Norwich Theatre says its own inquiry found a number of hospitality workers and employees stole from the charity. It has taken disciplinary action and told the police.
Norwich Theatre has reported theft by some of its own staff to the police. The charity runs the Theatre Royal, the Playhouse and Stage Two.
It said an internal investigation confirmed that “a number of the individuals concerned stole from Norwich Theatre”. The theatre published its statement on its own website on Thursday 2 October.
What the theatre says happened
The statement sets out four points:
- In recent weeks it investigated “serious allegations of misconduct against hospitality workers and employees within our organisation”.
- The investigation confirmed that a number of those individuals stole from the theatre.
- Separate findings were reached against a smaller number of people over “inappropriate graffiti on Norwich Theatre property”.
- “Decisive disciplinary action has been taken”. Given “the seriousness of theft from a charity”, the matter has been reported to the police.
The theatre has not said how many people were involved, what was taken, or what it was worth. It has not said what the disciplinary action was. It said it “will not be making any further public comment on the matter”.
Why the theatre went public
The statement says the theatre would have preferred to deal with the matter privately. It says the case “found its way into the public domain” without its consent, and that it was therefore “forced to make the outcome of the investigations public”.
“There was no need for this to play out in public and we do not believe this was in the best interests of the individuals concerned or any of Norwich Theatre’s people,” it said.
What the police have said
Norfolk Constabulary had published nothing about the case on its own news pages when we checked on Saturday 3 October. Nobody has been named, and no arrest or charge has been announced. A report to the police is not a finding of guilt by any court.
We will update this page if the force issues a statement.
The charity behind the theatres
Norwich Theatre is the operating name of Theatre Royal (Norwich) Trust Limited. It is registered charity number 262259. Its Charity Commission entry for the year to 28 March 2025 records:
| Year to 28 March 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Total income | £20,154,026 |
| Total spending | £20,217,765 |
| Employees | 262 |
| Volunteers | 180 |
| Trustees | 12 |
Most of the income, £15.56 million, came from its charitable activities. Another £3.55 million came from other trading. The financial history shows income has more than tripled since the year to March 2021, when the theatres were shut for much of the pandemic and income was £5.76 million.
The theatre’s own statement does not put a figure on the theft, so we cannot say how it compares with those sums.
What it means for you
- If you have tickets: the statement says nothing about shows, bars or restaurants being affected. Check with the box office on 01603 630 000 if you are unsure about a booking.
- If you have information: report it to Norfolk Police on 101, or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
- The redevelopment: the Playhouse revamp, which won planning permission last month, is a separate project. The statement does not mention it.
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