Case Study: How The Stage Factory Saved Time, Money, and Stress with Stage Stubs

About The Stage Factory

Founded in 2005 by Helen Pender, The Stage Factory is a highly successful dance and theatre school based in St Helens.

For two decades, The Stage Factory has been providing classes in ballet, tap, street dance, theatre, and more to children of all ages and abilities. Always delivering high-level teaching and choreography, led by a team of outstanding teachers, overseen by principal Helen Pender (MIPATH), a former professional dancer and singer. Classes are taught in a fun and friendly, yet disciplined environment that encourages growth and creativity.

Helen has worked tirelessly to grow the school, expanding from just four weekly classes in its early days to an incredible forty classes each week, now.

Over the years, The Stage Factory has staged an impressive range of productions, from intimate workshops and parties to large-scale professional shows at the Theatre Royal.

The Challenge

For 18 years, Helen tried numerous ways of selling tickets to her productions, including:

• Website sales – used mainly for smaller events such as workshops.
  
• Email bookings – simple but often with a lot of added work and stress for the team (and parents)
  
• Theatre box office – the most common route, but the most costly.
   

While the box office was convenient in theory, the costs and complications soon stacked up:

• £200 + VAT per night for in-house box office hire (totalling £400 + VAT for Helen’s two day shows).
  
• Card transaction fees, paid directly by Helen.
  
• £1 per ticket surcharge, paid by each customer, on top of the cost of tickets.
  
• An additional % commission fee for every ticket sold online.
  

For a typical two-night show, these charges added up to around £1,500! (We know, our eyebrows were so far up they almost disappeared into our hair when Helen was explaining this to us.)

Parents and families also faced barriers, with box-office purchases: often having to queue outside the theatre or call the box office, paying by cash or cheque.

Helen was very aware of how much everything was costing for the parents, lessons,  costumes, and the tickets on top of that, so she was keen to find an easy and cost-effective way to sell tickets. 

The Solution: Stage Stubs

When Helen discovered Stage Stubs, a free ticket-selling platform, she immediately saw the benefits. With its industry-low fees (free to use for organizers) and simple, self-serve setup.

Stage Stubs gave her full control over ticketing without the stress and cost of traditional systems.

Key features Helen and her team valued:

• Easy online booking – parents could purchase tickets anytime, from anywhere.
  
• Seat selection – families could choose their preferred seats using the free seating plan. Created specifically for each event by the Stage Stubs team.
  
• Pre-sale merchandise – programs could be purchased in advance, ensuring accurate print numbers and eliminating waste.
  
• Discounted ticket options – which were available only for the younger performers- to watch the second half of the show with their families.
  
• Advertising spaces availability – tickets featured sponsor logos and The Stage Factory’s social media, boosting local marketing.
  
• Accessibility options – the ability to block out seats for wheelchair users. 

The Results

By moving to Stage Stubs, The Stage Factory achieved:

• Over £1,500 saved per two-night show in fees.
  
• Streamlined audience experience – no more queues around the theatre or inconvenient cash payments.
  
• Better resource planning – printing exactly the right number of programs and merchandise.
  
• Full control for Helen – from pricing and discounts to seating plans and ticket promotions.
  

Helen summed up her experience:

“I would definitely be using Stage Stubs going forward. It made my life and my students’ parents’ lives so much easier. I highly recommend it to those looking to move away from traditional box office and in-person sales.”

Key Benefits of Using Stage Stubs at a Glance

✅ Tickets go live on your schedule

✅ Families book online – no more queues

✅ Pre-sell merchandise like programs

✅ Add sponsors and marketing to tickets—great way to generate additional revenue

✅ Save thousands on fees

✅ Keep full control over your events. (one of Helen’s favourite features of the software)

Want to find out more about Helen and her The Stage Factory? Follow them on Facebook and Instagram?