BRIGHT UMBRELLA DRAMA COMPANY LIMITED
TRUSTEES’ REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS’ REPORT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2025
The Trustees present their report and financial statements for the year ended 31 May 2025.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity’s Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Companies Act 2006 and ‘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) (effective 1 January 2019)’.
Objectives and activities
Purpose of the charity
The charity exists to advance the arts in Northern Ireland and further afield particularly through:
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The performance of plays and other dramatic works including improvised works, poetry and
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prose readings;
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Educational activities in respect of drama and the theatre such as theatrical performances,
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classes, talks and workshops in schools, colleges and other settings; and
• The involvement of the public in drama and theatrical works through enrolling them as actors, technicians and backstage crew.
Principal activities
The principal activity of the company continued to be the production of classical dramatic works, involving several mediums.
How our charity benefits the public
Our activities provide benefit to the public by:
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Providing opportunity for engagement in the arts;
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Providing opportunity for learning and training;
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Providing opportunity for employment;
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Co-operating and networking with other theatre groups in NI and beyond;
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Improving wellbeing and citizenship by dealing with the disadvantaged; and
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Working to create a more inclusive society by performing dramas that challenge concepts
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around racism, sexism, sectarianism and other societal issues.
Achievements and performance
Bright Umbrella operates from the Sanctuary Theatre, an old church on the interface between The Mount and Short Strand areas of East Belfast. During 2024/25 we produced and received a wide range of shows including theatre productions, standup comedy and music concerts. We estimate to have sold around 2,500 tickets across 50 nights of entertainment and employed around 160 actors, directors, stage managers and other creatives at Equity Union rates. At the time of writing, we employ two full-time members of staff and one part-time self-employed bookkeeper. Notable achievements during the period included:
• Our first appearance at the Edinburgh Festival where we presented two one man shows during a one-week period – ‘A Farther Shore’ by David Campton, acted by Glenn McGivern and ‘Dean and the Devil’ by Philip Orr, acted by Trevor Gill. PJ Davey provided backstage support.
• Bringing it all back home involved a rehearsed reading of play extracts from East Belfast playwrights performed by Sean Cairns, Caroline Curran, Dan Gordon and Abigail McGibbon.
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BRIGHT UMBRELLA DRAMA COMPANY LIMITED
TRUSTEES’ REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS’ REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2025
• Shine Bright is our weekly session for aspiring actors and part of our commitment to present community and amateur drama and to nurture new talent.
• A Stewart Love retrospective saw us presenting a number of plays and rehearsed readings by one of East Belfast’s most prolific writers. This culminated in a professional production of Me Oul Segocia , one of Love’s most powerful works and one of the first plays about the Northern Ireland ‘Troubles’. The show was received with great critical acclaim.
• The highly popular Stuck in the Middle with You , by Trevor Gill and Sam Robinson, sold out The Sanctuary Theatre during separate runs in April and October (19 shows in total) and toured more widely during the year.
• Our Christmas offering was The Magician’s Nephew , a stage version of the C.S. Lewis novel. This was very popular with families and younger children.
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Received shows (where external companies rent the Sanctuary) included Sausage Sodas
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and Onion Bhajis by Lata Sharma and Mother & Son / Elegy for Georgie , two short theatre pieces presented as part of a NI Mental Health Festival and Queen of the Bees by Johanna Gallagher.
• Musical concerts included a series of Christmas shows by East Belfast rocker Ricky Warwick , the return of The Stray Gaiters , a tribute to the music of Neil Young and the latest in a series of punk rock concerts entitled Time to be Proud .
• The East Laffs , our monthly comedy club, continued to present the work of up and coming and established standup comedians, many from the local area.
• The Macbeth Project is a two hour presentation which tours schools and is sponsored by FinTrU, a NI based tech company which helps financial institutions meet regulatory and compliance requirements. The Macbeth Project includes a 70 minute live performance of Shakespeare’s classic, a talk from the Director and a Q&A slot where pupils can question the cast. During the period we toured 12 post primary schools and played to 1,165 pupils.
Lease arrangements
Our building, known as ‘The Sanctuary Theatre’, is leased from the Trustees of Mountpottinger Non Subscribing Presbyterian Church on a 50 year lease basis. The lease was signed on 16[th] November 2023.
Grant aid
We are grateful for the support of the following funders during the period:
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Belfast City Council
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FinTrU Ltd
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Future Screens NI
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The Weston Foundation
Financial results
The results for the year are set out on pages 9 and 10. The company returned net outgoing resources for the year of £4,250 (2024 – net incoming resources £33,656). At 31 May 2025 the total funds of the charity amounted to £85,028 (2024 - £89,278) comprising unrestricted income funds of £83,103 (2024 - £75,831) and restricted funds of £1,925 (2024 - £13,447).
Reserves policy and going concern
The Trustees recommend that the deficit of £4,250 be added to the total income funds brought forward. The relevant fund now has a balance of £85,028.
The Trustees consider that with the continued support of its bankers, the reserves retained by the company are sufficient for its ongoing needs.
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BRIGHT UMBRELLA DRAMA COMPANY LIMITED
TRUSTEES’ REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS’ REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2025
Plans for the future
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The continuation of the monthly East Laffs comedy club.
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Continuing performances of Macbeth in schools.
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A quarterly series of rehearsed readings.
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Major theatrical productions including, Ulster American by David Ireland, a revival of One
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Saturday Before the War and as our Christmas show, Baby It’s Cold Outside .
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A programme of musical events and performances from visiting artists and companies
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including Ricky Warwick and The Stray Gaiters .
A major project during 2025/26 will be the renovation of The Sanctuary Theatre funded by the EU’s Peace+ programme, administered by Belfast City Council. During the period when The Sanctuary ‘goes dark’, we will present our programme at venues throughout Belfast and Northern Ireland.
Taxation
The company is a charity (Charity No NIC109332) and is recognised as such by HM Revenue and Customs for taxation purposes. As a result, there is no liability to taxation on any of its income.
Structure, governance and management
Bright Umbrella Drama Company Limited continues to operate as a not-for-profit charitable organisation with Company Limited by Guarantee status. The organisation is governed by a Board of Trustees, comprising of 7 in total. The Board administers the charity and normally meets bi-monthly.
Pay and remuneration for staff is reviewed annually and remuneration is based on scope of responsibilities and market value. Comparisons are sought within the wider community sector in Northern Ireland with reference to NJC salary scales.
New Trustees are briefed on their legal obligations under charity and company law, the content of the Memorandum and Articles of Association, the committee and decisionmaking process, the strategic priorities and recent financial performance of the charity. They are free to discuss any issue with other current Trustees or employees. Trustees are encouraged to attend any appropriate external training events where these will facilitate the undertaking of their role. This provides an understanding of what Charity Trusteeship entails and the responsibilities and duties that go with that position.
The registered office of the company is Sanctuary Theatre, Castlereagh Street, Belfast, Co Antrim, BT5 4NE. The company registration number is NI669814.
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BRIGHT UMBRELLA DRAMA COMPANY LIMITED
TRUSTEES’ REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS’ REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2025
The Trustees, who are also the Directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
Ms H Chesney (resigned 22 January 2025) Mr J Cordner Mr R Dane Mr T Gill Ms L Gordon (resigned 27 June 2025) Mr M Grimes (appointed 13 September 2024) Rev J Herron (resigned 6 September 2024) Ms E Nicholl (appointed 6 June 2025) Mr S Robinson Ms L Shaw (appointed 6 September 2024) Mr G Spratt (resigned 2 June 2025)
In addition, Mr Adrian Moir of Mountpottinger Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church (our Landlord) serves as a non-voting observer on the Trustee Board.
Appointing of Trustees
Appointment of Trustees can be effected by a decision of the existing Trustees, and termination of the role of Trustee can be effected by a Trustee submitting a written resignation or being determined no longer capable or allowed by law to continue in the role.
Related parties and co-operation with other organisations
Related party transactions are reported in note 22 to the accounts.
Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities
The Trustees (who are also Directors for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of the affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period.
In preparing the accounts, the Trustees are required to:
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Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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Observe the methods and principals in the Charities SORP;
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Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
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State whether applicable UK accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the accounts; and
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Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
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BRIGHT UMBRELLA DRAMA COMPANY LIMITED
TRUSTEES’ REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS’ REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2025
The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that 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 charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Statement as to disclosure to our Independent Examiners
Each of the Trustees has confirmed that there is no information of which they are aware which is relevant to the independent examination, but of which the Independent Examiner is unaware. They have further confirmed that they have taken appropriate steps to identify such relevant information and to establish that the Independent Examiner is aware of such information.
The Trustees’ report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
Trevor Gill Chairperson
16 September 2025
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