Jewel Theatre Company

What Jewel Theatre Company does

Jewel Theatre Company (JTC) is a California-based nonprofit professional theatre organization founded in 2005 by Julie James, operating in Santa Cruz County under contract with Actors' Equity Association. From November 2015 until 2024, JTC staged year-round seasons of dramas, comedies, musicals, and classic plays at the 182-seat Colligan Theater inside the Tannery Arts Center (1010 River Street, Santa Cruz), producing over 60 productions across its history including world premieres by Kate Hawley and Jeffrey Scharf. Production programming represented an eclectic mix of familiar titles and lesser-known works, supported by a Board of Directors, Advisory Board, and a small staff (11-50 employees).

The company's revenue model historically centered on ticket sales for live theatre seasons, supplemented by corporate philanthropy and grants as a nonprofit. Following its departure from the Colligan Theater in 2024 and the discontinuation of its regular full season, JTC has transitioned to an intermittent production model and monetized its accumulated inventory through a props and costumes rental service (covering full sets for shows such as Always...Patsy Cline, Forever Plaid, Death Trap, Evil Dead: The Musical, and A Christmas Story). The organization also maintains a back-catalog of Virtual Radio Plays produced during the COVID-19 pandemic as free online content. Customer segments are horizontal: general theatre-going audiences in Santa Cruz County and the surrounding Bay Area, reached via the company website, Facebook, YouTube, email newsletter, and local press coverage. As of 2024-2025, JTC remains an active nonprofit without a permanent venue or regular season, with public messaging focused on preserving the brand and soliciting future audience re-engagement.

Name

Jewel Theatre Company

Legal name

Jewel Theatre Company

Website

https://jeweltheatre.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Jewel Theatre Company is a Santa Cruz-based nonprofit professional theatre founded in 2005, historically producing year-round plays and musicals at the Colligan Theater. Following its 2024 venue departure, it now operates intermittently, supplementing limited productions with a props and costumes rental business.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Theatre / Performing Arts

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH), Musical Theatre (Non-Broadway/Fringe) (MPAGABAG), Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB)

Keywords

• Live theatre productions
• Professional theatre performances
• Theatrical props rentals
• Visual radio plays
• Nonprofit performing arts

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Cruz

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from selling tickets to live theatre performances including plays and musicals. The company operates as a nonprofit organization and previously maintained year-round professional theatre operations.
2. Props and Costumes Rentals: The company rents out theatre props and costumes accumulated over years of productions, including full sets for specific shows like Always...Patsy Cline, Forever Plaid, Death Trap, Evil Dead: The Musical, and A Christmas Story.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Jewel Theatre Company is a nonprofit live theatre organization that produces and stages professional plays and musicals performed by Actors' Equity Association members. It previously ran year-round seasons at the 182-seat Colligan Theater in Santa Cruz, supplemented by an online library of visual radio plays and a side business renting out accumulated theatrical props and costumes.

Product overview

Jewel Theatre Company operates as a single unified live theatre service offering professional productions of plays and musicals. The core offering consists of live theatre performances at the Colligan Theater in Santa Cruz, supplemented by a Virtual Radio Plays streaming service created during the pandemic. Additional services include props and costumes rental from their accumulated inventory. The company also previously operated venue rental at the Colligan Theater. The portfolio spans dramatic works, comedies, and musicals from classic and contemporary playwrights.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Live Theatre Productions Professional live theatre productions featuring dramas, comedies, musicals, and classic plays performed by Actors' Equity Association members, staged at the Colligan Theater in Santa Cruz from 2005 to 2024 for general theatre audiences.
• Virtual Radio Plays Visual versions of classic radio programs featuring actors performing in front of microphones with foley sound effects and unique visual landscapes, available for free online viewing by general audiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Props and Costumes Rental

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Actors' Equity AssociationcoreOthersJewel Theatre Company operates under contract with Actors' Equity Association, the union for professional actors and stage managers in the U.S. This partnership ensures access to professional talent and establishes the company as a professional theatre operation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Pacific Repertory Theatre: A Carmel-based professional Equity-affiliated theatre producing plays and musicals for the Monterey Bay region, a strong geographic and operational peer to JTC.
• American Musical Theatre of San Jose: A Bay Area professional musical theatre company producing large-scale musicals, comparable to JTC's musical programming under an Equity framework.
• California Conservatory Theatre: A Bay Area-based regional theatre producing plays and musicals; founder Julie James has prior performing credits with the company, indicating direct peer comparability.
• Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts: A Silicon Valley-based regional theatre presenting professional productions of plays and musicals to Bay Area audiences, directly comparable to JTC's regional professional theatre model.
• City Lights Theater Company: A San Jose-based nonprofit professional theatre producing an intimate season of plays and musicals, very similar in scale and Equity-style programming to Jewel Theatre Company.
• Center Repertory Company: An East Bay-based Equity-affiliated regional theatre producing a season of plays and musicals; founder Julie James has previously performed with Center Rep, underscoring its comparability.
• Marin Theatre Company: A professional nonprofit regional theatre in Marin County producing plays and new works, including world premieres, closely aligned with JTC's programming and Equity contract model.
• Sierra Repertory Theatre: A professional regional repertory theatre in California's Central Valley/Sierra foothills producing plays and musicals, comparable in regional Equity-affiliated scale and model to JTC.

Broad incumbents

• TheatreWorks Silicon Valley: A larger, well-established Bay Area professional theatre producing plays and musicals across multiple seasons, representing the broader incumbent tier JTC sits within.

Regional players

• Shakespeare Santa Cruz (now Santa Cruz Shakespeare): A Santa Cruz County-based professional theatre formerly producing Shakespeare and classical works, sharing JTC's home geography and Equity-style professional programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCt1wYp01DFZkpJfm9BWj8Cg/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/JewelTheatreCompany
• Xx.com/JewelTheatre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jewel-theater

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Jewel Theatre Company