Established in 1932, the multi-award-winning Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is one of the most artistically celebrated and successful independent producing theatres in the UK. With an auditorium of 1,304 seats, the scale and ambition of our productions together with our magical outdoor setting, makes us unique in the country’s cultural landscape.
Passionate about producing popular, enriching and unexpected theatre that provides a lens into the here and now, we welcome 180,000 people to our 20-week summer season every year.
Over the last fifteen years, our productions have won ten Olivier Awards, ten WhatsOnStage Awards, and four Evening Standard Awards; our 2024 production of Fiddler on the Roof holds the record for the most nominated musical revival in the history of the Oliviers. In 2025, we were one of six UK theatres to be shortlisted for Theatre of the Year by The Stage, and we received the Highly Commended Award for Visitor Attraction or Events Venue of the Year at the Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Business Awards.
Beyond the Park, our productions continue to tour the UK and internationally, reaching a live audience of just under 1 million people worldwide in 2025 alone. Our 2016 revival of Jesus Christ Superstar is celebrating its tenth year of international touring, currently visiting Asia and New Zealand; the production is also currently playing at The London Palladium ahead of a run at Theatre Royal Drury Lane later this year, followed by a UK & Ireland tour. Fiddler on the Roof is currently touring Australia following its transfer to the Barbican Centre and UK & Ireland tour in 2025. Our new production of CATS will undertake a major tour of the UK & Ireland from October 2026.
As a registered charity that receives no regular public subsidy, we rely entirely on earned income and charitable contributions. Nevertheless, we have over 46,000 tickets at £25 or under available across the whole of 2026’s summer season, and we regularly work with a range of local stakeholders, civic partners, schools and community groups on a number of learning and engagement initiatives. Each year, on average, we subsidise tickets for 6,000 school pupils.
Our flagship artist development programmes include our Open Room observerships, the Theatre Dance Lab for early-career musical theatre choreographers, and The Treehouse Project workspace initiative.
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is led by Joint Chief Executives Drew McOnie (Artistic Director, since 2024) and James Pidgeon (Executive Director, since 2021).
VISION, MISSION, GUIDING VALUES
Vision
To help people make sense of the world under a shared sky.
Misson
Celebrating our unique and experiential outdoor setting, we create popular, enriching and unexpected theatre that provides a lens into the here and now.
Guiding values
Ambitious
Open
Independent
Connected
Joyful
Underlying Principles
Equity, diversity & inclusion
We are committed to championing diversity, equity and accessibility in everything we do, embracing difference and individuality with respect and an inclusive approach to ensure everyone feels valued and welcome.
Environmental sustainability
The collision between art and environment is what makes our work unique; our relationship with the planet is front and centre. Recognising the climate crisis, we are committed to reducing our environmental impact and to finding ways to adapt and respond to ever-changing weather patterns.
History & heritage
We are committed to building on our foundations as the oldest, professional, permanent outdoor theatre in the UK.
Civic responsibility
We are committed to developing opportunities to collaborate with local authorities, schools, community groups, grassroots organisations and other charities to remain locally engaged and effective.
