Become A Digs Host

Digs is a term used to describe short-term accommodation provided to actors, crew and creatives whilst they are working away from home at a theatre. Digs can be varying sizes - a room in your house, a self-contained studio or an entire home.

The basic requirements for digs are:

• A private room with a comfortable bed and storage space
• A private or shared bathroom with access to hot water
• Internet access
• Cooking and laundry facilities
• The property is a safe environment, with working fire/smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors if relevant
• Acceptance of The Theatre’s expectations and code of conduct

Many freelancers prefer private accommodation, so self-contained properties or entire homes are very popular.

This can vary depending on the production and the person. For touring shows that visit us, you could expect someone to stay with you for a night or up to a week. For our in-house productions, someone could be staying with you for a couple of weeks or up to a couple of months. During our pantomime, our cast and crew stay in Chipping Norton for almost 3 months.

The benefit of being on our digs list is that you could receive guaranteed income for a longer period of time than a holiday let or Air BnB.

The price is really up to you! However it is useful to take the below information into account…

We provide subsistence payments to people who work with us which are used to cover accommodation and contribute towards some food costs. The rate of this is set by Equity (The Actor’s Union) and UK Theatre and for the year 2026/7 it is currently £230 per week.

Therefore, we recommend a rate of £25-30 per room per night / £160 - £210 per room per week so performers and crew can comfortably afford to live away from home. This should be inclusive of electricity, water, heating and wi-fi bills.

Some guests are willing to pay higher prices for self-contained properties.

You can expect guests:

• To clearly communicate details of their stay

• To respect you, your home and anyone else who lives in your property

• To tidy and clean up after themselves

• To pay on time

• To not enter rooms that you have specified are private

As a host you are expected to:

• Promptly communicate when someone contacts you about booking digs and provide accurate information regarding availability, payment and the room/property
• Provide a clean room/property upon arrival, with bedding and towels
• All hosts must agree to our Code of Conduct and values around inclusivity
• Understand that theatre working schedules are very different to the ‘9-5’ job; cast and crew are often at home during the day and working until late into the evening.
• Allow privacy for guests and understand that some may be happy to be social a lot of the time, and that some guests may want to keep to themselves.

It will look something like this…

JOHN SMITH – Example Street, Chipping Norton

PHOTO OF BEDROOM
PHOTO OF BATHROOM

No. You can be temporarily taken off our digs list upon request if you are unavailable to host for a certain period of time. When you are ready, you can be added back onto the list.

The Theatre will create a listing for your room/property on the digs list which displays a description of the accommodation, photos, prices, specific house rules and contact details. Cast and crew will get in touch with you directly using the email or phone number you have provided on the listing. The Theatre will contact you on behalf of creative freelancers (such as directors, designers etc).

Possibly, letting out a property, or a room in your property, can affect your current arrangements and affect things like mortgage, tax, council tax and insurance. If you are letting out an entire property, the implications are likely to be bigger. You can find out more from the people who supply these services to you.

You will have a named contact here at The Theatre and we will provide your details to our freelancers and visiting companies. We generally leave hosts and guests to arrange agreements between themselves, however we are always available for advice.