The Encore Musical Theatre Company

What The Encore Musical Theatre Company does

The Encore Musical Theatre Company is a 501(c)(3) non-profit professional musical theatre company headquartered in Dexter, Michigan (Southeast Michigan / Greater Ann Arbor area), founded in 2008 by Broadway actor Daniel Cooney with community residents Anne and Paul Koch. Operating as the only Actors' Equity Association-recognized professional musical theatre company in Southeast Michigan, it stages a full season of Broadway-caliber productions on the intimate ~200-seat Maas Theatre within the 20,000-square-foot historic Copeland building, which the organization purchased from Dexter Community Schools in 2019 and renovated through a $2 million 'Our Next Stage' capital campaign led by a $500,000 gift from the Benard L. Maas Foundation. Programming centers on an annual Main Stage season (e.g., recent titles include Sister Act, Come From Away, A Chorus Line, The Pirates of Penzance) paired with a Tribute Concert Series honoring artists such as Queen, Michael Jackson, and Sara Bareilles, plus a Summer Theatre Program serving 150+ students aged 5–18 at $425 per week-long session.

The company derives revenue from multiple complementary streams: ticket sales and season subscriptions (Super-Saver 10, 8, 5, or 3-show packages offering 10–15% savings), gift cards, summer theatre camp tuition, group and private event rentals for groups of 25–80, in-program advertising reaching 2,500–6,000 patrons per production, production sponsorships, and a diversified individual giving program structured as Circles of Giving tiers from $100 to $10,000+ with planned/legacy giving. Ticketing and donations are processed through Salesforce Sites and Stripe. Approximately 20,000 visitors are hosted annually, and the organization has produced over 200 productions, concerts, and special events across its 18-season history while employing more than 2,500 local artists lifetime.

Strategic positioning is reinforced by academic collaborations with the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, ongoing funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Michigan Arts & Culture Council, and the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, and accessibility credentials including Wheel the World verification and dedicated sensory-friendly performances at $20 per ticket. Governance is provided by a board of directors led by President Dan O'Haver, with Dan Cooney continuing to serve as Producing Artistic Director and Frank Mack as Managing Director.

Name

The Encore Musical Theatre Company

Legal name

The Encore Musical Theatre Company

Website

https://theencoretheatre.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Encore Musical Theatre Company is a 501(c)(3) non-profit professional musical theatre in Dexter, Michigan, producing Broadway-caliber productions and tribute concerts at the 200-seat Maas Theatre for ~20,000 annual visitors across Southeast Michigan, supplemented by a youth summer theatre program and community-funded giving programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Musical Theatre

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Musical Groups and Artists (71113)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB), Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB)

Keywords

• Professional musical theatre
• Live theatre productions
• Tribute concert series
• Theatre season subscriptions
• Youth theatre education

Headquarters

HQ city

Dexter

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Single tickets and subscriptions for Main Stage productions and Tribute Concert Series. Subscriptions offer 10-15% savings with various package options (Super-Saver 10, 8, 5, or 3 show packages).
2. Summer Theatre Camps: Week-long summer camp sessions for children entering grades K-12, priced at $425 per session. Led by professional theatre professionals including David Moan.
3. Program Advertising: Advertisements in show programs reaching 2,500-6,000 patrons per production depending on run length.
4. Production Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships for specific productions with promotional benefits including recognition in pre-show announcements, website, posters, full-page program ads, and social media shoutouts.
5. Individual Giving and Donations: Annual campaign with donor match, Circles of Giving program ($100-$10,000+ tiers), IRA Required Minimum Distribution gifts, and Legacy Circle planned giving. Tax ID: 26-1663425.
6. Gift Cards: Digital gift cards available in any amount, delivered instantly, allowing recipients to choose their own performance and date.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Encore Musical Theatre Company produces professional Broadway-caliber musical theatre on its ~200-seat Maas Theatre main stage, including a season of full-scale productions (e.g., Sister Act, Come From Away, A Chorus Line) and a Tribute Concert Series featuring live music tributes to iconic artists. It also runs an educational Summer Theatre Program for children grades K-12 priced at $425 per week-long session, with subscriptions, gift cards, group outings, and donor-funded community programs supporting operations.

Product overview

The Encore Musical Theatre Company operates as a single-venue professional theatre offering a unified portfolio of live performance products. The core offering consists of Main Stage Productions (full-scale musical theatre productions like Sister Act, The Pirates of Penzance, Come From Away, and A Chorus Line) complemented by the Tribute Concert Series (live music tributes to artists like Queen, Michael Jackson, and Sara Bareilles). Additional revenue products include Season Subscriptions offering up to 15% savings, Gift Cards, and Group Outings/Private Events services. The company also operates an educational Summer Theatre Program with age-differentiated camps for children grades K-12. All offerings center on the intimate ~200-seat Maas Theatre in Dexter, Michigan, with approximately 20,000 annual visitors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Maas Theatre: The main performance venue within the historic Copeland building, opened in 2021.

Products and services

• Main Stage Productions Full-scale professional musical theatre productions featuring Broadway-level talent on the Maas Theatre main stage.
• Tribute Concert Series Live music tribute concerts to iconic artists featuring professional performers with live bands in the intimate Maas Theatre.
• Summer Theatre Program (Camp) Week-long musical theatre camps for grades K-12 children, led by professional theatre staff; tuition is $425 per session.
• Season Subscriptions Subscription packages for the full season offering 10-15% savings and priority access to Main Stage and Tribute Concert tickets.
• Gift Cards E-gift cards in any denomination redeemable toward any performance or date at The Encore.
• Group Outings Group booking services for schools, organizations, and corporate outings with advance reservations, priority seating, group discounts, and complimentary bus driver tickets.
• Private Events Private event hosting for 25 to 80 guests at the Maas Theatre, including corporate outings and private celebrations paired with performances.
• Sensory-Friendly Performances Accessible performances designed for individuals with sensory sensitivities, neurodivergent conditions, or dementia, priced at $20 per ticket.
• Production Sponsorships and Program Advertising Corporate sponsorship of specific productions with promotional benefits including pre-show announcements, website/logo recognition, posters, full-page program ads, and social media shoutouts, plus paid program advertising.

Quantifiable outcome

• 22 Wilde Awards including Critics' Choice Award (Michigan's Tony Awards)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and DancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for theatrical productions. The University of Michigan and The Encore collaborated on productions such as Sister Act and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, bringing university students and professional theatre together.
• Main Street OptometryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsored the University of Michigan and The Encore collaboration of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
• The Guest House (Dexter)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal bed and breakfast partnered with The Encore to offer special theatre discounts for out-of-town guests, providing convenient lodging just steps from the venue.
• Dexter Community SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Encore purchased the historic Copeland building from Dexter Community Schools in 2019, converting the 1800s school building into a state-of-the-art performing arts destination.
• Dexter's PubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal restaurant sponsoring the Queen tribute concert, one of the tribute series performances at The Encore.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Purple Rose Theatre Company: A small professional (Equity) theatre in Chelsea, Michigan - just miles from The Encore - producing year-round plays and musicals for regional audiences, operating in an intimate venue with a similar donor/subscription funding model.
• Meadow Brook Theatre: Rochester Hills, Michigan's only professional (Equity) producing theatre, staging Broadway musicals on an intimate scale; directly comparable mission, scale, and revenue mix to The Encore, and serves the same southeast Michigan arts ecosystem.
• Tibbits Summer Theatre: A professional summer-stock theatre in Coldwater, Michigan that produces Broadway musicals in a historic venue; shares The Encore's combination of summer programming, Broadway titles, and intimate-scale audience with regional donors.
• Barrington Stage Company: An Equity regional theatre in Pittsfield, Massachusetts producing a mix of musicals and plays in intimate venues; comparable small-scale professional producing model with Broadway-talent casting and a similar donor-supported revenue mix.

Broad incumbents

• Goodspeed Musicals: A larger, well-established professional musical theatre in Connecticut with deep Broadway-history credentials; comparable in mission (musicals exclusively) and Equity affiliation, but at a much bigger operational scale and longer history.
• Walnut Street Theatre: The largest professional (Equity) subscription theatre in Philadelphia producing a Mainstage season of musicals and plays; relevant as a mature, established analog in the same niche of year-round professional musical production.
• Paper Mill Playhouse: A historic professional (Equity) regional theatre in New Jersey that produces Broadway-scale musicals and is widely regarded as a pre-Broadway tryout venue; shares The Encore's repertoire strategy (classic Broadway titles, intimate professional theatre) at a much larger scale.

Emerging players

• Interlochen Center for the Arts: A Michigan-based performing arts institution offering summer theatre training programs for youth; directly overlaps with The Encore's Summer Theatre Camp (K-12) and education mission, though it operates as a multi-discipline arts camp rather than a producing theatre.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCLkXC1WrZx4wRs_vIi1zifQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/Encore.Musical.Theatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/theencoretheatre
• Xx.com/theencore
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/encore-musical-theatre-company

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 The Encore Musical Theatre Company