Shakespeare in the Woods

Name

Shakespeare in the Woods

Legal name

Shakespeare in the Woods

Website

https://shakespeareinthewoods.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outdoor Live Theatre

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Theatre & Storytelling Festivals (MPAGAEAI)

Keywords

• Outdoor theater productions
• Shakespeare adaptations
• Live theater performances
• Queer theater company
• Sliding scale ticketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Pawlet

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Sliding scale ticket model with prices ranging from $0 to $100 based on attendee's financial situation. Major revenue source though not primary funding mechanism.
2. Individual Donations: Major funding source. Relies heavily on sustained individual donors who champion the company's work. Includes giving tiers with season perks.
3. Grants & Foundation Funding: Vermont Humanities Council, Vermont Arts Council, Puffin Foundation grants. Building a professional theatre company in Vermont means limited access to traditional government funding available in major industry hubs.
4. Playbill Advertisers & Business Sponsors: Business sponsorship and playbill advertising program. Season sponsors at various tier levels.
5. Merchandise Sales: Branded merchandise including Dad Hats at $35, with additional shipping costs. Proceeds directly fund the season.
6. Grassroots Fundraising: Additional fundraising efforts supporting operational costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Shakespeare in the Woods is a nonprofit outdoor theater company that produces bold, gender-expansive, queer and socially conscious adaptations of Shakespeare's plays performed live at The Taconic Lawn at The Equinox Resort & Spa in Manchester, Vermont. Each annual summer season typically features two original productions with living wages and AEA contracts for 18 professional artists. The company complements performances with a sliding scale ticketing model ($0-$100), branded merchandise, and LGBTQIA+ focused programming such as Queer Affinity Nights.

Product overview

Shakespeare in the Woods is an outdoor theatre company offering bold, radical adaptations of Shakespeare plays through a gender-expansive queer lens. The company's core offering consists of live outdoor theatre productions performed at The Taconic Lawn at The Equinox Resort & Spa in Manchester, Vermont. Productions include annual summer seasons featuring multiple Shakespeare adaptations (e.g., LEAR, MERRY WIVES, Hamlet, The Tempest, Coriolanus) with contemporary, socially conscious interpretations. Supporting offerings include a sliding scale ticketing model for accessibility, Queer Affinity Nights community programming, and film adaptations such as As You Like It (2022). The company also sells branded merchandise including the SitW Dad Hat. All productions emphasize outdoor immersive staging with nature-conscious sustainable practices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LEAR (2026 Season Production) Live outdoor Shakespeare adaptation of King Lear set in a secluded matriarchal community as a cult-like haven, exploring themes of power, legacy, and generational conflict through a contemporary gender-expansive lens. Targeted at theatre audiences attending the 2026 summer season in Manchester, VT.
• MERRY WIVES (2026 Season Production) Live outdoor Shakespeare adaptation of The Merry Wives of Windsor presented with burlesque and drag elements, exploring masculinity through peacock imagery and soap opera dramatic flair. Targeted at theatre audiences attending the 2026 summer season in Manchester, VT.
• Sliding Scale Ticketing Model Pay-what-you-can ticket pricing system with four tiers ($90-100 true cost, $60-85 mid-range, $25-40 lower, $15-$0 subsidized) ensuring $0 tickets are always available for every performance. Targeted at all theatre attendees regardless of income level.
• Queer Affinity Nights Intentionally created performance and talkback programming for LGBTQIA+ artists and audiences, with post-show discussions centered on queering Shakespeare and specific show themes. Targeted at LGBTQIA+ community members seeking affinity spaces in regional theatre.
• As You Like It Film Feature-style film adaptation of Shakespeare's As You Like It set in the Forest of Arden, exploring gender and sexuality through a contemporary LGBTQ+ lens. Directed by Karmen Paley and available to audiences through the company's website.
• SitW Dad Hat (Branded Merchandise) Adams Headwear Optimum pigment-dyed dad hat in espresso color with custom neon logo embroidery, priced at $35 plus flat shipping fee, available with local Manchester VT pickup. Targeted at company supporters and audience members; proceeds fund the season.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14 BroadwayWorld Regional Award nominations in 2023
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and frequent.

• The Center for Arts and LearningcoreOthers · 1 January 2019Fiscally sponsors Shakespeare in the Woods. Organization's mission is to enhance cultural life of central Vermont through member organizations and individual artists. Donations should be made out to Center for Arts and Learning with SitW in memo line.
• The Equinox Golf Resort & SpacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Venue partner providing The Taconic Lawn performance space. Located in Historic Manchester Village. Host to box office and pre-show Falcon Bar refreshments.
• Theatre Advocacy ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHouse member organization. TAP's mission is to create safe and equitable working conditions for all theatre professionals. Partnership provides access to resources, tools, and community for dismantling harmful theatre practices.
• EarthShakes AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal collective of Shakespearean theatres pledging to put environmental concerns at heart of practices. Enables connection with other outdoor companies to pool resources and knowledge about sustainable practices.
• LA MAMA ETCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew York theatre space where Coriolanus benefit staged reading was performed in July 2024.
• ProlovevisualsfrequentStrategic or Co-development PartnerFilm and photography production company. Frequent collaborator on productions including As You Like It film and Coriolanus production photography.
• Dark Shadows EntertainmentfrequentStrategic or Co-development PartnerLighting company listed as frequent cohort partner.
• Al Ducci's Italian Pantry & DeliminorOthersCommunity partner and playbill advertiser.
• The Reluctant PantherminorOthersLocal business community partner and playbill advertiser.
• Vermont Public TheaterminorOthersRegional theatre partner providing cross-promotion.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Shakespeare & Company: Shakespeare & Company is a well-established professional Shakespeare theatre in Lenox, MA producing a summer season of classical plays. Closest geographic and programming peer to SitW, also located in New England and offering outdoor and indoor Shakespeare with educational programming.
• Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival: Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival is an outdoor summer Shakespeare company in Garrison, NY producing a rotating repertory season of classical plays. Direct peer in operating model: outdoor summer season, classical Shakespeare focus, regional Northeast audience.
• American Players Theatre: American Players Theatre is an outdoor classical theatre in Spring Green, WI producing a summer season of Shakespeare and other classics. Comparable outdoor immersive summer model with classical focus, though at significantly larger scale.
• Commonwealth Shakespeare Company: Commonwealth Shakespeare Company presents free summer Shakespeare on Boston Common and related programming. Direct peer on free/low-cost accessible Shakespeare with regional Northeast audience.
• New York Classical Theatre: New York Classical Theatre produces free outdoor performances of Shakespeare and classical plays in NYC parks. Direct peer on outdoor immersive staging of classical repertoire, though in an urban rather than rural setting.
• San Francisco Shakespeare Festival: San Francisco Shakespeare Festival presents a summer season of free outdoor Shakespeare in the Bay Area. Direct peer in mission of accessible outdoor classical Shakespeare programming, though at much larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Oregon Shakespeare Festival is one of the largest and longest-running Shakespeare companies in the US, producing a multi-play season in Ashland, OR. Broad incumbent in the same core category, offering significantly larger scale, year-round programming, and broader repertory.

Regional players

• Dorset Theatre Festival: Dorset Theatre Festival is a professional summer theatre in southern Vermont producing new works and classics. In-state Vermont peer, comparable rural seasonal model though with a different programming focus (more new work than Shakespeare-specific).
• Weston Theater Company: Weston Theater Company is a professional summer theatre in Weston, Vermont producing a mix of plays and musicals. In-state Vermont regional peer with similar summer-season, rural New England operating model.

Others

• Vermont Arts Council: Vermont Arts Council is a state-level arts funding body that awards grants to Vermont arts organizations including SitW. Indirect ecosystem participant: funder relationship rather than direct competitor, but representative of the institutional arts funding infrastructure SitW depends on.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ShakespeareintheWoods
• Instagraminstagram.com/shakespeareinthewoods

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Shakespeare in the Woods