What Theatre Cedar Rapids does

Theatre Cedar Rapids is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit producing theatre founded in 1925 and headquartered in the historic Iowa Theatre Building in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It operates as Iowa's largest nonprofit producing theatre and is recognized as one of the top five community theatres nationally. The organization produces live theatrical performances across two primary venues — a 550-seat mainstage auditorium and an 85-seat intimate Grandon Studio Theatre black box — plus outdoor productions at the Peggy Boyle Whitworth Amphitheater at Brucemore. Its repertoire spans Broadway-scale musicals (including Tony Award-winning titles), intimate plays, and family programming, supplemented by year-round arts education for over 1,000 summer camp students and broader student audiences.

Revenue is generated through six primary streams: ticket sales (single tickets, season subscriptions with up to 25% savings, group sales), individual donations across an eight-tier ladder from $150 to $10,000, corporate and foundation sponsorships up to $30,000+, venue rentals for private events, planned giving through the TCR Encore Society legacy program, and education program fees (with Pay-What-You-Can options). The organization distributes tickets through a direct-to-consumer model via its website (orders.theatrecr.org), phone, and in-person box office. Supporting infrastructure includes accessibility services (T-coil hearing loop, assistive listening devices, sensory kits), a Linge Lounge concessions space, and a planned renovation of the Iowa Theatre Building via the $9.5M Dream Here, Do Here Capital Campaign.

The organization is staffed by 18 full-time employees plus part-time staff and hundreds of contracted artists and volunteers, and it engages over 250 active volunteer ushers and thousands of additional community volunteers. It serves more than 50,000 annual visitors from over 300 communities, with geographic concentration in Cedar Rapids (43%), Marion/Iowa City (27%), broader Iowa (26%), and out-of-state (4%). Strategic partnerships include anchor capital campaign gifts from the Hall-Perrine Foundation, City of Cedar Rapids, Linge Foundation, and DeWolf Family Foundation, plus operational partnerships with Brucemore and corporate sponsors including Transamerica and McGrath Family of Dealerships.

Name

Theatre Cedar Rapids

Legal name

Theatre Cedar Rapids

Website

https://theatrecr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1925

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Theatre Cedar Rapids is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit producing theatre founded in 1925, operating a 550-seat auditorium and 85-seat studio in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It serves 50,000+ annual visitors from 300+ communities through live productions, arts education for 1,000+ students, and venue rentals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Live Theatre and Performing Arts

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Musical Theatre (Non-Broadway/Fringe) (MPAGABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Concert Halls & Music Venue Operations (Symphony Halls, Recital Venues) (MPAGALAC), Event Operations & Venue Services (Box Office, FOH/BOH, Concessions) (MPAIAFAL), Nightclub & Small Live Venue Operations (Clubs, Bars with Stages) (MPAGALAF), Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG)

Keywords

• Live theatre productions
• Performing arts education
• Theatre venue rentals
• Community theatre season
• Arts nonprofit programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Cedar Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from single tickets, season subscriptions, and group sales for mainstage productions, Grandon Studio Theatre performances, and outdoor shows at Brucemore. Ticket prices range from $13-$33 for outdoor shows to $27+ for mainstage productions.
2. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations at various levels ($150 Friend to $10,000 Legend) with corresponding benefits including recognition, free parking, donor passes, and exclusive events.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Institutional partnerships from $2,500 General Season Supporter to $30,000+ Auditorium Title Sponsors, including logo placement, playbill recognition, advertising, and event access.
4. Venue Rentals: Rental income from Linge Lounge (up to 69 guests), TCR Auditorium, Grandon Studio Theatre, and Rehearsal Space for private events, corporate functions, and celebrations.
5. Planned Giving: Legacy gifts through bequests, beneficiary designations, charitable gift annuities, charitable trusts, and donor-advised funds. Managed through the TCR Encore Society legacy program.
6. Education Programs: Revenue from summer camps, workshops, and educational opportunities. Many offerings include Pay What You Can options to ensure accessibility.
7. Performer Honoraria: Cast members age 16+ receive $25 per performance and crew members receive $20 per performance as honoraria recognizing their contribution.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Theatre Cedar Rapids produces and presents live theatrical performances in two indoor venues — a 550-seat auditorium and an 85-seat Grandon Studio black box — plus outdoor productions at Brucemore's amphitheater. It sells single tickets and season subscriptions to Broadway-scale musicals and plays, runs year-round arts education (summer camps, workshops, internships), rents its Linge Lounge, auditorium, studio, and rehearsal space to outside event hosts, and raises contributed income via individual donations, planned giving, and corporate/institutional sponsorships.

Product overview

Theatre Cedar Rapids is a nonprofit live theatre company operating as a single unified organization offering theatrical productions and arts education services. The core offering consists of two performance venues: the 550-seat mainstage Auditorium for large-scale productions, and the intimate 85-seat Grandon Studio Theatre for bold, experimental work. Beyond performance spaces, TCR provides comprehensive arts education through Summer Camps, Year-Round Education Programs, and Internships. Additional services include Venue Rentals (including the Linge Lounge), Accessibility Services, Season Tickets, Gift Certificates, Donations & Planned Giving programs, and Institutional Partnerships & Sponsorships. TCR serves over 50,000 visitors annually from its historic Iowa Theatre Building in downtown Cedar Rapids.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Iowa Theatre Building: The historic 50,000-square-foot venue at 102 3rd Street SE in downtown Cedar Rapids, built in 1928, serving as TCR's home.
• Grandon Studio Theatre
• TCR Auditorium
• Linge Lounge
• Dream Here, Do Here Capital Campaign
• TCR Encore Society

Products and services

• TCR Auditorium Productions Large-scale mainstage theatrical productions in a 550-seat auditorium featuring Broadway-caliber musicals, plays, and special events such as Dear Evan Hansen and Disney's Frozen.
• Grandon Studio Theatre Season Intimate 85-seat black box theatre season featuring bold, inventive productions including The Exorcist, A Christmas Carol, Glengarry Glen Ross, and Sense & Sensibility for the 2026-2027 season.
• Outdoor Family Musicals at Brucemore Family-friendly outdoor theatrical productions at Brucemore's Peggy Boyle Whitworth Amphitheater, including Disney's Finding Nemo (July 10-26, 2026). Tickets $13-$33 with Brucemore Member discounts available.
• Season Subscription Packages Multi-show subscription packages offering up to 25% savings on single-ticket prices, free ticket exchanges, priority access to added events, and exclusive subscriber perks. Available in three-show and four-show configurations.
• Summer Camps Theatre arts education camps for students of all ages and experience levels featuring morning and afternoon session options, multi-week immersive programs, production-based camps, themed workshops, and Pay What You Can accessibility options. Over 1,000 students attended in summer 2024.
• Year-Round Educational Opportunities Educational offerings including student matinees, school tours, outreach programs, workshops, and customized programs aligned with Iowa Academic Standards for theatre, art, music, literacy and life skills.
• Internships Hands-on opportunities for emerging artists and arts leaders to gain real-world theatre experience in scenic build, technical theatre, marketing, box office, fundraising, production support, and arts administration.
• Auditions & Casting Open auditions held throughout the year for productions in the TCR Auditorium, Grandon Studio Theatre, and special events, with honoraria of $25 per performance for cast members age 16+ and $20 per performance for crew members age 16+.
• Venue Rentals Rental of TCR spaces including the Linge Lounge (capacity up to 69 guests with downtown views), TCR Auditorium, Grandon Studio Theatre, and rehearsal space for private events, corporate gatherings, weddings, and performances. Budget ranges from under $500 to $2,500+ based on space and services.
• Accessibility Services Comprehensive accessibility offerings for patrons including T-coil hearing loop system installed in the TCR Auditorium, assistive listening receivers at no cost, ASL interpretation for select performances, script access, wheelchair seating, sensory kits with ear protection, fidgets, and chewing gum, and elevator access to Grandon Studio.
• Donations & Planned Giving Individual giving programs with recognition tiers ranging from Friend ($150) through Legend ($10,000) with corresponding benefits, plus planned giving options including bequests, beneficiary designations, charitable gift annuities, charitable trusts, and donor-advised funds managed through the TCR Encore Society legacy program.
• Institutional Partnerships & Sponsorships Corporate and foundation partnership opportunities including season sponsorships, production underwriting, education program support, and advertising with tiered benefits from General Season Supporter ($2,500) through Auditorium Title Sponsor ($30,000+). Benefits include logo placement, playbill recognition, advertising, event invitations, and priority tickets.
• Gift Certificates Gift vouchers available for purchase through the online ticketing platform for theatre experiences and performances.
• Linge Lounge Newly refreshed street-level lounge with dramatic wall of full-length windows offering downtown views, concessions, specialty cocktails, drinks, snacks, and show-themed souvenirs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50,000+ annual visitors from 300+ communities
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BrucemorecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Historic estate and cultural venue partner for outdoor theatre productions. TCR and Brucemore partner to present Theatre for Young Audiences productions at the Peggy Boyle Whitworth Amphitheater. Partnership launched in 2021 with Out-of-Doors at Brucemore series.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Children's Theatre Company (Minneapolis): Professional nonprofit producing theatre specializing in Theatre for Young Audiences with year-round programming and education. Directly comparable to TCR's TYA summer-outdoor programming line and education focus, though specialized in young-audience work.

Broad incumbents

• Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Large, well-resourced Chicago-based professional producing theatre with a mainstage ensemble and education programs. Comparable as a nonprofit producing theatre serving a Midwest audience, but materially larger in budget and artistic profile than TCR.
• Denver Center for the Performing Arts: Large multi-venue performing arts complex presenting Broadway tours and producing theatre with extensive education programming. Overlaps with TCR on producing, education, and venue-rental business models but at substantially greater scale.
• Guthrie Theater: Major nonprofit regional theatre in Minneapolis operating a multi-stage venue with production, education, and community programming. Comparable in mission as a leading regional producing nonprofit, though significantly larger in scale than TCR.

Regional players

• Paramount Theatre (Cedar Rapids): Cedar Rapids performing arts venue presenting touring Broadway, concerts, and community events. Comparable to TCR as a Cedar Rapids live-performance venue but operates a presenting/rental model rather than a producing-theatre model, so it competes for the same local entertainment dollars without producing original seasons.

Others

• Brucemore: Historic Cedar Rapids estate and cultural venue that partners with Theatre Cedar Rapids for outdoor Theatre for Young Audiences productions. Strategic operating partner rather than competitor; relevant for ecosystem context on TCR's outdoor programming channel.

Direct peers

• Des Moines Community Playhouse: Iowa-based nonprofit producing community theatre presenting a mainstage season plus education programs. Directly comparable in mission, scale, and Iowa regional market dynamics to Theatre Cedar Rapids.
• Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park: Regional nonprofit producing theatre operating two performance spaces with Broadway-scale productions and education programs. Matches TCR's dual-stage (large + intimate) operating model and producing-theatre mission.
• Repertory Theatre of St. Louis: LTRP-affiliated professional repertory theatre producing a multi-show season with strong education programming in the Midwest. Comparable in producing-nonprofit model, multi-venue operations, and arts-education delivery to TCR.
• Iowa Stage Theatre Company: Des Moines-based professional producing nonprofit theatre offering mainstage productions and outreach in Iowa. Closely comparable in terms of state-level mission, producing model, and education/community programming to TCR.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theatrecr
• Facebookfacebook.com/theatrecedarrapids
• Instagraminstagram.com/theatrecr/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Theatre Cedar Rapids