A Noise Within
A Noise Within is a Pasadena-based nonprofit classical theatre company, founded in 1991, that produces professional mainstage productions and runs education programs serving over 18,000 Southern California students annually through field trips, youth classes, and summer intensives.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersPasadena, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What A Noise Within does
A Noise Within is a nonprofit professional classical theatre company founded in 1991 and headquartered in Pasadena, California. It operates from a 30,000 square-foot permanent facility housed in the historic Stuart Pharmaceutical building, a mid-century modern masterpiece designed by Edward Durell Stone, which was acquired and modernized through a $13.5 million capital campaign in 2011. The venue features a 324-seat thrust-stage theatre, rehearsal space, scene and costume shops, classrooms, and administrative offices. Its core offering consists of seasonal mainstage productions of classical dramatic literature, currently presenting a six-title 2026-27 season under the banner "Those Better Angels" for its 35th Anniversary Season. The company distinguishes itself by integrating professional theatrical production with an extensive arts education program that reaches more than 18,000 Southern California students annually through field trips, summer camps, youth and teen classes, monologue festivals, apprenticeships, and teacher professional development.
The organization's revenue model is diversified across five streams: single ticket sales (including discounted $20–$30 student group tickets), recurring season subscriptions, education program fees (e.g., Summer With Shakespeare weekly programs priced $470–$1,950), tax-deductible donations and foundation grants, and ancillary facility rental of the theatre, lobby, conference, and rehearsal spaces. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via an online box office powered by PrinttixUSA, a physical box office (the Eisner Foundation Box Office), season subscription sales, group sales for K-12 and university programs, gift certificates, and facility rental bookings. The company has no public listing, no parent or subsidiary entities, and operates as an independent 501(c)-equivalent nonprofit governed by a board of directors.
Go-to-market is hybrid: an event-driven motion tied to production scheduling drives ticket and subscription revenue, while a community-led motion — encompassing discussion groups, opening-night events, post-show conversations, volunteer opportunities, and school outreach — generates loyalty, word-of-mouth, and donor pipeline development. Marketing channels span the company website (anoisewithin.org), Facebook, Instagram, email newsletter, and direct education outreach. Accessibility infrastructure includes the GalaPro app for real-time captioning and assistive listening, and dedicated Relaxed Performances and Black Out Night programming. The company holds a Charity Navigator four-star rating and a Guidestar Platinum Seal of Transparency, signaling strong nonprofit governance and financial accountability.
A Noise Within firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- A Noise Within
- Legal name
- A Noise Within
- Website
- https://anoisewithin.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- A Noise Within is a Pasadena-based nonprofit classical theatre company, founded in 1991, that produces professional mainstage productions and runs education programs serving over 18,000 Southern California students annually through field trips, youth classes, and summer intensives.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
A Noise Within industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Performing Arts
- NAICS
- Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Performing Arts Companies (7111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)
Keywords
Where A Noise Within is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Pasadena
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
A Noise Within business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Single tickets sold for individual theatrical performances ranging from $20 for student tickets to standard adult pricing
- Season Subscriptions: Multi-show subscription packages offering discounted access to the full season productions, including PremierPass options
- Education Programs: Revenue from field trip programs, summer theatre camps (Summer With Shakespeare), youth classes, and teen programming including monologue festivals and apprenticeships
- Donations and Fundraising: Tax-deductible charitable contributions from individual donors, foundation grants, and planned giving programs including charitable gift annuities
- Facility Rentals: Rental income from the 324-seat theatre, lobby, conference room, and rehearsal spaces for external events and receptions
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Ma Rainey's Black Bottom - $20 Student Tickets |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Come From Away - $25 Student Tickets |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | A Christmas Carol - $30 Student Tickets |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | As You Like It - $20 Student Tickets |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Great Expectations - $20 Student Tickets |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Trouble in Mind - $20 Student Tickets |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Pre-Show Theater Workshop - $400 |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Summer With Shakespeare - Weekly Program 1 Week |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Summer With Shakespeare - Weekly Program 2 Weeks |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Summer With Shakespeare - Weekly Program 3 Weeks |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Summer With Shakespeare - Weekly Program 4 Weeks |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Summer With Shakespeare - Weekly Program 5 Weeks |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Summer With Shakespeare - High School Intensive |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Summer With Shakespeare - Middle School Intensive |
| Subscription | Annual | Season Subscriptions |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
A Noise Within product offering
Product offeringCore offering
A Noise Within is a professional nonprofit classical theatre company in Pasadena, California that produces a season of classic dramatic works (by Shakespeare, August Wilson, Charles Dickens, and other playwrights) for general audiences. It operates from a permanent 324-seat thrust-stage theatre in a 30,000 sq ft facility and runs extensive education programs including field trips, youth and teen classes, summer camps, and apprenticeship programs reaching over 18,000 Southern California students annually.
Product overview
A Noise Within is a performing arts organization offering a unified portfolio of live theatrical productions and educational programming. The core offering consists of season subscription packages and single tickets to professional classical theatre productions, complemented by extensive education programs reaching over 18,000 students annually. Educational offerings include field trips, youth and teen programming (Youth Classes, Teen Monologue Festival, Apprenticeship Program, Theatre Immersion Program, Teen Leadership Council), and the Summer With Shakespeare intensive program. Additional revenue streams include facility rentals, gift certificates, discussion groups, and planned giving programs through the Bard's Circle.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Season Subscriptions Subscription packages offering discounted access to a full season of professional classical theatre productions for individual patrons.
- Single Tickets
Quantifiable outcome
- 18,000+ students served annually through education programs
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use A Noise Within
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
A Noise Within technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
A Noise Within partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Pasadena Community FoundationcoreA Noise Within has partnered with the Pasadena Community Foundation to provide access to Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) options for supporters. The CGA benefits both the donor (receiving lifetime income) and ANW (receiving immediate funding for productions and educational programs).
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
A Noise Within competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- South Coast Repertory: Professional nonprofit regional theatre in Costa Mesa, CA producing a season of classics and contemporary works with a comparable subscriber-and-donation revenue model and significant education programming — directly comparable in scale, mission, and Southern California footprint.
- Pasadena Playhouse: Historic nonprofit theatre in Pasadena producing a season of classic and contemporary productions with subscription ticketing and education programming. Same city as A Noise Within, sharing local patron and donor pools.
- Geffen Playhouse: Westwood-based nonprofit professional theatre producing a season of plays and musicals with subscription and education programming. Directly comparable in scale and LA-area audience targeting.
- Oregon Shakespeare Festival: One of the largest nonprofit classical repertory theatres in the US, producing a multi-play Shakespeare-and-classics season with deep education programming. Same classical-theatre focus and donor-supported model, though serving a broader geographic audience.
- American Repertory Theater: Harvard-affiliated nonprofit professional theatre producing classical and contemporary work with robust education and audience-development programs. Similar mission and operational model.
- Arena Stage: Washington DC nonprofit regional theatre producing a season of classics, musicals, and new work with deep education programming. Directly comparable subscription-plus-donation model and resident-artist practice.
- Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Chicago-based nonprofit producing a season of classics and new work with extensive education and community programming, supported by donations and subscriptions. Similar organizational archetype though weighted toward new work.
Broad incumbents
- Center Theatre Group: Los Angeles's largest nonprofit theatre operator (Ahmanson, Mark Taper Forum, Kirk Douglas), producing a wide repertory season with substantial education programs. Larger and broader in scope, but competes for the same LA-area patrons and donors.
- Roundabout Theatre Company: Major New York nonprofit producing a large classical and contemporary season across multiple venues with substantial education programming. Comparable operational archetype at significantly larger scale.
Regional players
- Boston Court Pasadena: Smaller Pasadena-based nonprofit producing contemporary and classic work with education programming. Same city and donor community as A Noise Within, though at a notably smaller scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
A Noise Within social profiles
Digital presenceA Noise Within financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
A Noise Within leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
A Noise Within funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
A Noise Within M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about A Noise Within
What does A Noise Within do?
A Noise Within is a professional nonprofit classical theatre company in Pasadena, California that produces a season of classic dramatic works (by Shakespeare, August Wilson, Charles Dickens, and other playwrights) for general audiences. It operates from a permanent 324-seat thrust-stage theatre in a 30,000 sq ft facility and runs extensive education programs including field trips, youth and teen classes, summer camps, and apprenticeship programs reaching over 18,000 Southern California students annually.
Is A Noise Within a public or private company?
A Noise Within is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was A Noise Within founded?
A Noise Within was founded in 1991. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is A Noise Within based?
A Noise Within is headquartered in Pasadena, United States, in the North America region.
How does A Noise Within make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are season Subscriptions, education Programs, donations and Fundraising and facility Rentals.
Who are A Noise Within's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are South Coast Repertory, Pasadena Playhouse, Geffen Playhouse, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, American Repertory Theater, Arena Stage and Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Broad incumbents are Center Theatre Group and Roundabout Theatre Company. Boston Court Pasadena is listed as a regional player.
Does A Noise Within have an API?
No public API is recorded for A Noise Within.
What industry is A Noise Within in?
A Noise Within's product category is Performing Arts. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGABAH, Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama), with a secondary code of MPAGABAM, Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking). Its NAICS code is 71111.