WE BELIEVE THEATRE BELONGS TO EVERYONE

Our work is:

AMBITIOUS
We set high standards for our storytelling, creativity, production quality, and the impact we expect to achieve.

RELEVANT
We ensure our work reflects, contemporary audiences, social and cultural realities, and evolving approaches to access and innovation.

TRANSFORMATIVE
We believe our stories, working practices, and relationships should creative meaningful change, grounded in case and respect.

For fifty years, New Perspectives has been championing new writing, shaping the careers of playwrights, nurturing artists, and amplifying regional voices. Our mission is simple: to redefine what theatre can be, where it can happen, and who gets to make it.

Our commitment is clear: We are rooted in the East Midlands but are driven to reach all corners of the UK, and beyond. By touring to theatres, village halls, community centres, and underserved areas, we ensure that everyone has the right to access and create theatre - that no one misses out on the connection, stimulation, and unmatchable interaction between live performers and the audience.

Our extensive talent development programme New Associates provides support for early and mid-career artists from the East Midlands with over 80 beneficiaries to date including writers, directors, actors, and theatre makers. In addition, our Open Pitch recognises creativity is all around us and works with individuals with unique personal or community-rooted stories. These activities ensure that we are contributing to shaping future careers and ensuring that all perspectives are heard.

We bring theatre to people, breaking down barriers to access and providing opportunities for artists from all backgrounds and cultures. We ensure that stories are celebrated, giving a platform to voices that may otherwise be overlooked. Whether it’s new writing, ambitious productions, or developing practice through use of digital and immersive technology, New Perspectives transcends barriers to create theatre that is enriching, inspiring, and transformative. 

OUR STORY

New Perspectives was founded in 1973 by five Bretton Hall graduates - David Johnston, Colin Hicks, Richard Pinner, Christopher Vine, and Carol Leader. Originally named Perspectives, the company launched with a devised piece about David Oluwale, a homeless Nigerian man who died in British police custody in the 1960s. This production toured schools and set the tone for a company unafraid to tell urgent, challenging stories.

Invited to undertake a residency in Peterborough, the company became Key Perspectives, and in 1979, a move to The Cresset Theatre prompted another name change to Perspectives Theatre Company. In 1982, we relocated to Mansfield in the East Midlands, and by 1988, became New Perspectives - marking a transition from a cooperative to a registered company. That year also saw the appointment of our first Artistic Director, Helen White. We became a registered charity in 1996.

Over the years, New Perspectives has been shaped by a series of visionary artistic directors: Helen White, Gavin Stride, Daniel Buckroyd, Jack McNamara, and our current leader, Angharad Jones. Since 2006, we’ve been proudly based in the Nottingham suburb of Basford.

From the beginning, our mission has been clear: to bring urgent stories to new audiences. Today, as a leading touring theatre company in the East Midlands, we continue to champion new writing, amplify underrepresented voices, and support regional talent—bringing exceptional, thought-provoking theatre to communities in all kinds of spaces and places.

New Perspectives is a registered charity (no.1058309)

Supported using public funding by Arts Council England

Banner image: Ben Cutler, Playland (2015). © Pamela Raith Photography.