Why Support Us?

Malvern Theatres presents over 600 live performances and events a year attracting some 300,000 visitors. We screen over 700 film showings each year to an audience of over 70,000 film lovers but our diverse programme is only half the story.

The theatre’s Creative Learning and Engagement department offers 21 workshops every week for people of all ages and abilities, welcoming children, older people, and adults with learning disabilities and other complex conditions across the region.

We also have a thriving access programme, including regular signed performances and descriptive subtitles in the cinema for people with hearing loss conditions, as well as audio described performances, touch tours and touch screen cinema for those with visual impairments, and relaxed performances for people with neuro-diverse spectrum conditions, including autism and dementia. We welcome school children every year to watch a film for free and are committed to ensuring that no child in Malvern district leaves school without watching at least one live performance.

We successfully achieve all of the above with less than 1% of annual turnover publicly funded. Furthering our mission of making arts accessible to people of all ages and abilities in our community and beyond, our trustees and staff envision us and work towards becoming one of the few financially independent theatres in the UK. Since 2012 our local authority funding has fallen by over 50% from £122,810 to £56,800, which equates to 0.95% of our annual turnover in 2015/2016. In the same period, with your generous support, our fundraising efforts have reached over £100,000 per year for the first time. Your financial support through generous donations has been extremely important in sustaining us as an organisation and leading the way for us to realise our ambitious plans for the future.

Every time you make a monthly donation, take part in one of our fundraising campaigns or leave a gift in your will, you play a crucial part in our story. Together we can protect and cherish this special theatre which for the past 140 years has enthralled audiences and inspired and entertained generations of theatregoers.

“I very much hope that everyone will lend their support to Malvern Theatres in realising their ambitions. It is vital that young and enthusiastic performers are encouraged and given high quality experiences which offer an insight into the world of Drama and Theatre. We must ensure that the next generation safeguard the arts so they continue to thrive and inspire.” Sir Derek Jacobi