Theatre overview

Cambridge Arts Theatre was founded in 1936 by the economist and founding member of the Arts Council, John Maynard Keynes. They’ve helped launch the careers of theatrical luminaries, such as Ian McKellen, Derek Jacobi, Emma Thompson and Stephen Fry. And four of the last five directors of the National Theatre – Peter Hall, Trevor Nunn, Richard Eyre and Nicholas Hytner – all directed on our stage at the start of their careers.

They’ve played host to a dazzling variety of cultural milestones, from Margot Fonteyn dancing her first Swan Lake to Harold Pinter’s premiere of The Birthday Party.

Today, Cambridge Arts Theatre is a venue of choice for all scale appropriate drama, dance and opera in both the subsidised and commercial sectors.

Cambridge Arts Theatre is a registered charity with over 90% of our income currently being raised through ticket sales, booking fee and front of house sales. Diversification and enhancement of our income streams is a key priority.

About the people

Dave Murphy took over the reigns as CEO in 2003 and has played a transformative role to create a theatre that exists to inspire and nurture a life-long love of the performing arts.

The wider leadership team comprises:

• Executive Director, Victoria Beechey with responsibility for with responsibility for the strategy and day-to-day operations of the Theatre including Finance, HR, Front of House operations, Technical, Marketing and Box Office.
• Director of Philanthropy, Hannah Cosh with responsibility for leading the capital and revenue fundraising of the Theatre.

As a registered charity, Cambridge Arts Theatre has a robust trustee Board, chaired by Ian Mather.