Leicester’s Curve Theatre has reported its most successful financial year to date, achieving an annual turnover of £18.5 million for 2024/25.
Between April 2024 and March 2025, more than 265,000 tickets were sold for performances at the venue. The programme included Made at Curve productions such as My Fair Lady, The Mountaintop and Fantastic Foxes, alongside national tours including Tina – The Tina Turner Musical and My Son’s a Queer (But What Can You Do?). The theatre also staged 132 accessible performances, including BSL-interpreted, captioned, and relaxed sessions.
Curve’s reach extended beyond Leicester, with its productions touring over 107 cities and drawing more than two million ticket sales. The year also marked the launch of the Kinky Boots UK and Ireland tour and the return of A Chorus Line, which completed a sell-out season at Sadler’s Wells.
As a registered charity, Curve raised over £1 million through donations, grants and sponsorship. Its creative engagement programmes attracted 27,500 participants, with more than 350 school groups attending performances. Around 1,000 artists participated in development programmes, supported by 1,220 hours of in-kind rehearsal space.
Speaking about the results, Curve’s Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director Nikolai Foster said:
“We are immensely proud to report on another terrific year for our theatre — the most successful since we opened our doors in 2008. Not only did attendance reach an all-time high for audiences here in Leicester, but working in partnership with other theatres and commercial producers we were able to fly the flag for Curve around the UK and internationally, reaching over 2 million people.
Curve would not be the place it is today without the people who make it happen, and these outstanding results are a testament to the incredible team at Curve and the talents of our wonderful freelance colleagues. As always huge thanks to the support from our fantastic audiences, donors, sponsors, and our principal funders Arts Council England and Leicester City Council.
Whilst we are delighted to share such positive news, like most theatres we are operating in an ever-more challenging environment, with rising costs continuing to affect our operations. We urgently need to build sufficient funds for essential capital replacements to ensure Curve thrives into the future.”
Nearly one-third of audiences were first-time visitors, and 1,000 free tickets were distributed through community networks, reinforcing Curve’s commitment to accessibility and community engagement.
