Nonsuch Studios, Nottingham’s independent theatre and creative venue, has been awarded charitable status marking a significant achievement for the venue and recognising the huge public benefit the artist-led company provides for the communities of Nottingham and beyond.
Confirmed recently by the Charity Commission for England & Wales, Nonsuch Studios are now become a registered charity after 8 years of being an artist-led not-for-profit organisation, producing new theatre & performance, running large-scale community projects across the UK and supporting the widening of access to the arts across Nottingham and the county.
Founded in a belief that Creativity is Power and with a mission to see a world transformed through culture & creativity, Nonsuch Studios started life as a local theatre company in 2013, but since then has gone on to grow year-on-year to produce a wide range of creative community projects, festivals, installations and events, including the headline event of this year’s Light Night in the Market Square, Rebel Heart.
From humble beginnings, the organisation has been based since 2019 between Hockley & Sneinton Market on Lennox Street in a former industrial warehouse which Nonsuch Studios transformed to become Nottingham’s only independent fringe theatre as well as 5 other creative studio spaces which welcome thousands of creatives, businesses and community members each week to an incredibly diverse range of activities, events and opportunities.
The organisation that has been based in Nottingham since 2013 and opened the city’s first independent fringe theatre & creative venue situated between Hockley & Sneinton Market in October 2019 works with over 13,500 individuals every year through their extensive community programmes.
Even during the covid-pandemic, when the organisation’s future was at serious risk after having to close for over 370 days, Nonsuch Studios went out into communities supporting thousands of local children & families delivering over 7,500 free make-at-home pizza kits filled with creative resources, produced the Creative Quarantine email newsletter that sent ideas for at-home creative activities to over 5,000 subscribers in 24 countries around the world, and took over the Victoria Embankment Bandstand for the Nonsuch-on-Trent Festival that saw thousands of people enjoy live performance again in a covid-safe environment.
Speaking on the news of achieving charitable status, Nonsuch Studios’ Founder, Artistic Director & CEO, Edward Boott says:
“This is amazing news for everyone within the Nonsuch Studios family, from our amazing staff team to the thousands of participants, artists & community members we work with every year, this is a real moment of achievement for us all.
We’ve always been a not-for-profit company, investing any money we make back into our community focused work, but now, as an official charity, we will be able to fundraise to make an even bigger difference, save significant costs and have a much more engaged governance process that embeds our communities across our decision making frameworks.
Being awarded this status means we’ll be able to work harder and better for the benefit of the whole community of Nottingham and beyond and we can’t wait to build on the amazing work we’ve already done with even bigger, better and further reaching projects in the years to come!”
Nonsuch Studios’ interim Chair of the Board Cathy Mahmood says:
“It’s an honour and privilege to support Nonsuch Studios, an inspiring organisation and venue, committed to deepening creative opportunities for people in Nottingham and beyond. Their new Charitable status recognises the energy and vision of the amazing staff team!”
