About Us

WhatsOnStage is the leading source for UK theatre information and tickets. The company was founded in 1996 by the media corporation EMAP under the auspices of Carol Dukes. Three years later it was bought by Terri Paddock (along with David Dobson) who owned and ran the company for 13 years. In 2012 WhatsOnStage was acquired by Time Out who sold it on to TheaterMania in January 2013.

In 2017, WhatsOnStage became a part of the AudienceView portfolio of brands, which fuel attendee engagement, ticket sales and advertising solutions for sports, music and theater in 15 countries around the world.

WhatsOnStage is now the leading theatre website in the UK and the most trusted source for theatre information and editorial content. The website comprises a listings database of over 5,000 performances nationwide at any one time, unrivalled theatre news, reviews, photos, interviews, blogs and features, video. In addition, WhatsOnStage via its commercial partnerships with a variety of ticketing affiliates now offers its readers an independent and impartial booking service aiming to provide the best tickets at the best prices. Market research and data segmentation has proved that our readers comprise the UK’s most avid, discerning and informed theatregoing audience online.

In 2000 WhatsOnStage founded the WhatsOnStage Awards voted for in their entirety by the ticket buying public. These are the only major UK theatre awards decided by the audience with hundreds of thousands of people voting each year.

The company also runs the WhatsOnStage Theatre Club and hosts year-round events for 2,000+ dedicated members including post-show Q&As with show casts and creatives, group outings at heavily reduced rates and exclusive add-ons such as post-show meet and greets with the cast.