New Stage Theatre

What New Stage Theatre does

New Stage Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional regional theatre founded in 1965 in Jackson, Mississippi, and currently operating in its 61st season. It produces a subscription series of dramas, comedies, and musicals — including premium-priced marquee titles such as Disney's Frozen, The Broadway Musical and Ragtime — in the 364-seat Meyer Crystal Auditorium at the Jane Reid-Petty Theatre Center (1100 Carlisle St.), with a secondary venue, the Warehouse Theatre (1000 Monroe St.), hosting the Unframed alternative series. The theatre operates as an Actors' Equity Association house and runs proprietary new-play development programs, notably the Eudora Welty New Play Series (since 1984) and the Mississippi Plays Series.

Its core products extend beyond mainstage performances into a sizable arts-education portfolio: SchoolFest student matinees ($10–$15/student), Touring Productions that travel to schools and community centers statewide from October to May, summer camps (First Stages, Broadway Jr.), Kids Studio (grades 1–5), Youth Acting Troupe (grades 6–12), and the Associate Artist Program for recent college graduates. Pricing is tiered by format ($35 base single, $45–$60 for musicals/Frozen) with subscription packages at $90 (3-show) and $130 (5-show flex-pass), student rush, military, and group discounts (15+ attendees), plus a gift certificate channel.

The business model is a hybrid earned/contributed nonprofit structure with approximately 60% of the operating budget from ticket sales, subscriptions, camps, and education fees, and approximately 40% from corporate sponsors (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi, Trustmark, Entergy, BankPlus, Sanderson Farms), foundations (Shubert Foundation, Gertrude C. Ford Foundation, Chisholm Foundation, Meyer and Genevieve Falk Endowment), and federal/state arts agencies (National Endowment for the Arts, Mississippi Arts Commission, Mississippi Humanities Council). Distribution is direct-to-consumer via box office, phone, online ticketing, and group bookings, with a multi-channel marketing mix spanning website, email, social media, special events, and community programming. There is no AI/ML technology stack; the only technology signals are standard online ticketing and a digital marketing presence.

Name

New Stage Theatre

Legal name

New Stage Theatre

Website

https://newstagetheatre.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

New Stage Theatre is Mississippi's only professional regional theatre, founded 1965 in Jackson, producing a subscription season of plays and musicals in a 364-seat auditorium alongside statewide touring and youth education programs, funded through a roughly 60/40 mix of ticket revenue and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Theatre / Performing Arts

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Theatre Education, Training & Conservatories (MPAGABAN)

Keywords

• Live theatre productions
• Regional performing arts
• Theatre education programs
• Youth summer camps
• Arts in education

Headquarters

HQ city

Jackson

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, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from single tickets for dramas, comedies, and musicals; includes premium pricing for special productions like Disney's Frozen
2. Season Subscriptions: Mini-flexi pass (3 shows), traditional subscription, and 5-show flex-pass packages offering discounted per-show pricing
3. Donations and Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships and individual donations from foundations and organizations
4. Educational Programs: Fees from SchoolFest Matinees, summer camps, and acting troupes for youth

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

New Stage Theatre produces and presents professional live theatrical productions—dramas, comedies, and musicals—at its 364-seat Meyer Crystal Auditorium in Jackson, Mississippi, as part of an annual subscription season and standalone ticket offerings. Complementing main stage work, the theatre runs the Unframed alternative series at the Warehouse Theatre and the Eudora Welty New Play Series for original play development, alongside arts education programs including SchoolFest student matinees, touring productions, summer camps, Kids Studio, Youth Acting Troupe, and the Associate Artist apprenticeship.

Product overview

New Stage Theatre is Mississippi's professional regional theatre offering a diversified portfolio of live theatrical productions and arts education programs. The core product consists of main stage productions in the 364-seat Meyer Crystal Auditorium, including a subscription series of dramas, comedies, and musicals (such as Disney's Frozen, The Broadway Musical and Ragtime), complemented by holiday shows and SchoolFest student matinees. The theatre also operates the Unframed at New Stage Theatre Series at the Warehouse Theatre for contemporary productions, and the Eudora Welty New Play Series for new play development. Education offerings include summer camps (First Stages and Broadway Jr.), Kids Studio for grades 1-5, Youth Acting Troupe for grades 6-12, and the Associate Artist Program apprenticeship. Touring Productions bring live theatre to schools and community centers statewide. Supporting services include season subscriptions, online ticketing, group reservations, and gift certificates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Unframed at New Stage Theatre Series: Alternative theatre series providing opportunities for emerging artists and contemporary productions
• Mississippi Plays Series
• Eudora Welty New Play Series
• SchoolFest Matinees
• Associate Artist Program
• Kids Studio
• Youth Acting Troupe
• First Stages Camp
• Broadway Jr Summer Camp

Products and services

• Main Stage Season Subscription Series
• Unframed at New Stage Theatre Series
• Eudora Welty New Play Series
• SchoolFest Matinees
• Touring Productions
• Summer Camps (First Stages & Broadway Jr.)
• Youth Acting Troupe (YAT)
• Kids Studio
• Associate Artist Program
• Season Subscriptions
• Online Ticketing
• Group Reservations
• Gift Certificates
• Disney's Frozen, The Broadway Musical
• Ragtime

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Theatre Communications Group (TCG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization for American theatre; provides resources, advocacy, and professional development for member theatres
• Visit JacksonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJackson tourism organization promoting local cultural attractions and events
• Actors' Equity AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLabor union representing professional actors and stage managers; New Stage Theatre operates as an Equity theatre using professional performers

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Flat Rock Playhouse: North Carolina-based professional regional repertory theatre producing mainstage musicals and plays with an Equity company. Comparable as a mid-sized Southeastern repertory theatre with seasonal subscription programming.
• Arkansas Repertory Theatre: Professional regional theatre in Little Rock producing a mainstage season with Equity actors and education programs. Comparable as a Southern regional theatre serving a state-capital metro of similar size to Jackson.
• Playhouse on the Square: Memphis-based professional regional theatre with mainstage productions, an alternative series, and youth education programs. Closest geographic and structural peer operating in a mid-sized Southern market.
• TheatreSquared: Professional regional theatre in Fayetteville, Arkansas with mainstage season, new play development, and education programs. Comparable as a smaller-market regional theatre with a comparable capacity footprint.
• Alabama Shakespeare Festival: Professional regional theatre in Montgomery, Alabama operating an Actors' Equity company with a mainstage season, education programming, and touring productions. Comparable as a Southeastern professional regional theatre with similar scale and mission.
• Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carré: One of the oldest continuously operating community theatres in the U.S., based in New Orleans. Comparable as a legacy regional/community theatre in a Southern market with mainstage programming and youth education offerings.
• Nashville Children's Theatre: Professional theatre producing work for young audiences, with touring and school programming. Comparable on the education and youth-segment dimension of New Stage's portfolio.
• People's Light & Theatre Company: Professional regional theatre in Malvern, Pennsylvania with mainstage season, new play development, and a deep education/youth programming portfolio. Comparable for its parallel emphasis on new work and youth education as part of its mission.

Broad incumbents

• Alliance Theatre: Large regional theatre in Atlanta producing mainstage, new work, and education programming at significantly greater scale. Comparable as a Southeastern Equity regional theatre but operates at a much larger capacity and budget tier.

Others

• Mississippi Symphony Orchestra: Jackson-based performing arts organization sharing the same state funding sources and corporate sponsor ecosystem (Mississippi Arts Commission, Entergy, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi). Comparable as a local performing-arts nonprofit stakeholder rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/newstagetheatre
• YouTubeyoutube.com/subscription_center?add_user=newstagetheatre
• Xx.com/NewStageTheatre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-stage-theatre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 New Stage Theatre