair

Start Date: Wednesday 18 March

Main Purpose of Post
As a Trustee of Theatre Royal Stratford East, you will play a vital role
in ensuring the organisation’s success, sustainability, and alignment
with its mission to create bold, relevant, and diverse theatre. Trustees
share collective responsibility for governance and strategic oversight.

INFORMATION

Stratford East is committed to a policy of equal opportunities embracing
diversity in all areas of activity and positively welcomes applications from
disabled people and people of all ethnicities.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, please send a CV (of no more than 2 pages) and a
covering letter (of no more than 2 pages) setting out why you want
to work with us and how you meet the person specification. Please
send your application to recruitment@stratfordeast.com.

Deadline to apply is 12pm on Friday 30 January 2026.

Interviews are provisionally scheduled to take place on Thursday 12
February.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Governance and Compliance

o Ensure the organisation complies with its governing
document, charity law, and other relevant legislation

o Uphold the highest standards of integrity and transparency

in all activities

Strategic Leadership

o Contribute to setting and reviewing the theatre’s strategy
o
Provide constructive challenge and support to the
Executive team in delivering the strategy

Financial Oversight

o Monitor financial performance and ensure resources are

o

managed responsibly
Approve budgets and annual accounts, safeguarding the
charity’s assets

Risk Management

o

Identify and assess risks affecting the organisation and
ensure appropriate mitigation strategies are in place

Advocacy and Ambassadorship

o

o

Act as an ambassador for Stratford East, promoting its work
and values
Support fundraising efforts and help build networks with
stakeholders, donors, and partners

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

o Champion diversity and inclusion across governance and

o

programming
Ensure the organisation reflects and serves its local
community and wider audiences

Performance and Accountability

o Regularly review the performance of the organisation and the

Board

o Commit to ongoing learning and development as a Trustee

Commitment and Engagement

o

o

Attend Board meetings (typically 4–6 per year)
and participate in sub-committees as required
Prepare thoroughly for meetings and contribute actively to
discussions and decision-making

★★★★ “Powerful, emotional intimacy” -  The Stage

stratfordeast.com

020 8534 7374

Now, I See. Photo: Camilla Greenwell