Guides
What does it cost to put on a show in London? Venue hire, insurance and fees
A breakdown of venue hire, insurance and licensing costs for staging a show in London, with published fringe rates, statutory licence fees and where to check each figure.
What to take away
- Venue hire is the first cost to pin down. At least one small London fringe room publishes per-performance fees; larger spaces may quote on request.
- If you hire a venue that already holds a premises licence, you normally do not pay licensing fees yourself. The statutory fees fall on the venue.
- If you use an unlicensed space and sell alcohol, a Temporary Event Notice costs £21.
- Employers' liability insurance is compulsory once you employ staff. Public liability cover is a separate, voluntary product, though many venues ask to see it.
- Every figure here comes from a venue's own page or a government source. Prices change, so confirm them in writing before you commit.
Start with the venue fee
The venue is the first line to price, because everything else depends on the dates and terms it gives you. A published example shows how small-scale hire works. The Drayton Arms Theatre in South Kensington, a 51-seat room at 153 Old Brompton Road, lists a usage fee of £150 per performance with an interval and £200 per performance without one for runs of a week or more. Companies keep 100% of box office income, less ticketing fees. A single Sunday or Monday slot costs £100, with a limit of one per company per season.
On those terms, a two-week run of ten performances with an interval would cost £1,500 in usage fees alone. The venue sets lead times of two to four months for shows of a week or less and at least six months for runs of three weeks or more, so the calendar shapes the budget too.
Extras sit on top:
| Item | Published rate (Drayton Arms) |
|---|---|
| Technician for rig set-up | £20 an hour, four-hour minimum call |
| Operator during the run | You supply one, or ask about a venue technician at £60 a show |
| Daytime room hire | £10 an hour, or £15 an hour with a technician |
| Ticketing fees | Paid by your company and included in the ticket price |
The page does not state a deposit, VAT treatment or insurance requirement, so ask about those before you sign. Ticket prices are set by the company within the venue's preferred bands, typically £5 to £16, which tells you roughly how much a full house can bring in. A 51-seat house at the top of that band is £816 a night before ticketing fees, and the venue has fixed seating, so there is no way to stretch capacity.
Larger venues may not publish fixed rates at all, so ask for a quote tied to your dates, technical needs and staffing. Request it in writing that separates the room fee, technical staff, front of house, security and VAT. Our guide to reporting on theatre and performance explains how the sector's pieces fit together.
Does the show need a licence?
The answer depends on who holds the premises licence. Under the Licensing Act 2003, a venue licensed for regulated entertainment covers the performance. In an established theatre or pub theatre, the licence is the venue's responsibility and the venue pays the statutory fees.
The government's section 182 guidance under the Act, updated on 15 September 2026, sets out an exemption that matters for small plays. In paragraph 16.6, it says no licence is required for plays between 08.00 and 23.00 on any day, provided that the audience does not exceed 500. The same timing and audience limit applies to dance. The exemption concerns regulated entertainment only. Selling alcohol is a separate licensable activity, as the TEN rules below show. It is also not a promise that every other rule is met, so check any conditions on the space you are using.
If you use an unlicensed space and want to sell alcohol or run late, a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) can cover it. GOV.UK gives these terms:
- The fee is £21.
- Attendance must be fewer than 500 people at all times, including staff.
- The event can last no more than 168 hours.
- A standard notice must be submitted at least 10 clear working days before the event. A late notice must be given no later than 5 clear working days before, and not earlier than 9.
- A person without a personal licence can give up to 5 TENs a year, including up to 2 late ones.
What a premises licence costs a venue
You will not pay this if you hire, but it explains part of what sits inside a venue's price. Premises licence fees are set in bands by the non-domestic rateable value of the premises. The City of London's published schedule shows these amounts:
| Band | Rateable value | New application or full variation | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | £0 to £4,300 | £100 | £70 |
| B | £4,301 to £33,000 | £190 | £180 |
| C | £33,001 to £87,000 | £315 | £295 |
| D | £87,001 to £125,000 | £450 | £320 |
| E | £125,001 and above | £635 | £350 |
Bands D and E pay a multiplier where the main business is the sale of alcohol for drinking on the premises, so the totals become £900 and £1,905 to apply, and £640 and £1,050 a year. A minor variation costs £89. Venues with a capacity over 5,000 pay an additional fee, starting at £1,000 for 5,000 to 9,999 people. The City's schedule was last modified in 2020, so check a current council page before quoting these in a budget.
For a cultural hire, this matters in one way. A venue carries an annual licence fee and the cost of staffing a licensed space, which is one reason a theatre room fee is not a fair comparison with a bare rehearsal room. Our piece on listing and heritage law for arts venues covers other regulatory costs that fall on older buildings.
Insurance
GOV.UK says employers must have employers' liability insurance of at least £5 million from an authorised insurer, and you can be fined £2,500 for each day you are not properly insured. You are an employer once you take on staff such as crew or front of house. You do not need it if you only employ a close family member or someone based outside England, Scotland and Wales. The certificate must be displayed or made accessible, and the fine for not doing so is £1,000.
Public liability insurance is a separate product. A Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea page describes it as voluntary cover for claims made by members of the public or other businesses. A venue may still make it a condition of hire, so read the agreement. No official source publishes a typical premium, so this guide gives no price. Ask a broker for a written quote for your own production, and ask the venue what level of cover its contract requires.
Building a realistic budget
Group your costs into four blocks and obtain a written figure for each:
- Venue:usage fee per performance, technician, operator, ticketing fees, deposit and VAT.
- Compliance:any TEN, plus insurance for the run.
- Production:set, props, costumes, rights, rehearsal space and marketing.
- People:cast, crew and stage management, with the payroll or self-employment rules that apply.
Funding can offset part of this, and the route depends on where and who you are. Our explainer on UK arts council funding and the note on Arts Council England regional funding show how to check award lists before you apply.
Common questions
Do I need a licence to stage a play in a hired London venue?
If the venue holds the right licence, it normally covers you. Plays between 08.00 and 23.00 with an audience of 500 or fewer are exempt from the entertainment licence in the government's guidance. Alcohol sales are separate.
What does a Temporary Event Notice cost?
£21, for events with fewer than 500 people lasting up to 168 hours.
Is public liability insurance legally required?
Employers' liability insurance is compulsory if you have employees. Public liability is described as voluntary in the sources used here, but a venue may make it a condition of hire.
