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2023-03-31-accounts

(A company limited by guarantee)

Annual Report and Unaudited Financial Statements For the Year Ended 31 March 2023

Charity number 1061522 Company number 03272271 (England & Wales)

IMMEDIATE THEATRE

Contents

For the Year Ended 31 March 2023

Page
Legal and Administrative Information 2
Report of the Directors (Trustees) 3 to 27
Independent Examiners’ Report 28
Statement of Financial Activities 29
Balance Sheet 30
Statement of Cashflows 31
Notes forming part of the Financial Statements 32 to 39

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Legal and Administrative Information

Year ended 31 March 2023

Charity Legal Name: Charity registration number: Company registration number: Trustees

Immediate Theatre 1061522 03272271 (England & Wales)

S Scarlett - Chair M Butcher L Oguntoyinbo – Vice Chair P Smith - Treasurer S Moss R Harris G Green J Wong S Summers A Lee (appointed 27 July 2022) M Howarth (resigned 27 July 2022) S Morris (appointed 27 July 2022)

Company Secretary Senior Management Team

J Carter

J Carter – Artistic Director C Humphrey – Participation Manager S Smith – General Manager

Registered office & operational address:

Unit 1, Sidings House 10 Andre Street London E8 2AA

Independent Examiners:

Simpson Wreford LLP Chartered Accountants Wellesley House Duke of Wellington Avenue Royal Arsenal London SE18 6SS

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Report of the Directors (Trustees)

Year ended 31 March 2023

The trustees, who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2023. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)

Structure, Governance and Managemen t

Governing documents - Immediate Theatre is controlled by its governing document, a deed of trust, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006.

Trustees

S Scarlett Chair L Oguntoyinbo Vice Chair P Smith Treasurer M Butcher S Moss R Harris G Green John Wong Tuck Hoi S Summers – also known as S Gorman M Howarth (resigned 27/7/2022) Anthony Lee (appointed 27/7/2022) Sophie Morris (appointed 27/7/2022)

Management

The Board of Trustees governs the charity, meeting at least four times a year. The Trustees delegate daily management of the Company to a Senior Management Team currently consisting of Artistic Director, General Manager and Participation Manager.

Appointment and Retirement of Trustees

Trustees are appointed (or elected) at the AGM and those who have been standing the longest stand down and offer themselves for re-election. Those wishing to retire from the board do so at the time of the AGM.

Objectives and Activities

Immediate Theatre’s charitable objective, as detailed in the Memorandum and Articles of Association, is to advance education for the public benefit through the promotion of the arts with particular, but not exclusive, reference to the dramatic arts.

Public Benefit

The Trustees have considered the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit and consider that the activities of the charity meet its charitable objectives and provide a benefit to the public.

Risk Management

The directors have examined the major strategic, financial, business and operational risks which the charity faces and confirm that systems have been established to enable regular reporting so that the necessary steps can be taken to lessen these risks.

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Our Objectives

Our Vision:

Immediate Theatre remains committed to our vision of a society where questioning, articulate and motivated people create and collaborate to build thriving communities.

Our Purpose:

Our purpose is to involve communities in creative projects that inspire wellbeing, break down barriers and engage people in the process of personal and social change.

Our Objectives:

Our objectives are delivered across our programmes with thorough evaluation processes being used to evidence the impact of our work.

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Chair’s Summary

It has been an immense privilege to lead Immediate Theatre during a year of significant change and growth during which we have been recognized with an Award from Children and Young people Now for our work in Arts and Culture.

In July 2022 we took on a 15-year lease for our own space, creating a home for our organisation, providing room for our workshops and meetings alongside office facilities. From my initial engagement in 2008 as a participant I have thought of Immediate Theatre as my “home” and it is wonderful to know that the company now has its own space to welcome participants and provide them with a sense of belonging. Thanks to support from our Patron Idris Elba and funding from London Borough of Hackney we transformed 177 square meters into creative spaces with staff working in the building by October and held a celebratory launch on 14[th] April 2023. We are now pleased to also be able to welcome other arts organisations and community groups to benefit from these new resources in Hackney Downs.

The transition to our new building also required a significant review of structures including transferring to a cloud-based IT system and the development of a new database which we hope will enable us to produce more robust evidence of impact in the coming years. Amongst all this structural change the staff have remained committed to supporting participants in the community and our work on estates continues to grow. This year we have seen a 30% increase in registered participants and almost doubled the number engaged in one-off workshops.

The cost-of-living crisis has had a significant impact on many of our participants and in response we have increased the number of holiday activities offered from 4 to 10 weeks and spent over £7,000 providing hot food for our youth theatres. We have also accessed food parcels for many of the families we engage with.

A highlight of the year was the production of a new play for schools, Pressure Drop, which reached 1117 people across Hackney in November 2022. Developed with our young participants, the play gives voice to some of the challenges they are facing and profiles the important work we are doing. Pressure Drop commenced an extended tour in April 2023, travelling beyond the borough as far as Croydon and Brent, and taking the work of Immediate Theatre to an even bigger audience.

I would like to thank all our staff, freelancers and volunteers for their passion and commitment, particularly our Senior Management team, Jo Carter Artistic Director, Suzy Smith, General Manager and Charmain Humphries Participation Manager for driving the organisation through this period of change.

Shekeila Scarlett – Chair of Trustees

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2022-2023 in Numbers

17 people supported into training, placements or employment. 19 young people employed as Peer Facilitators and support workers totalling 1167 hours.

Projects

Speech Bubbles

• Ages: 5 to 7 | 140 Participants | 168 Sessions

A weekly drama programme for children in Years 1 and 2 with Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN), designed to provide them an opportunity to improve communication skills through telling stories and acting them out. We reached a further 7 schools with 16 outreach sessions, providing a chance for 140 students to participate in our programme.

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Estate-based Youth Theatres

Our 9 EbYTs provide a space for self-expression, creativity and growth. In addition to the 282 participants, we reached 204 young people with our outreach workshops this year. All our EbYTs explored pantomime in the winter and performed in our annual Social Action event, exploring contemporary societal issues. EbYT members formed a new Youth Board advising our Board of Trustees.

Holiday Projects

We provide activities for young people during school holidays throughout the year - a space for them to express their creativity, have fun and enjoy a hot meal. We support their wellbeing and encourage them to collaborate and interact positively with their peers.

I nteractions

Working with young people facing or at risk of exclusion in schools and those already in Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) to develop life-skills, provide support with issues covering violence and victimisation, healthy relationships and with reintegration into the education system. In addition to the 122 participants, we engaged 41 young people through 4 outreach sessions. A highlight of the year was the residential in Clactonon-Sea.

Schools Tour

We had an incredibly successful tour of our new production Pressure Drop, reaching 13 schools with performances and workshops. Developed with our participants the play explored the challenges young people face growing up in East London including school exclusion, knife crime and sexting.

Pathways to Employment

Providing support for young people and women of the global majority we provide a combination of 1:1 support and group sessions. This includes our unique “What’s Your Story?” programme that uses a creative approach to supporting participants to identify their goals and make positive steps towards achieving them. Supported by Mind in the City, Hackney and Waltham Forest this project also connects participants with specialist mental health support. Eight young people (18-25) established a new Youth Advisory Group assisting with steering Hackney 16+ Network.

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The Indie Project

Ages: 25+ | 8 Participants | 5 Sessions This new partnership project with Hackney Housing was launched in February 2023 supporting adults (25+) with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Participants develop life skills through creative learning and empower people with disabilities to make positive decisions.

Creative Connections (working with over 55s)

o Theatre Exchange:

• Ages: 55+ | 16 Participants | 54 Sessions

The Theatre Exchange group continued to meet weekly using improvisation to develop new plays. Delivery was predominantly online creating 4 intergenerational dramas for Hackney Social Audio and an intergenerational show which was recorded live at The Arcola Theatre in December. In the Spring they started work on their next live performance for November 2023.

o Hackney Social Audio:

• Ages: 55+ | 687 Listens | 19 scripts created and recorded • Ages: Adults | 22 Participants |12 Podcast Training Sessions • Ages: 55+ | 15 Participants | 9 Production Club Sessions • Ages: 55+ | 68 Participants | 12 Community Sessions

Our monthly HSA podcast produced 19 audio pieces this year, including 7 full-length episodes and 12 short features. Two series of podcast training were delivered for all adults and Production Club helped shape the audio output. The team also introduced audio work to all our Youth Theatres. Four community groups: Hackney Caribbean Elderly Organisation, Chatsworth Lunch Club, Shoreditch Trust Stroke Survivors group and Lime Tree Court (sheltered accommodation) took part in poetry and reminiscence workshops excerpts from which were featured on HSA.

Highlights of the Year:

Speech Bubbles

We are thrilled to report on the impact of Speech Bubbles, a programme that works specifically with Year 1 and Year 2 children with Speech, Language and Communication Needs. Speech Bubbles addresses these needs by providing a weekly drama intervention that develops communication skills and confidence through acting out the children’s stories. Thanks to funding from UBS, we were able to run the programme in 6 schools this year and worked with 120 children. The post-programme evaluation scores given by class teachers are incredibly positive, revealing that:

94% of pupils showed improvement in their learning in the classroom.

83% displayed improvement in their emotional behaviour and conduct.

88% displayed improvement in their speaking and listening skills.

Case Study:

Provided by Year 2 Teacher, De Beauvoir Primary

Before:

Child A is often selective about when to speak and will use gestures to indicate a response after a question with options is posed to her. Since her sister has joined the class, she is even more reluctant to speak during carpet sessions.

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After:

The biggest improvement this year is Child A’s progress from just talking to teachers to holding conversations with teachers. She is now more willing to speak in full sentences and won't wait for discussion prompts. The confidence she has in her own ability to roleplay is now apparent in class. This year I have seen her act out different story scenes, using facial expressions and character voices. I have also even heard Child A sing! The difference Speech Bubbles has made to Child A this year and the previous year has been life changing.

We are looking forward to providing professional development session, ‘Drama Tools for a Communication Friendly Classroom’, at five of our Speech Bubbles schools in the summer term. The sessions offer a toolkit of activities staff can use in their classrooms to support communication, which will hopefully embed Speech Bubbles practice in the wider school culture and raise the profile of Speech Bubbles and Immediate Theatre within the school.

“We have seen huge progress in the children taking part in Speech Bubbles. They are more confident to speak in class, and children who might otherwise slip under the radar are given time and space to express themselves, which is so valuable.” Assistant Headteacher, Sebright primary

Estate-based Youth Theatres: We Want Your Views –

Nightingale Estate Regeneration Project

Our Nightingale Estate-based Youth Theatre finally returned to face-to-face work in April 2022. We were pleased to welcome 18 young people to the group for a partnership project with theatre-maker Mark Maughan and architects at UCL working together on The Great Regeneration Scheme which explores the regeneration of estates across London and those involved in and affected by it.

Work began through a 3-day Easter holiday project creating ideas for community spaces the young people wanted to see on their estate as part of current regeneration plans. They refined their ideas through the weekly sessions, discussing what was missing and important for them to see in their community space to improve quality-of-life for all. Architects at UCL rendered the young people’s designs to visually demonstrate their ideas. Their 3 final ideas were: a multi-purpose community centre, improved playground and the ‘Stegobus’ – a dinosaur-shaped tour bus that serves as a café and food bank for the local community. The young people developed and led a public meeting event for residents and decision makers during the May half-term.

Young People’s Key Achievements:

After the programme:

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increasing their confidence feeling proud of themselves gaining life-skills in trusting and supporting others 75% being able to they shared their ideas of young participants self-reported worked as part of a team

“It was wonderful to see the young people, most of whom weren’t aware of the Nightingale regeneration at the start of the project, engage in meaningful conversations with adults who have a say in the regeneration process.”

Eleanor Clack – Immediate Theatre

“The fact that we were able to pull together all the disparate elements of the idea and combining them into a public presentation that went down well with the audience and yielded a request for further meetings with the council, was a huge achievement in my books.”

Mark Maughan – The Great Regeneration Scheme

Audience Feedback

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Open Your Ears – EbYT Annual Social Action Event

Open Your Ears brought the year to a wonderful climax in March 2023 with 79 young people from across our Estate-based Youth Theatres performing for each other and a panel of judges. This annual event focuses on the ways in which young people can use their voice to make change, educate and inform others on the issues and injustices facing our society today. The young people aged 5 – 25 from our eight groups worked throughout the Spring term (January to March). They were involved in the decision-making at all stages of the project, choosing their own topics, leading the team through the development of the ideas and ultimately shaping the final performance. The topics chosen focused on “foodbanks” “online safety” “homelessness” “discrimination” and “sexual harassment”. Performance styles varied enormously from hard hitting drama, to comedy, audience involvement and use of “agit prop” and dramatized letters to the world.

Funding from Vinters and UBS enabled us to run 4 days of additional activities during the February half term, giving young people an opportunity to develop ideas further as well as having a hot meal. Four young people (13+) also attended the London Hope Hack at the Olympic Stadium, attended by Sadiq Khan. The event which brought young people together to tackle societal issues such as racism, education, mental health, cost of living and knife crime. We were very proud of the contributions made by our group. 40 Young people were awarded AQA certificates in Exploring Issue-Based Plays or Stories

Young people reported:

81% Made friends 62% Taking responsibility & being in-charge 81% Improvising skills 76% Working as a team

“I've gained empathy because I've told people about how I feel and discussed how they feel.”

“Through drama, I am able to understand myself more.”

“I feel proud of myself because I helped others on stage.”

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The judges said:

“Equality vs Equity highlighted well – Great audience engagement – Powerful reimaging of Rosa Parks experience updated for London 2023 – Convincing portrayal.”

Woodbury Down ages 8-12 years - 3[rd] prize winner

“Very Funny! - Political commentary was effective and relevant – Informative ‘even I learnt something’ Well structured”

Nightingale ages 8-12 years - 2[nd] Prize winner

“Great staging– Good balance of humour and seriousness – Loved the direct address to the audience – Very well balanced with everyone involved – Great job in handling a sensitive subject –– forced us to self-reflect on our own role in spreading online toxicity – Strong message that needs to be told.”

Advanced Youth Theatre 13-18 1st Prize

The group won £150 and performed their piece at The Yard Theatre in April as part of the Pressure Drop events.

Case study

M has been attending our sessions for a couple of years now, the challenge that M has had to face is the codependant relationship she has with her sister. When working through our Social Action term, M was able to grow and flourish, using her imagination to create some wonderful work for her team. Previously, M would spend time supporting and communicating with her sister. Splitting them up gave M the opportunity to use those skills on other people and scenarios. This term she got the opportunity to broaden those skills by directing and taking lead within some rehearsals. M has been more engaged and inquisitive throughout the sessions this term than ever before, and her creative skills have improved because of this. We are looking forward to seeing M continue to engage with her natural abilities as a leader and creative.

We would like to thank our staff and freelance team: Charmain Humphrey, Hannah Drummond, Gavin Dent, Kyarna Morris, Deane Dixon Foster, Peer Facilitators Montell Pemberton, Ajia Lee Perkins, Kasino Morris, Joel Gibbons, and Jasmine Williams and Volunteer Nicky Wilson. Caterer Hannah Davis and photographer Ben Moss. Thanks to our youth theatre funders: Connecting Young Hackney, The National Lottery Reaching Communities Programme and Coutts.

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Interactions – Clacton-on-Sea Residential

A high point of the year for young people was our residential at Clacton-on-Sea in October 2022. Whilst year-round provision provides the core of our work, residentials and intensive holiday projects can often create a real turning point for participants.

The Interactions project targets young people in school exclusion units and those at risk of exclusion within school settings. We work with them throughout the year both in school and evening programmes, creating consistent positive relationships with adults, increasing their life skills, confidence and

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aspirations. The residential is a critical opportunity for young people to escape the daily pressures on their lives, to relax, to enjoy themselves and to gain a sense of independence. It gives staff extended time to really get to know the young people.

We took 15 young people to Clacton-on-Sea for a 3-day trip from Friday 28th – Sunday 30[th] October 2022. This year we focussed on exploring mental wellbeing, using a range of workshops including teaching the young people how to use cameras. The group also requested workshops around sexual health and consent which we went on to use as the starting point of a show in the winter term.

Evaluation demonstrated that:

Two of the young people are now regularly working for us as Peer Facilitators. The young people are constantly asking when they can go again.

“The best memory of the project was the games and spending time as a family”

“I learned about different ways of relaxing yourself and stepped out my comfort zone”

Staff Comments

“I enjoyed seeing how young people developed their confidence throughout the trip” Charmain Humphrey – Participation Manager

“I think this was a very well positioned experience, giving young people an appropriate level of freedom, responsibility and leisure time” Ben Moss – Filmmaker

“I am so happy that I was given this opportunity to develop my skills” Kasino Morris – Peer Leader

Case Studies

A allowed herself to play during this residential, they often find themselves in the background and can be quite shy, not under confident but not allowing themselves to be authentic around others. This residential allowed them to go to the Pier and have fun with the other young people and to engage in activities in the evening. A was able to create ideas for everyone to take part it, this was really great to witness. Watch our video report of the Clacton trip here.

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- Schools Tour: Pressure Drop a new play for schools.

It has been many years since Immediate Theatre has been able to mount a new production due to lack of investment for the arts and education, and a seeming lack of appreciation of the positive impact when young people see live a story for and about them. However, thanks to our patron, Idris Elba, and his #walkamileinmyshoes capsule collection produced with his wife Sabrina Elba and friend Christian Louboutin, we were able to utilise their investment to produce a new play that amplifies local young people’s voices. Pressure Drop is a complex drama reflecting the compound challenges experienced by young people growing up in London and across the UK today.

Pressure Drop was written by playwright Anna Bennett. We initially explored ideas with young people at a residential who had experienced school exclusion in February 2022. We then ran research workshops with youth organisations in the Rise Up East project area at Hackney Quest, Project 365, and also at The Crib. We ran three days of research and development with our Advanced Youth Theatre Group in June 2022 and Summer Exposure 2022, exploring ideas and improvising scenes which formed the basis of the four characters in the play: Mya, Daniel, Jayden and Michael. The young people were consulted by the playwright Anna Bennett on the plot lines and language in the play to ensure authenticity and that they felt a sense of ownership over it.

“It meant a great deal to come back to Hackney to work on a play with young people from the borough, for the borough (and beyond). my passion for young people is equal to my passion for the creative arts, and Pressure Drop is very much a joining of the two.”

Anna Bennett, Playwright

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Pressure Drop launched officially in October of 2022, as it began its tour around 13 schools and venues in Hackney, which were accompanied by workshops led by a team of facilitators to explore the themes of knife crime, sexual harassment and mental wellbeing in greater depth. The work was targeted at young people in years 9 & 10 but was appreciated by a wider age group. The play reached 1117 young people in its first tour.

The project provided opportunities for an excellent team of freelancers that consisted of experienced and early-career actors and creatives, and we were proud to offer some of the actors their first professional credit.

“Anna’s writing is a gift for young actors and adults alike – the dialogue is motivated and transitive with little said as pure exposition, and so as a piece it’s a very exciting story that hurtles forwards.” Adam Karim, Director

Student Feedback:

100% of students agreed that theatre is a good way to present these issues and themes 91% of students rated the performance ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’. 87% of students agreed or strongly agreed that the workshops allowed them to explore the themes and issues in the play.

“It will make people more aware of these issues and ways they should be dealt with. It also lets people see all perspectives.”

“Many people go to the theatre to enjoy themselves, but they can learn at the same time too, about issues people face and how to reduce these issues.”

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Staff Feedback

100% of schools agreed that:

“Theatre is the perfect medium for young people to have social issues played back to them to reflect on their own experiences.” - Teacher.

“The students will take away new/different ways to cope with difficult situations. The incidents included in the performance can and do happen everywhere.” - Teacher.

We’re excited to be taking Pressure Drop to The Yard Theatre in early April so that we can facilitate postshow discussions with the wider community that allow them to engage with its themes, then run workshops for young people to explore these topics even further. Our week at The Yard Theatre will be followed by a second 4-week tour to secondary schools in Hackney and Newham from 18[th] April – 12[th] May. We are immensely grateful to the very talented team who worked with us to create this superb piece of drama that has now been performed to over 6000 young people, bringing theatre to many who had not experienced it before.

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Pathways to Employment: Sixteen Plus Hackney Network

The power of partnership working is evidenced by our ongoing involvement in the Sixteen Plus Hackney Network. Chaired by Immediate Theatre in partnership with Hackney Quest, the Sixteen Plus network has brought together 100 individuals representing 60 organisations/departments across the voluntary and statutory sectors with expertise in employment, mental health and training.

The aims of the partnership are to:

In addition to monthly partnership meetings where partners share information and challenges in the borough, we have established 5 subgroups to progress the work.

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The Network was launched at an event at the Pembury Centre on 2[nd] February 2023 attended by Hackney’s Mayor, partner organisations and young people.

Our work with Sixteen Plus Hackney has greatly enhanced the Pathways programme. The following case studies provide examples:

A was referred to us by Hackney Quest to take part in our Link Up project. This was a 10-week programme that upskilled young people in events management, culminating in the young people designing and implementing an event from scratch. The young people chose to host an employability event called Media Call Back, aimed at inspiring and presenting young people with opportunities within the creative industries. The event took place at the Good Growth Hub, another Sixteen Plus Hackney Network partner, with inspirational speakers from film, podcasting and marketing, workshops with film makers, DJs and local artists from the community. A acted as the Assistant Coordinator and as Host on the night, introducing all the speakers and performers. The confidence gained supported A to apply for work. In June he started work at the Lego shop, but is still in touch with the team and contributing to Youth Engagement activities and receiving counselling support from Hackney Quest.

M joined us in September 2022 and was seeking support to find her first paid role in the creative industry. M worked with our Creative Pathways Coordinator, to map out her ideal career pathway, which included developing herself as a creative, her skills and experience and eventually working in the industry.

We referred M to our partner LIFT which is part of the Sixteen Plus Hackney network and specialises in supporting residents in tech, sciences, digital and creative production. LIFT worked with M to find her a suitable paid placement in the creative marketing industry working with Our Friends In London starting in November.

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The Creative Pathways Coordinator maintained contact with M who reported “Working with Our Friends has made me very excited to continue my journey in the creative sector! I enjoyed that my contributions counted and they showed me a different way of approaching each campaign.”

Creative Connections: Hackney Social Audio

Building on the enormous success of Hackney Social Radio this year we are very proud to have included young and old in our 7 podcasts and engaged hundreds of local residents in making audio content. Subjects covered ranged from local history pieces, plays created by Theatre Exchange to a ghostly Halloween special. See HSR S2 EP21: Highlights of the year so far 2021 by Hackney Social Audio (spotify.com) We provided intergenerational training in making a podcast for 22 people, and worked with four community groups enabling 68 over 65’s to contribute to the work. Our Youth Theatre’s also got a taste of making podcasts and voice acting. Almost 200 people in total were involved in the project.

“Through this platform, my confidence has grown as I have felt valued being involved.... The meetings have been so helpful in terms of communication as sometimes I don't get out of the house. I would be lost without the Immediate group.” Production Club and Podcast Training Participant

A highlight of the programme was Beauty and the Beastlies working in parallel with our Estate based Youth Theatre groups Theatre Exchange explored the story of Beauty and the Beast. For the older participants the starting point was– what is your inner beast? This provoked the creation of 9 wealthy retired characters living in acrimonious luxury in a gated community in Hackney – whilst Beauty’s family live in poverty on the other side of the borough. Improvised scenes were recorded and then transformed into a 35-minute drama by Penny Cliff. For the final recording we worked with 7 young people from across our youth theatres taking on the roles of Beauty and her siblings. The play was recorded in a studio and then live in front of an audience at Arcola Theatre and broadcast as a Christmas Special on Hackney Social Audio. All involved really enjoyed the experience and look forward to further opportunities for intergenerational work.

“I enjoyed recording it and doing the acting through the mic.” Youth Theatre Participant

“I enjoyed being able to work with older people.” Youth Theatre Participant

“The young people were excellent – it definitely enhanced our performance.” Theatre Exchange Participant

We would like to celebrate the achievements of Leo Dunlop, Production Assistant who joined us as a Kickstart Placement in 2022 and went on to become our first STEP intern (supported by A New Direction).

“I learnt so much during my time at Immediate Theatre working on Hackney Social Audio. It was a project that engaged with such a diverse range of communities that meant a lot of people

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interacted with voices and experiences that they’d never usually encounter in their normal lives. I also was able to learn so much practically about recording audio that has led me to find more work in the audio industry. Without my time on Hackney Social Audio I wouldn’t be where I am today.” Leo Dunlop

Awards

We are delighted that our work has been recognised through local and national awards.

We were thrilled to accept the Arts and Culture Award 2022 from Children & Young People Now, recognising our Estate-based Youth Theatre work. It was an honour to be considered alongside so many other organisations and charities working to improve the lives of young people across the UK.

Our Artistic Director Jo Carter and participation manager Charmain Humphrey were nominated for Hackney CVS’s Adiaha Antigha Community Awards . This award recognises individuals and organisations who had made a positive difference to Hackney and supported young people during the costof-living crisis.

We were shortlisted for the Third Sector Awards’ Celebrity Charity Champion Award , thanks to our patron, Idris Elba. Although we didn’t win the prize, Immediate Theatre were proud to attend the Awards Ceremony with a member from Idris Elba’s team and celebrate the work of other charities and unsung heroes.

Premises

The biggest development of the year saw our move into the new office and studio space in Hackney in the summer of 2022, thanks to Hackney Council’s Community Fund and the Walk a Mile in My Shoes campaign. For over 25 years, Immediate Theatre has worked on the streets, in schools and in community halls to connect people, give them a voice, and enable their stories to be heard. The fantastic impact of this new space has now enabled Immediate Theatre to provide a hub for the participants we work with, as well as the Immediate Theatre staff team. Our location next to Hackney Central has meant that we can easily welcome those we work with into a safe, warm environment for rehearsals, one-to-one support and workshops that encourage creativity and collaboration.

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The funding has also provided us with materials to establish our brand within this new space, allowing the production of office logo signs both inside and outside, as well as providing us with the means to fill the office space with enough technology and comfy furniture to ensure our team are also working in a comfortable environment.

Future Developments

2023/24 starts with a week of Pressure Drop performances and workshops at The Yard Theatre and continuing with a four-week tour of across London targeting areas of high deprivation and crime identified by the Greater London Authority’s Violence Reduction Unit. In addition to taking this impactful work to thousands more young people the show will act as an introduction to Immediate Theatre as we look to extending our work beyond Hackney. The very positive feedback to Pressure Drop from teachers and students has made us commit to creating a new play for schools in the coming year, focussing on attitudes to women and girls. We will be developing the play with our participants in 2023 for a planned tour in April 2024.

Creative Connections – our programme for over 55s -is set to reach new heights in the coming year. Funded by City Bridge Trust, Theatre Exchange will return to their annual live tour to lunch and social clubs in November and we will be extending our work with community groups to Newham and Enfield. The Heritage Lottery Fund have now confirmed support for an extension of our audio work: Voices of Change will gather oral histories from Newham and Hackney residents, documenting their contributions to shaping our boroughs and creating podcasts that bring local history to life.

Our Estate based Youth Theatre team will be establishing a new group in Newham and looking forward to establishing a new ladder of accreditation using the AQA unit award scheme recognising participants’ increasing level of skill as they progress through our programmes. Our Youth Board will take a lead on designing and leading their own new projects and continuing to ensure that the voices of young people are considered in our programming.

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Report of the Directors (Trustees)

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We are looking forward to enjoying the creative potential of our new home, welcoming more participants and visitors to our space and embedding the new resources we have invested in the past year.

Financial Review

The company continued to improve its financial resilience, ending the year in a stronger position than we had expected. Income increased once again to £983,028 with expenditure of £751,071 in addition to £101,900 spent on leasehold improvements on the new office which has been capitalised on the balance sheet. An operating surplus of £231,957 is higher than we had budgeted for the year. We have a robust fundraising strategy and exercise prudent cost control and are in a position to develop ambitious new projects with a level of confidence in achieving funding targets. This strong position is due to the ongoing support of our key funders and partners and reflects the hard work of the staff team and their commitment to Immediate Theatre.

Increased income was largely due to support from the London Borough of Hackney, providing funding for us to develop and equip our new home in Andre Street, creating accessible workshop and meeting space alongside our office. Our Connecting Young Hackney contract was extended for a further year and we received an Infrastructure grant for our holistic support of Hackney residents and project grants for Theatre Exchange and for the new Indie project working with adults with SEND. Discover Young Hackney and Healthy Activities and Food grants enabled us to provide young people attening holiday activities with a hot meal. We partnered with Hackney Employment and Skills to deliver Kickstart posts for unemployed young people and were commissioned to undertake a reminiscence project in Hackney libraries. Continued support from the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) via Mind in the City, Hackney and Waltham Forest for our Pathways to Employment programme meant overall income from local government made up 28% of total income, an increase on the previous year and approaching pre-pandemic levels.

Income from Central and Regional Government grew to 21% of our total income, with the continuation of multi-year grants from the Big Lottery Reaching Communities Fund for Estate based Youth Theatre, the GLA Violence Reduction Unit (Rise Up East) and the Young Londoners Fund for Interactions as well as an Arts Council grant for Hackney Social Radio.

Income from Trusts and Foundations continued to be our largest source of income, thanks to support from our fundraiser, Katrina Duncan. Grants increased slightly to £389,833, but due to increased overall funding made up only 49% of our income (54% in 2022). The most significant of these once again was the grant from Global giving, for funds from the Idris and Sabrina Elba and Christian Louboutin collection to create and tour Pressure Drop to secondary schools and to support EbYT. The Coutts Foundation, Sanctuary, Vintners and a donation from the Zurich Community Trust also supported us to deliver EbYT. Angus Lawson Memorial Trust enabled us to take young people from Interactions on a residential and Harold Immanuel supported both Interactions and Pathways to Employment. West Hackney Parochial Trust and Henry Smith continued to support Pathways to Employment, with Henry Smith also providing funds to develop this work with women. UBS once again supported Speech Bubbles but also provided a cost-ofliving grant which enabled us to provide additional holiday activities for young people, increase wages for our youngest staff and pay all staff a cost-of-living bonus. A New Direction contributed towards a Hackney Social Audio Intern and the Jack Petchey Foundation continued to support a young person’s Internship on EbYT as well as the Achievement Awards. The CAF Resilience Fund contributed towards our Creative Pathways Coordinator and Administrator posts as well as supporting organisation development; improving our IT and financial systems, marketing data capture and Impact reporting.

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IMMEDIATE THEATRE

Report of the Directors (Trustees)

Year ended 31 March 2023

Other income accounted for 2% of our total income. This included delivering work in local schools and holiday projects, attending voluntary sector leadership meetings, delivering CPD for Speech Bubbles and a residential for London Youth as well as a number of small donations.

The company ended the year with an operating surplus of £231,957 which includes and increase to unrestricted reserves of £114,660 to leave a closing balance in unrestricted reserves at the year end of £209,215. Of this balance £94,771 represents the grants received to fund the new office leasehold improvements less depreciation to date. The fund has been designated to account for future depreciation charges over the term of the lease We also chose to designate a further £8,400 of this towards work in 2023/24 including staff wellbeing and to support creative projects.

Reserves Policy

The total reserves of the company at the close of 22/23 are £351,136 (2021/22: £119,179). This includes unrestricted funds of £106,044 (2021/22: £94,555), designated funds of £103,171 (made up £94,771 for new office building works and £8,400 towards work on staff wellbeing) and restricted funds of £141,921 which must be spent on specific projects. It is the aim of the trustees to have sufficient reserves to cover 3 months’ running costs based on the prior year’s financial statement, currently calculated at £142,762. These reserves will be used to safeguard against a temporary shortfall in income and any additional unforeseen costs. We have been rebuilding our reserves over the past five years and are pleased to have once again achieved an increase in unrestricted reserves. Trustees will continue to make prudent progress towards meeting the reserves target to match increased turnover. Trustees review the Reserves Policy annually to account for changing circumstances and will determine the amount needed to reflect increased operating costs and staff commitments.

Board Development

Our board of eleven Trustees includes ex-participants and Hackney residents, who bring a range of expertise and lived experience. Led by the Chair Shekeila Scarlett, Trustees meet quarterly and hold additional meetings with our Youth Board and other User Groups and staff team to ensure that they are listening to and responding to their needs and ideas. A Finance sub-committee, led by Treasurer Paul Smith, meets quarterly, reviewing financial performance, forecasting, financial controls and reserves, reporting all proceedings to the full Board. A Personnel sub-committee, led by Shekeila Scarlett meets to discuss staff salaries as needed. We have also identified named roles for Trustees leading on Safeguarding (Gifty Green) and Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion (Suzanne Gorman).

This year the Board has continued to play an active part in supporting the development of the organisation providing strong leadership and governance throughout. In July we were pleased to welcome Anthony Lee through our work with East London Business Alliance who has experience of employment support and Sophie Morris joined us as a parent of youth theatre participants. We were sorry to say goodbye to Melanie Howarth who stepped down in July. We are seeking a young trustee (18- 25) to join us in the coming year.

Staffing

We are immensely grateful to the staff team for their commitment to the organization. We have recognised the impact of the work on our growing team of staff and are pleased to have been able to support them with a cost-of-living payment over the winter months to supplement their salaries. We have also invested in Mental Wellbeing Training for Managers and enabled staff to support their own well-being through

24

IMMEDIATE THEATRE

Report of the Directors (Trustees)

Year ended 31 March 2023

therapeutic interventions. Our core staff team remained relatively stable over the year, and we were joined by several new team members including a number of young people employed as Kickstart, Petchey and STEP Interns.

Artistic Director Jo Carter General Manager Suzy Smith Participation Manager Charmain Humphrey Training Projects Manager Gbenga Olopade (until December 2022) Estate-based Youth Theatre Coordinator Gavin Dent Schools Coordinator Eleanor Clack Positive Pathways Officer Jermaine Julie (until December 2022) Producer (Hackney Social Audio) Lucie Regan (until December 2022) Marketing & Administration Officer Georgia Gill (until June 2022) Youth Drama Leader Kyarna Morris Project Manager Deji Adeoshun Administrator Rebecca Mayer Marketing Officer Sorrel Allen Youth Involvement Coordinator Hannah Drummond Creative Pathways Coordinator Kianu Glasgow Youth Drama Assistant (Petchey Intern) Deane Dixon-Foster Youth Drama Assistant (Kickstart Intern) Frankie Bertoletti (until June 22) Radio Production Assistant (STEP Intern) Leo Dunlop Marketing & Administration Assistant (Kickstart Intern) Shemi Olaniran (until August 22)

We would particularly like to thank our long-term volunteer Nicky Wilson, who has supported across our youth theatre projects throughout the year, much would not have been possible without her.

We would also like to recognize the enormous contributions of our Peer Facilitators:

Montell Pemberton, Ajia Perkins, Joaquim Fortunato,Tecumseh Lee Cunningham, Shruti Shine, Rashane Headley, Jasmine Williams, Kasino Morris Diedrick, Akacia Wolfe, Abigail Burland, Whitney-Bola Lawal, Rashane Headley, Shruti Shine, Lennox Nelson, Jesse Orlando, Phoebe Sally Fisher, Chyna-mae Whyte, Latreece Brisport

Our wonderful team of freelancers:

Theatre Exchange: Penny Cliff - facilitator and playwright, Riitta Hakkarainen – designer.

Hackney Social Audio: Sue Elliott Nichols – host, May Dezateux Robson – trainer and feature maker, Neil McKeon – engineer, Steve Roberts – community workshop facilitator.

Speech Bubbles Facilitators: Charlotte Macrae, Flo Katesworth, Melanie Hering, Sophy Leys Johnstone, Sue Elliot Nichols, Stasa Dukric.

Estate based youth theatres and holiday projects: Mark Maughan – Lead facilitator on We Want Your Views, (for UCL Dr Pablo Sendra Sarah Goldzweig and Irene Manzini Ceinar). Wale Show – lead facilitator Summer Exposure, William Adomako-Opoku – facilitator.

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IMMEDIATE THEATRE

Report of the Directors (Trustees)

Year ended 31 March 2023

Interactions/Rise Up East – Kevin Stuart – facilitator, Arlo Carter – film maker, Ben Moss – photographer, Hannah Davies – caterer.

Pressure Drop: Anna Bennet -Playwright, Adam Karim- Director, Eddie Latter -Stage Manager, Daniel Peart- sound design, Matilda O’Grady - movement director, Isabel Sun & Erin Guan - designers, Nick

Johnson Walker- set maker. The cast Mia Thompson-Semackor, Tyrelle Boyce, Bradley Luckett and Ivan Oyik. Deviniat Adedibu & Joshua Picton – workshop facilitators. And our partners:

Hackney Council for the Voluntary sector, London Youth, Benthal Primary School, London Fields School, Randal Kremer School, Holmleigh School, Seabright School, Clapton Girls School, Speech Bubbbles CIO, Apex/Daubeney Holiday projects, Hackney Caribbean Elderly Organisation, Odd Eyes Theatre, Tower Theatre, Hackney Quest, The Wickers.

Directors (Trustees) Responsibilities

The Trustees, as set out on page 3 (who are also the directors of Sound Connections for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Directors’ (Trustees) Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the trustees have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). Under company law the trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of the affairs of the charitable company as at the balance sheet date and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including income and expenditure, for the financial year. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charity’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

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IMMEDIATE THEATRE

Report of the Directors (Trustees)

Year ended 31 March 2023

Limited liability

Members of the charitable company guarantee to contribute an amount not exceeding £1 to the assets of the company in the event of winding up.

Public Benefit Statement

The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in section 4 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit, ‘Charities and Public Benefit’.

Sound Connections charitable purpose is to provide increased access to music and musical education to young people in London, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds and provide them with opportunities to participate in a range of musical activities.

Independent examiners

Simpson Wreford LLP., were appointed as Independent Examiners during the year and have expressed their willingness to continue in that capacity.

The above report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

Signed on behalf of the board of directors (trustees) on 5 December 2023

S Scarlett Director (Trustee)

-----------------------------------------

P Smith Director (Trustee)

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IMMEDIATE THEATRE

Independent Examiners’ Report

To the Trustees of Immediate Theatre for the Year Ended 31 March 2023

I report to the charity trustees of the company for the year ended 31 March 2023, which are set out on pages 28 to 38.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity’s trustees of the company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (‘the 2006 Act’).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (the ‘2011 Act’). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner’s report

Since the company’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, which is one of the listed bodies.

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Kate Taylor FCA For and behalf of Simpson Wreford LLP, Chartered Accountants

Institute of Chartered Accounts in England and Wales

Wellesley House Duke of Wellington Avenue London, SE18 6SS Dated: 8 December 2023

28

IMMEDIATE THEATRE

Statement of Financial Activities (including Income and Expenditure Account)

Year ended 31 March 2023

Notes
INCOME
4
Donations and legacies
Charitable activities
Other income
TOTAL INCOME
EXPENDITURE ON:
6
Raising funds		 Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Total funds
Total funds
2023
2022
£
£
£
£
1,339
-
1,339
5,630
75,818 886,243
962,061
693,986
19,628
-
19,628
-
96,785 886,243 983,028 699,616
-
6,440
-
6,440
6,497
Charitable activities 42,735 701,896
744,631
638,538
TOTAL EXPENDITURE
NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)
Transfers between funds
NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS
RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward		 49,175 701,896 751,071 645,035
47,610 184,347 231,957 54,581
67,050
(67,050)
-
-
114,660 117,297 231,957 54,581
94,555 24,624 119,179
64,598
209,215 141,921 351,136 119,179

The results for the year derive from continuing activities, and there are no other gains or losses other than those shown above.

The notes on pages 31 to 39 form part of these financial statements.

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IMMEDIATE THEATRE

Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2023

Fixed Assets
Tangible assets
Current Assets
Debtors
Cash at bank and in hand
Creditors
Amounts falling due within one year
Net current assets
Total net assets
The Funds of the Charity
Unrestricted Funds
Unrestricted Funds - Designated
Restricted Funds		 Notes
8
9
10
11		 94,621
-
35,466
5,629
271,556
199,102
307,022
204,732
(50,507)
(85,552)
256,515
119,179
106,044
94,555
103,171
-
141,921
24,624
351,136
119,179
2023
2022
351,136
119,179

For the year ending 31 March 2023 the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of financial statements.

The trustees have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year in question in accordance with section 476

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime.

The financial statements on pages 28 to 39 were approved by the Trustees on 5 December 2023 and signed on their behalf by:

S Scarlett Director (Trustee)

P Smith Director (Trustee)

Company Number – 03272271 (England &Wales)

30

IMMEDIATE THEATRE

Statement of Cashflows

For the year ended 31 March 2023

Notes 2023
£		 2022
£
Cash used in operating activities
Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities
16
Cash flows from investing activities
Interest income
Purchase of tangible fixed assets
Cash provided by/ (used) in investing activities
(Decrease)/Increase in cash and cash equivalents in the year
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year
Total cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year		 174,354
-
(101,900)
(101,900)
72,454
199,102
271,556		 89,133
-
-
-
89,133
109,969
199,102

31

IMMEDIATE THEATRE

Notes to the financial statements – Year ended 31 March 2023

1. Accounting Policies

The principal accounting policies are summarised below. The accounting policies have been applied consistently throughout the year and in the preceding year.

Company information

Immediate Theatre is a company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales and registered as a charity with the Charity Commission. The registered office is Unit 1, Sidings House, 10 Andre Street, London, E8 2AA.

(a) Basis of accounting

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102)– (Charities SORP (FRS102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102) and the Companies Act 2006.

The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the company. Monetary amounts in the financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.

The effects of events relating to the year ended 31 March 2023 which occurred before the date of approval of the financial statements by the Trustees has been included in the financial statements to the extent required to show a true and fair view of the state of affairs at 31 March 2023 and the results for the year ended on that date.

Immediate Theatre meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note(s).

(b)Going Concern

At the time of approving the accounts, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the accounts.

(c) Fund accounting

(d) Income

All incoming resources are included in the statement of financial activities when the charity is entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. The following specific policies are applied to particular categories of income:

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IMMEDIATE THEATRE

Notes to the financial statements – Year ended 31 March 2023

1. Accounting Policies continued

(e) Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised on an accrual basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be fully recovered, and is reported as part of the expenditure to which it relates:

(f) Fixed assets

Fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost net of depreciation and any impairment losses.

It is the policy of the company to provide depreciation at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful economic life. The following rates of depreciation have been applied throughout the year.

Fixtures & Fittings - 2 years straight line Leasehold Improvements - 14 years straight line (over the remaining lease term)

(g) Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid.

(i) Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

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IMMEDIATE THEATRE

Notes to the financial statements – Year ended 31 March 2023

1. Accounting Policies continued

(j) Creditors and provisions

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.

(j) Financial instruments

The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.

Financial instruments are recognised in the charity's balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.

Derecognition of financial liabilities

Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.

(k) Employee benefits

The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.

(l) Retirement benefits

Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.

2. Related Party Transactions

No trustee (or persons connected with them) received any remuneration or benefits from the charity during the year. £82 of Trustee expenses were reimbursed.

3. Remuneration

The key management personnel of the charity comprise the Artistic Director and Participation Manager.

Remuneration of key management personnel 2023
£		 2022
£
Aggregate total 97,677 91,107

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IMMEDIATE THEATRE

Notes to the financial statements – Year ended 31 March 2023

Notes to the financial statements – Year ended 31 March 2023 Notes to the financial statements – Year ended 31 March 2023
4 Income
Unrestricted
Restricted
2023 Total
2022 Total
£
£
£
£
4.1 Income from donations and legacies
Donations
1,339
-
1,339
5,630
Grant income
Arts Council England
-
30,000
30,000
1,500
Young Londoners Fund
-
41,971
41,971
47,967
Violence Reduction Unit; GLA
-
42,928
42,928
50,080
Youth Endowment Foundation
-
-
-
6,126
Big Lottery Fund: Reaching Communities
-
50,124
50,124
25,061
London Borough of Hackney- Young Hackney
-
65,000
65,000
65,000
London Borough of Hackney - Community Response Wave
-
-
-
30,000
London Borough of Hackney - Infrastructure Grant
-
18,000
18,000
-
London Borough of Hackney - Home for Immediate Theatre
-
83,000
83,000
-
London Borough of Hackney - Hackney Social Radio
-
-
-
3,000
London Borough of Hackney - Discover Young Hackney
-
5,000
5,000
8,000
London Borough of Hackney - HAF free school meals
-
4,870
4,870
8,822
London Borough of Hackney - Libraries Projects
-
1,750
1,750
1,625
London Borough of Hackney - Kickstart
28,147
-
28,147
24,113
London Borough of Hackney
-
2,450
2,450
-
Mind in the City, Hackney and Waltham Forest
-
21,859
21,859
21,859
Sanctuary Housing Association
-
4,000
4,000
4,000
Coutts
38,500
-
38,500
39,500
Angus Lawsom Memorial Trust
-
22,177
22,177
20,059
A New Direction - STEP Programme
-
5,000
5,000
-
Global Giving
-
279,122
279,122
102,672
Henry Smith Charity
-
42,600
42,600
67,500
Children in Need
-
-
-
36,473
Jack Petchey
-
17,875
17,875
26,879
Zurich Community Foundation
5,546
-
5,546
25,000
Vanguard Group
-
-
-
12,125
Vintners Foundation
-
3,000
3,000
-
Peabody
-
-
-
13,000
Sir Jules Thorn
-
-
-
1,000
CAF Resilience Emergency Fund
-
76,767
76,767

3,232
UBS - Speech Bubbles
-
21,300
21,300
18,769
UBS - Cost of Living Crisis
-
10,000
10,000
-
Harold Immanuel
-
20,000
20,000
-
London Bubble/Paul Hamlyn
-
-
-
11,600
West Hackney Parochial Trust
-
10,000
10,000
2,500
4.2 Income from charitable activities
Income from schools
200
3,000
3,200
2,330
Speech Bubbles
-
500
500
-
Apex
2,394
-
2,394
6,284
London Youth
-
3,000
3,000
-
Earned income
1,031
950
1,981
1,910
UBS Client donation
-
-
-
5,000
Other income - Access to Work
19,298
-
19,298
-
Interest received
330
-
330
-
96,785
886,243
983,028
698,616
96,785
886,243
983,028
698,616

35

IMMEDIATE THEATRE

Notes to the financial statements – Year ended 31 March 2023

5. Income by activity

Donations
Grant income
Charitable activities
Other income		 Interactions
Speech
Bubbles
Theatre
Exchange
My Ends
Can I Walk
in your
Shoes?
Estate-
based
Youth
Pathways to
Employment
Home for
Immediate
Theatre
Other
income and
donations
2023
Total
2022
Total
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
-
-
120

-
-
135
-
-
1,084
1,339
5,630
74,148
21,300
44,750
42,928
247,498
228,693
124,115
83,000
84,554
950,986
677,462
-
3,500
-
-
975
3,000
450
-
3,150
11,075
16,524
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
19,628
19,628
-
74,148
24,800
44,870
42,928
248,473
231,828
124,565
83,000
108,416
983,028
699,616

6 Expenditure

6
Expenditure
6.1 Charitable activities
Staff costs
Depreciation and impairment
Other project costs
Support costs		 2023 Total
2022 Total
Basis of
support cost
allocation
441,907
415,729
7,279
-
293,363
217,251
Trustee expenses
Accountancy		 82
2,918
Governance
2,000
2,640
Governance
6.2
Raising funds
Fundraising costs
Total expenditure		 744,631
638,538
6,440
6,497
751,071
645,035

7. Staff Costs

Staff costs for the year were as follows:
Salaries and wages
Social Security costs
Staff pension costs
The average number of staff employed during the year, w		 2023
2022
£
£
402,459
380,204
32,704
29,152
6,744
6,373
441,907
415,729
as as follows:
2023
2022
20
13

There were no employees whose annual income exceeded £60,000.

36

IMMEDIATE THEATRE

Notes to the financial statements – Year ended 31 March 2023

8. Tangible Fixed Assets


Cost
At 1 April 2022
Additions
At 31 March 2023
Depreciation
At 1 April 2022
Charge for year
At 31 March 2023
Net Book Value
At 31 March 2023
At 31 March 2022		 Fixtures &
Fittings
New Office -
Designated
New Office -
Restricted
1,740

-
-
-
82,850
19,050
1,740
82,850
19,050
1,740
-
-
-
5,918
1,361
1,740
5,918
1,361
-
76,932
17,689
-
-
-		 Fixtures &
Fittings
New Office -
Designated
New Office -
Restricted
1,740

-
-
-
82,850
19,050
1,740
82,850
19,050
1,740
-
-
-
5,918
1,361
1,740
5,918
1,361
-
76,932
17,689
-
-
-		 Fixtures &
Fittings
New Office -
Designated
New Office -
Restricted
1,740

-
-
-
82,850
19,050
1,740
82,850
19,050
1,740
-
-
-
5,918
1,361
1,740
5,918
1,361
-
76,932
17,689
-
-
-		 Fixtures &
Fittings
New Office -
Designated
New Office -
Restricted
1,740

-
-
-
82,850
19,050
1,740
82,850
19,050
1,740
-
-
-
5,918
1,361
1,740
5,918
1,361
-
76,932
17,689
-
-
-		 Fixtures &
Fittings
New Office -
Designated
New Office -
Restricted
1,740

-
-
-
82,850
19,050
1,740
82,850
19,050
1,740
-
-
-
5,918
1,361
1,740
5,918
1,361
-
76,932
17,689
-
-
-		 Total
1,740
101,900
103,640
1,740
7,279
9,019
94,621
-
9.
Debtors		 2022
£
3,089
-
-
2,540
-
5,629
Trade debtors
Accrued income
Prepayments
Other debtors
VAT repayable		 2023
£
23,699
3,000
1,747
6,253
767
35,466

10. Creditors: Amounts Falling Due within One Year

Creditors
Trade Creditors
Accruals
Deferred income
Social security and other tax		 2023
2022
£
£
385
3,046
2,000
2,640
35,900
69,312
12,222
10,554
50,507
85,552

37

IMMEDIATE THEATRE

Notes to the financial statements – Year ended 31 March 2023

11. Movement in Funds

11.
Movement in Funds
Restricted funds
Interactions
Speech Bubbles
Pathways to Employment
Estate-based Youth Theatre
Theatre Exchange
My Ends
Home for Immediate Theatre
Can I Walk in your Shoes?
Other income and donations		 As at 1 April
2022
Income
Expenditure
Transfers
As at 31
March 2023
2,681
74,148
(56,349)
-
20,480
2,500
24,800
(27,300)
-
-
-
124,565
(105,036)
19,529
-
196,693
(230,693)
35,000
1,000
1,650
44,750
(45,150)
-
1,250
6,566
42,928
(49,494)
-
-
-
83,000
-
(83,000)
-
11,227
247,998
(140,513)
(19,050)
99,662
-
47,361
(47,361)
-
-
24,624
886,243
(701,896)
(67,050)
141,921
Unrestricted funds
Core
Designated funds
Home for Immediate Theatre		 94,555
96,785
(41,896)
(43,400)
106,044
-
-
(7,279)
102,050
94,771
Staff wellbeing -
-		 -
8,400
8,400
Total funds -
-
(7,279)
110,450
103,171
119,179
983,028
(751,071)
-
351,136

12. Material funds during the year

Estate-based Youth Theatres:

After school and holiday drama projects delivered in areas of high deprivation for young people aged 5- 1 9.

Speech Bubbles:

Supporting children in KSl to develop their speaking, listening and attention skills, franchised from London Bubble.

Theatre Exchange:

Drama project with people over the age of 50 delivered to prevent isolation in the community, including intergenerational activities.

Can I Walk in Your Shoes:

Using a combination of theatre and film to shed light on the social injustices young people still experience and help them to identify a future that has purpose and prosperity. Pathways to employment

Creative programmes and employability workshops and one-to-one support for participants who face barriers to employment including the long-term unemployed.

Designated funds – Home for Immediate Theatre

This represents the grants received to fund the new office leasehold improvements cost, the grants were restricted in nature and spent on assets that have been capitalised on the balance sheet. The fund balances have been transferred to designated funds to enable future depreciation charges in relation to these costs to be accounted for separately and not to confuse the reserves with free unrestricted reserves.

38

IMMEDIATE THEATRE

Notes to the financial statements – Year ended 31 March 2023

13. VAT

The charity registered for VAT in December 2001 when the charity’s VAT taxable turnover reached the threshold. The charity has subsequently de-registered for VAT in April 2023.

14. Leasing Agreements

At the reporting end date the charity had outstanding future commitments for future minimum lease payments under operating leases as follows:

Whilst the lease is 15 years long, it is cancellable after 2, 5 and 10 years.

2023 2022
£ £
£46,898
 £nil

15. Member’s Guarantee

The members' liability is limited by guarantee.

The members guarantee that in the event of a winding up of the company each member will contribute such amounts as may be required, not exceeding £1.

16. Reconciliation of net movement in funds to net cash flow from operating activities.

Net movements in funds
Add back: Depreciation
(Increase)/decrease in debtors
(Decrease)/increase in creditors		 2023
2022
£
£
231,957
54,581
7,279
-
(29,837)
13,804
(35,045)
20,748
174,354
89,133

17. Transfers

There was a transfer from reserves during the year of £35,000 relating to funds from the Coutts Foundation which was transferred to the Estate Based Youth Theatre project.

There was also a transfer from the global giving funds received of £19,050 to fund the leasehold improvement works. This is sitting withing designated funds to account for future depreciation charges.

The grants received from London Borough of Hackney in relation to ‘Home for Immediate Theatre’ has also been transferred to designated reserves, as funds were spent on the restricted purpose. The balance was transferred to a designated reserve, as explained in note 12.

39