About Us
Welcome to the Pleasance
The Pleasance Theatre Trust is a leading UK arts charity dedicated to creating space for emerging voices, bright ideas, and outstanding performance. With a proud history rooted in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and a permanent base in Islington, London, the Trust fosters theatrical innovation, accessibility and growth within the performing arts.
Since its foundation in 1985, and its charity registration in 1995, the Trust has built a reputation for recognising, supporting, and showcasing both emerging and established talent. Each year, the Pleasance hosts hundreds of productions across its two hubs, provides critical support through artist development initiatives, and nurtures the next generation of performers, producers, and creatives.
For over four decades, the Pleasance has played a pivotal role in launching the careers of countless artists and creatives, both on and off stage, across theatre, comedy, and live performance. Many performers, writers, directors, and creatives who began their journeys at the Pleasance have gone on to shape the arts landscape both in the UK and internationally. This enduring legacy demonstrates the Trust’s dedication to supporting old ideas and providing a platform where new voices can flourish.
Our Work
We present acclaimed seasons of performance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Pleasance London. We provide rehearsal and R&D space, technical and producing support, and mentorship through our flagship artist development programme, Pleasance Futures. This includes the Young Pleasance, our Charlie Hartill Fund, our Edinburgh National Partnerships and our London Associate Artist programmes. We are committed to reaching new audiences. Through community outreach, school engagement, and accessible performance initiatives, we aim to ensure everyone—regardless of background—has the opportunity to engage with theatre.
Our Mission
We exist to:
- Champion innovation across theatre, comedy and performance
- Provide accessible, affordable platforms for artists to take creative risks
- Develop the skills and careers of young and emerging talent both on and off stage
- Support a diverse, inclusive and equitable creative community
- Entertain, engage, and inspire audiences across the UK and beyond
Edinburgh
Operating across three sites and with the largest programme of any Fringe venue, we present our ambitious programme of theatre, comedy, cabaret, dance and family shows to thousands of audiences each year.
Pleasance Courtyard is often described as the very heart of the Fringe: a large extended cobbled courtyard surrounded by eighteen sub venues, where audiences stop by for a drink, a chat and a show. The Pleasance Dome was the first venue to be established in the now buzzing Bristo Square, with a sunny indoor plaza, five sub venues and the newly added leisure area, Pleasance Plaza, just outside. At Pleasance at EICC we present some of the most technically ambitious shows on the Festival Fringe in their state of the art buildings.
View our Edinburgh Fringe 2025 digital brochure here.
London
Our year-round home in London provides a platform for leading and emerging talent to develop their work, hone their craft and grow new audiences.
The artistic programme at Pleasance London runs in parallel with Pleasance Edinburgh, with a curated comedy, theatre and family programme. Pleasance London has two performance spaces: the unique Cabaret Main House (199) with drinks/table service available, and The Studio (54), an intimate space, perfect for comedy work in progress.
Our spaces are available to hire and we host a range of events and parties in our beautiful bar space and foyer.
Pleasance Theatre Trust Ltd is a registered Charity in England and Wales (Charity No. 1050944) and in Scotland (Charity No. SC043237).
Environmental Policy
The Pleasance is committed to environmental sustainability and minimising the ecological impact of our operations wherever possible. We pledge to take responsibility for our footprint and empower employees to make positive changes within their sphere of control to minimise any adverse effect of the company on the environment.
Access
We hope to make your visit to the Pleasance as enjoyable, straightforward and comfortable as possible, from navigating the website to attending a performance and beyond. You can find accessibility information for London and the Edinburgh Fringe at the links below:
If you are an artist and would like to find out more about the accessibility of our performance and back of house spaces (as well as accessibility more generally), you can find more information at the links below:
Feedback
We welcome feedback to help us improve the experience of all visitors. If you have any feedback, you can do so via this form, at the contact details above, or on Euan’s Guide by clicking here.
Diversity and Inclusion
We are committed to providing opportunities for everyone, regardless of background, gender, race, disability, faith or sexuality, and to ensure that our programme and teams reflect the diversity of our sites in Edinburgh and London.
Below is a link to our EDI Mission statement for 2024/2025.
Work With Us
We have a range of exciting opportunities available at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, as well as throughout the year. You can learn more about our job and volunteer openings by clicking here.
