These industries run on the talent of experienced finance and operations professionals who, by and large, weren’t trained for theatre, television and live performance. They arrive technically excellent and quickly discover that the work has its own vocabulary, its own conventions and its own quietly held assumptions — most of which are nowhere in any textbook.
So we teach the sector itself: the settlements, the tax reliefs, the production payments, the cashflows and the operational rhythms that behave differently here — delivered by people who have actually held these roles — with decades of combined experience across broadcasters, producers, venues, theatres and ticketing.
Grounded knowledge, in plain language.
Every programme begins with a short consultation, so we can shape the content around your organisation, your systems and your goals — whether that’s bringing a new hire up to speed in the sector, getting a team confident with the tools they already have, or going deep on a single technical area.
The full scope is broader than any one team will need — the point is that, between us, we cover the sector. Every session is tailored, so you and your team pick what’s relevant.
Recoupment schedules, investor reporting, royalty pools, weekly running costs, profit pools, SPV structures, advances and overages.
Weekly settlements, four-wall vs box-office splits, contras, deposit accounting, hire deals, restoration levies, programme and merchandise income.
Restricted vs unrestricted funds, ACE reporting, charity SORP, reserves policies, project vs core budgets, multi-year funding cycles.
Actors and stage management: SOLT/Equity, UK Theatre/Equity and ITC/Equity agreements, weekly minima, allowances, holiday and pension, understudy and dance-captain fees, paymaster vs in-house.
Core vs non-core costs, separate P&Ls per production, AIF requirements, the touring rate, post-April 2025 rates, and the HMRC queries that come up.
Cast and crew: PACT/Equity and PACT/BECTU agreements, daily and weekly rates, overtime and meal penalties, residuals, start paperwork, loan-outs, deliverables and amortisation.
Production cost reports, cashflow against schedule, PACT and broadcaster commissioning structures, deliverables, co-production accounting, HETV tax relief, distribution recoupment.
Trust accounts, deferred income, refunds, gift vouchers and dynamic pricing — with the box-office software know-how to reconcile takings and fundraising income by payment method, through to third-party settlements.
Directors, designers, crew and musicians: MU and BECTU agreements, freelance vs PAYE, IR35, royalty obligations to writers and composers.
Tickets, touring, co-productions, international transfers, the cultural exemption, partial exemption for mixed activity.
Advance ticket income, deferred revenue, production-cycle cashflow, working capital around capitalisation and recoupment.
What auditors want to see, prep and pack standards, the common audit issues in the sector, fund accounting for charities.
Ongoing, confidential support for one person — a new finance or operations lead, an executive director, or a freelancer building their practice.
Focused, practical sessions on a single topic, built around the sector rather than generic theory. For our group programme, members vote on the topics — so the calendar reflects what the room most wants to learn.
A tailored programme around your systems, structure and goals — ideal for embedding new processes across a team.
A flexible arrangement that lets you call on a trusted expert whenever questions come up.
Beyond live training, our Setting the Stage membership gives you a growing library of templates, worked examples and resources to use day to day. Explore Setting the Stage →
