About Theatre Tokens

Theatre Tokens is the only not-for-profit nationwide theatre voucher scheme. Run by the Society Of London Theatre and UK Theatre, it was launched in 1984 to encourage more audience attendance through the power of gifting.

How the Theatre Tokens scheme helps theatres

Not-for-profit
The scheme is run by not-for-profit organisations, so any money made is reinvested back into the industry. Find out about the theatrical charity initiatives Society Of London Theatre and UK Theatre support below.

The power of the collective
A singular voucher scheme allows us to sell through big retailers such as Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose, John Lewis, WHSmith and Waterstones – which gives theatre visibility on the high street and contributes to more than £10million in Tokens yearly ready to be spent at theatres.

Theatre Tokens is able to negotiate sponsorships and big brand collaborations, such as with The National Lottery and O2, which in turn benefits theatres in the scheme.

These opportunities would be near impossible for an individual theatre to achieve alone.

Everybody benefits
With more than 300 theatres participating in the scheme, Theatre Tokens has built a database of theatre fans which we can communicate with on behalf of individual theatres. A theatre in Scotland can redeem a Theatre Token that was purchased and gifted by someone in Cornwall, even if that person has never heard of the theatre.  

We’ve also been able to build marketing automation technology that can be used by all participating theatres free of charge and are constantly looking at ways to support theatres to reach new audiences through our platforms.

Plus it is great for audiences as they have a choice on what to see, access to over 300 Theatres nationwide, and with no expiry date they can go when ever they want.

Theatre Tokens is run by the Society Of London Theatre, which was established in 1908 by actor and theatre manager Sir Charles Wyndham. Our mission is to champion theatre and the performing arts by delivering a range of services both to assist our members and to promote theatregoing to the widest possible audience.

We donate funds to the Theatre Development Trust (TDT), a registered charity offering grants to recognised organisations that apply via a formal process. TDT’s mission is to promote and advance the dramatic and other performing arts for the benefit of the public. Some of the organisations and projects that receive grants are:

The programme of training course, conferences and events offered by our sister organisation UK Theatre supports the professional development of individual working in the industry by providing valuable learning, best practice and networking opportunities. For more information visit the UK Theatre website.

Stage One is a registered charity that supports new commercial UK theatre producers and productions. It's committed to securing the future of commercial theatre through education and investment schemes. If you're an aspiring theatre producers, Stage One can help get you on the first rung of your career ladder by turning your entrepreneurial ideas and ambitions into reality. Find out more on the Stage One website.

The Laurence Olivier Bursary was established in 1987 to commemorate the 80th Birthday of the great British actor Laurence Olivier.

Each summer we invite the principals of accredited drama schools to submit two nominations for the bursary. About 40 students are entered each June and appear before a panel of theatre industry professionals - usually producers and casting directors. For further information, please contact Catherine Bowell.



Go Live Theatre Projects (formerly Mousetrap Theatre Projects) is a theatre education charity dedicated to bringing the magic of theatre into the lives of young people. For more information visit the Go Live Theatre Projects website.


Read more about the work the Society Of London Theatre does.