2025-08-31-accounts

THE ACTORS’ WORKSHOP BRISTOL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 31[st] AUGUST 2025

Charity Number 1206353

THE ACTORS’ WORKSHOP BRISTOL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS PERIOD ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025

CONTENTS	PAGE
Legal and Administrative Information	1
Trustees’ Annual Report	2 - 7
Independent Examiner’s Report	8
Receipts and Payments Accounts	9
Statement of Assets and Liabilities	10

THE ACTORS’ WORKSHOP BRISTOL REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFROMATION PERIOD ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025

Status

The Actors’ Workshop Bristol is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation and has been granted charitable status by the Charity Commission registration number 1206353.

Trustees

Bryn Holding (appointed 22 November 2024) Anne Odeke Stephen Loach Sian Fisher

Registered Address

The Works Chatterton Street Studio Bristol BS1 6PR

Bankers

Virgin Money (Clydesdale Bank) St James Street Branch

Independent Examiner

Joshua Kingston BSc, FCA Burton Sweet Limited The Clock Tower 5 Farleigh Court Old Weston Road Flax Bourton Bristol BS48 1UR

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THE ACTORS’ WORKSHOP BRISTOL TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT PERIOD ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025

The trustees present their report and the unaudited financial statements for the period ended 31 August 2025.

Structure, Governance and Management

The Actors’ Workshop Bristol is a charitable incorporated organisation registered with the charity commission on 2 January 2024 and governed by its constitution dated 23[rd] August 2023.

Appointment of charity trustees

1. Apart from the first charity trustees, every trustee must be appointed for a term of three years by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees.

2. In selecting individuals for appointment as charity trustees, the charity trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO.

Objectives

The charity’s objective is:

• to advance the education of the public, particularly young people, in the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the performing arts (including, drama, signing and dance and the study and practice of speech training) in particular, but not exclusively, by the provision of courses, tuition, workshops, classes, rehearsals, performances, and by supporting them for entry to any occupation, trade or profession on leaving any educational establishment.

• to advance public appreciation of the performing arts, including drama, music, dance and signing by the production of plays, and by teaching and training artists to enable them to produce works of a high standard.

Public benefit

In shaping the objectives for the year and planning activities, the trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit, including the guidance ‘public benefit: running a charity (PB2)’.

Activities

The Actors’ Workshop Bristol is a unique, independent and nationally recognised centre of excellence for actor training, with an unrivalled record for getting students into BA and MA courses at accredited UK drama schools. Taught exclusively by experienced professional actors, our courses and classes are priced as competitively as possible so that everyone with the talent, drive and determination to train can access them.

A recent study conducted by The Sutton Trust reported that six out of ten young people who are interested in pursuing a career in performing arts come from a family background of higher education or a professional background. The research further showed that those who

come from less privileged backgrounds are underrepresented in the performing arts industry, with financial barriers being a significant factor. The Actors’ Workshop Bristol seeks to

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THE ACTORS’ WORKSHOP BRISTOL TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT PERIOD ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025

readdress this balance by offering bursaries/ discount whenever needed – even if this need arises in the middle of the training year.

In tandem with our rigorous training, student welfare and support are hallmarks of our work. We get to know all our students personally and care passionately about helping them make the best of every step of their creative journey. Currently, this includes paying for auditions/transport to auditions, funding access to psychotherapy when needed, supporting students who are young carers and embedding life skills lessons in our curriculum on a weekly basis.

Foundation Course in Acting

At the heart of our work is our part-time Foundation Course in Acting, which provides rigorous professional training in all the core skills required to pursue the craft at degree level. Though our stunning success rate of around 90% every year speaks for itself, our constantly evolving curriculum is designed not just to teach the professional skills needed to succeed at audition but to develop each student’s creativity and understanding as an artist.

The course runs from September until June, culminating in a professional showcase at a local theatre, with an option to take part in a further Shakespeare production or theatre-ineducation project in July. All students audition for UK conservatoires during the course; each year most are offered places on highly competitive BA/MA courses at top drama schools. Expert careers advice, audition preparation (including screen acting and self-taping) and exposure to professional practitioners from across the industry enable students to explore the best range of options available and to tailor their preferences for higher education to maximise success.

With a minimum of 12.5 contact hours per week on average, this course has hugely successful outcomes and is competitively priced to allow students to work part-time alongside it. All classes are taught by trained, experienced professional actors and the year group is split into training groups of no more than 18 students.

From September 2024 – June 2025 our Foundation Course was full at 34 students, mainly new participants but also including four returners, who had not managed to gain a place at drama school and came back to train with us for a further year. We awarded one full bursary, with two further students paying half fees – in all cases a response to financial hardship, enabling these students to access professional training that would otherwise have been out of reach for them. Despite financial challenges, we froze our fees for this course at £3,000 for the academic year, payable in ten instalments of £300 to make the course as accessible as possible. (Most of our students fund the course form the proceeds of a part-time job.)

Once again, our students did very well at audition during the 2024-25 academic year, gleaning 52 places on BA/MA courses at accredited UK drama conservatoires. Individual places can be seen here: https://www.theactorsworkshop.co.uk/achievements

Our annual showcase at The Mount Without, Bristol on 2nd June 2025 was extremely wellreceived; one student was offered a further place on a BA Acting course as a result of the Head of Acting from that drama school seeing her work in our showcase.

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THE ACTORS’ WORKSHOP BRISTOL TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT PERIOD ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025

Screen Acting Course

This new course, running two evenings a week from September – April, was offered to help both aspiring and early-career actors gain the skills needed to become employable in film/tv. Once again, this course was priced as cheaply as possible (£2,500 inclusive of show and voice reels) and included two half-price bursaries. Headed by film-maker Paul Dudbridge and Jennifer Higham, each week was split into technical skills on a Monday and Acting skills on a Thursday. Our cohort of eight students made enormous progress throughout the course, learning key elements of their professional craft alongside an understanding of how a film set works. The course culminated in the creation of professional showreels, shot by BA film production students from Boomsatsuma (https://www.boomsatsuma.com/) directed by Paul Dudbridge and edited by Jennifer Higham. We also coached, directed, recorded and edited professional voice reels with our students. At the end of the course, we celebrated with a screening of their reels at a small local cinema.

Industry Masterclasses

Our industry-led masterclasses continued to be popular during the 2024-25 academic year, attracting both our own students and also members of the wider public. Our line-up for 202425 included: open air theatre, Shakespeare, acting through dance, Chekhov, devising, Farce and breathwork for actors – all hugely helpful skills that both augment our own students’ training and offer as valuable source of CPD for teachers, actors and members of the public.

As always, these classes (led by industry experts) were cheaper than those of our competitors (e.g. Bristol Old Vic Theatre School) without ever compromising on quality, and offered deep discounts for students, Equity members, unwaged and pensioners. In addition, we always offered further reductions/free places for those who could not otherwise afford to attend.

Short Courses

Our Short Courses (3-hour sessions on a Wednesday evening) were also well-attended. As before, we kicked off the series with an in-depth look at playing Shakespeare, followed by Stage Combat and Improvisation. All were taught by experienced, qualified industry specialists. As with the masterclasses, prices were below competitors with discounts and bursaries available as above.

Dance, Body Conditioning and Singing

As before, we ran weekly Dance, Body Conditioning and Singing classes for actors aged 18+ during term time. Taught personally by co-directors Jennifer Higham (dance/body con) and Clara Marullo (singing) these are very popular with our foundation students and also attract outsiders.

Teen Group

Our small, selective Teen Group, which meets for three hours on a Sunday afternoon and serves students aged 14-18, provides younger performers who have the drive and determination to learn their craft with dedicated professional training. Most of our Teen students go on to train further with us on our part-time Foundation Course, before doing a

BA at drama school and entering the industry. The Teen Group, like all our other courses and classes, is taught by experienced professional actors and offers bursaries where needed to make sure it is accessible to ALL those with the talent and drive to benefit from the training. Although numbers were small in 2024-25 (this is a saturated sector in Bristol) we kept our

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THE ACTORS’ WORKSHOP BRISTOL TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT PERIOD ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025

Teen group running to serve our existing students, and also offered free places to two young actors referred to us through local charity Community of Purpose (www.communityofpurpose.com).

Free CPD for Teachers

This year, we offered teacher CPD online and also via school workshops, modelling best practice. Though uptake was small – teachers are overworked – we did workshops at Downend School, Bristol and also at The Space in Taunton. These included student-facing talks about pathways into the profession.

Other Achievements

We were invited to perform at the Bristol Young Hero Awards in June. This hugely popular event run by Community of Purpose and supported by a variety of local businesses, offers both awards and ongoing mentoring to exceptional young people in the Bristol area across a variety of categories.

We also nominated of our Teen students, a refugee from Ukraine for the Learning Award. She won her category.

We did not mount a Shakespeare production this year due to insecurity about premises (see below).

Premises

Since our studio is a “meanwhile” space and our lease was finishing on 1st July 2025, our biggest challenge in the 2024-25 financial year was to secure new premises. Our Co-Directors spent months searching for appropriate and affordable space – a big ask since we needed around 2,000 square feet in a central location for no more than £17.50 per sq.ft. Clara and Jen looked at numerous potential premises (both “meanwhile” and commercial).

They spent three months negotiating with Meanwhile Creative, who had a large, affordable space in their Willway Yard warehouse in Bedminster, Bristol BS3 – only to be turned down at the last minute because of noise concerns in respect of other tenants of the building.

They then bid on The Greenhouse in Bedminster Green, a wonderful freestanding building owned and operated by Bristol City Council. Again, this was a three-month process. The Actors’ Workshop Bristol was shortlisted down to the very final round. However, the council chose the other finalist; we found out that we had not been successful during the dress rehearsal for our showcase on 2nd June.

At the eleventh hour, Zoe Sharpe, Senior Development Manager for our current landlords, Dandara Living, managed to secure us a further, final year at our current studio, since their redevelopment of the site was moving more slowly than anticipated.

Over the summer, our Co-Directors continued to work with commercial estate agent Michael Berger to look for long-term premises, and also sought the advice of veteran charity fundraiser, Nick Barton to help raise funds to facilitate a commercial rental.

During this process, our Co-Directors were approached by Stuart Wood, Head of Bristol School of Acting (BSA) a successful, vibrant and forward-thinking conservatoire in the city. Co-Director Clara Marullo had worked with Stuart Wood on BSA productions in the past and

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THE ACTORS’ WORKSHOP BRISTOL TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT PERIOD ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025

has a high regard both for him and for the ethos of the school. BSA is opening a fully funded foundation course in acting (CertHE) in September 2026. Because of our unrivalled success rate at this level, they were interested in partnering with The Actors’ Workshop Bristol to deliver this.

For the charity, this was an attractive proposition, since it would secure our long-term work at foundation level, whilst widening participation by making our flagship course free at point of purchase. (As an accredited Level 4 course, the CertHE will attract full student loan funding.)

Creating this partnership would also solve our premises problem, as we were offered space at BSA during evenings/weekends at a reduced rate for all our other courses/classes.

The Co-Directors entered into negotiations with BSA during the summer, emerging with a partnership deal that safeguards our bespoke curriculum, gives our Co-Directors control over timetabling and staffing and places the charity’s logo on all course and marketing materials. This was duly examined and approved by a charity lawyer to make sure that the charity’s interests were protected and preserved.

This partnership, approved individually by our Board on 20th August and collectively on 25th August has now been duly signed. By securing our foundation course and solving our premises problem, we can now maintain and grow our charitable offerings in other areas. Plans include:

• An Advanced “Springboard Course” offering our signature training for those who cannot access student funding (e.g. MA candidates, international students, those who have already done a CertHE course elsewhere) and those who would rather not do a full-time course. This course will culminate in a theatre-in-education tour to local primary schools, increasing community engagement and bringing live theatre to inner city children.

• Masterclasses and Short Courses – as before but more of them….

• Screen Acting Course

• Teen Group

• Teacher CPD

Since the new CertHE in partnership with BSA will not start until September 2026, we will use the coming academic year to plan properly, so that we can continue and diversify our charitable work in line with our Constitution, safeguarding our students, our staff and ourselves; essentially giving us the best of both worlds. We will, of course, still need to fundraise - but it will be for specific, impactful projects, which are easier to measure and therefore to fund.

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THE ACTORS’ WORKSHOP BRISTOL TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT PERIOD ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025

Financial Review

The total income generated in the year amounted to £128,961 (2024: £74,560) which is mainly generated from student fees and a small amount of bank interest.

Total expenditure for the year amounted to £126,139 (2024: £69,443) which is mainly made up of costs incurred directly from delivery of charitable activities.

For its first period ended 31 August 2025 the income over expenditure resulted in a surplus of £2,822 (2024: surplus of £5,117).

Reserves

The charity’s reserves policy (reviewed and approved in line with the guidance issued by the Charity Commission) is active and applies from 01.09.2024.

At the end of August 2025, the level of unrestricted reserves stood at £7,939.

Statement of trustees’ responsibilities

The trustees are responsible for keeping sufficient accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the constitution. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

May 12 2026

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees on ……………………………………………

……………………………………………..

Bryn Holding

Chair of Trustees

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THE ACTORS’ WORKSHOP BRISTOL INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT PERIOD ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025

Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of The Actors’ Workshop Bristol.

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of The Actors’ Workshop Bristol (the Charity) for the period ended 31 August 2025.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the Charity, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the Charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

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

• accounting records were not kept in respect of the Charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or

• the accounts do not accord with those records; or

• the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

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.

Josh Kingston BSc, FCA Burton Sweet Limited The Clock Tower 5 Farleigh Court Old Weston Road Flax Bourton Bristol BS48 1UR

May 12 2026 Date: ……………………………

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THE ACTORS' WORKSHOP BRISTOL

PERIOD ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT

----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds Total Funds
Funds Funds 2025 2024
RECEIPTS £ £ £ £
Chartiable activities
Student fees 128,680 - 128,680 74,508
-
128,680 128,680 74,508
Investment income
Bank and other interest 281 - 281 52
TOTAL RECEIPTS 128,961 - 128,961 74,560
PAYMENTS
Costs of charitable activities
Direct costs
-
Wages and salaries 89,910 89,910 52,185
-
Studio, theatre and show costs 5,227 5,227 2,218
Support costs
Travel and subsistence 507 - 507 547
Printing, postage and stationery 1,023 - 1,023 318
Insurance 600 - 600 600
IT and subscriptions 740 - 740 520
Office costs 310 - 310 77
Premises expenses 1,969 - 1,969 73
Accountancy 1,768 - 1,768 762
Heat and light 212 - 212 167
-
Advertising 3,565 3,565 3,582
Rent and rates 19,979 - 19,979 7,919
Miscellaneous expenses 225 - 225 334
Bank and other charges 104 - 104 141
-
126,139 126,139 69,443
TOTAL PAYMENTS 126,139 - 126,139 69,443
Transfers between funds - - - -
-
NET RECEIPTS/(PAYMENTS) 2,822 2,822 5,117
----- End of picture text -----

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THE ACTORS' WORKSHOP BRISTOL

PERIOD ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025 STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

Current Assets Cash at bank and in hand Total Assets Liabilities Accruals Accountancy Total Liabilities CASH RESERVES Unrestricted funds Brought forward Net receipts/(payments) for the year Total reserves Signed on behalf of the Trustees on _______ May 12 2026	2025 £ 7,939 7,939 1,768 1,768 5,117 2,822 7,939 7,939	2024 £ 5,117 5,117 1,680 1,680 - 5,117 5,117 5,117

Bryn Holding Trustee

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Audit Trail

Document Details

Title	The Actors' Workshop Bristol Financial Statements for YE 31 August 2025
File Name	The Actors' Workshop Bristol - Financial statements 2025.pdf
Document ID	f0293233ace148e98c492b620a4d3b43
Fingerprint	943cf9980537f7a2d7d83ce4767275e4
Status	Completed

Document History	Document History
Document Created	Document Created by Burton Sweet ([e-mail]) Fingerprint: dda0ddcbbfa60287e856b7a7c083a84a	May 01 2026 02:28PM UTC
Document Sent	Document Sent to Bryn Holding ([e-mail])	May 01 2026 02:28PM UTC
Document Viewed	Document Viewed by Bryn Holding ([e-mail]) IP: 81.96.4.209	May 02 2026 08:08PM UTC
Document Viewed	Document Viewed by Bryn Holding ([e-mail]) IP: 135.232.20.92	May 02 2026 08:08PM UTC
Document Viewed	Document Viewed by Bryn Holding ([e-mail]) IP: 81.96.4.209	May 02 2026 08:09PM UTC
Document Viewed	Document Viewed by Bryn Holding ([e-mail]) IP: 81.96.4.209	May 12 2026 07:38AM UTC
Document Viewed	Document Viewed by Bryn Holding ([e-mail]) IP: 72.153.231.49	May 12 2026 07:39AM UTC
	Document Signed by Bryn Holding ([e-mail])
	IP: 81.96.4.209
Document Signed		May 12 2026 07:41AM UTC
Document Sent	Document Sent to Joshua Kingston ([e-mail])	May 12 2026 07:41AM UTC
Document Viewed	Document Viewed by Joshua Kingston ([e-mail]) IP: 185.249.213.98	May 12 2026 10:44AM UTC

Document Viewed	Document Viewed by Joshua Kingston ([e-mail]) IP: 172.186.8.156	May 12 2026 10:45AM UTC
	Document Signed by Joshua Kingston ([e-mail])
	IP: 185.249.213.98
Document Signed		May 12 2026 10:45AM UTC
Document	This document has been completed.	May 12 2026
Completed	Fingerprint: 943cf9980537f7a2d7d83ce4767275e4	10:45AM UTC