Maryland Theatre Education Association

What Maryland Theatre Education Association does

Maryland Theatre Education Association (MTEA) is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 2017 and operating out of Gaithersburg, Maryland, with a mailing-only address at PO Box 8403. The association's stated mission is to connect, support, and empower Maryland's theatre educators and learners through fellowship, professional development, and advocacy. MTEA's primary constituency is K-12 theatre educators in Maryland, with secondary reach into collegiate theatre programs (28 four-year colleges, 16 two-year community colleges, and 11 private colleges with theatre programs listed on its Resources page) and institutional theatre programs. The organization employs between 11 and 50 people and operates without physical office infrastructure beyond a PO box.

MTEA's product portfolio is centered on tiered annual memberships and recurring conferences. Individual associate memberships are priced at $40 for THRIVE-only access or $70 for full access covering both major events, with a sliding-scale contribution option at $25, $40, $55, or $70 for 2024-2025. Organizational memberships are sold at $280 per year, covering a minimum of five individuals and including free collegiate membership, monthly meetings, a professional development book club, access to the Maryland Theatre Journal, advocacy support, and anti-censorship resources. Major annual events include the spring THRIVE conference (priced at $45 including a $25 membership fee and $20 lunch) and the autumn Fall Focus & Expo. The organization operates a WordPress-based website that handles e-commerce, membership management, and event registration.

The association generates revenue from recurring membership subscriptions, one-time event registration fees, and optional member contributions, with all sales processed through direct online channels (website e-commerce and in-person event sales). There are no third-party resellers, no app, and no disclosed API. MTEA maintains five core strategic partnerships with Maryland state agencies and coalitions: the Maryland State Department of Education (Fine Arts), AEMS (Arts Education in Maryland Schools), the Maryland State Arts Council, the Maryland Higher Education Commission, and the Maryland Arts Council. These partnerships anchor the organization within the state's arts education policy infrastructure. The organization is independently member-governed with a Board of Directors and reports no parent company, private equity involvement, or institutional investors.

Name

Maryland Theatre Education Association

Legal name

Maryland Theatre Education Association

Website

https://mtea-md.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Maryland Theatre Education Association is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 2017 that provides professional development, advocacy, and networking for K-12 and collegiate theatre educators across Maryland through tiered annual memberships and recurring conferences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Theatre Education Professional Association

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Academic & Education Conference Organizers (THAHACAE)

Keywords

• Theatre education association
• Professional development
• Educator advocacy
• Membership association
• Arts education

Headquarters

HQ city

Gaithersburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Membership Fees: Annual associate memberships sold to individual theatre educators in Maryland at tiered price points ($40-$70 per year). Includes professional development benefits, access to the Maryland Theatre Journal, and member meeting participation.
2. Organizational Membership: Group/organizational memberships for theatre programs or institutions at $280 per year (minimum 5 individuals), offering 20% discount per member and additional benefits like listed advertising in publications.
3. Event Registration Fees: Revenue from conference and event registrations such as THRIVE 2025 at $45 (including $25 membership + $20 lunch), and individual event attendance passes. Educators teaching theatre in Maryland who pay to attend in-person events become paid associate members.
4. Member Contributions: Optional contribution tiers available during membership purchase ($25, $40, $55, $70) allowing members to support the organization beyond basic membership fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Maryland Theatre Education Association (MTEA) is a nonprofit membership association that sells tiered annual memberships and hosts professional development conferences for theatre educators in Maryland. Its core offerings include individual associate memberships ($40–$70/year), organizational memberships for institutions ($280/year for a minimum of 5 members), and signature events such as the THRIVE Conference and Fall Focus & Expo, supplemented by access to the Maryland Theatre Journal, advocacy support, and grant-writing resources.

Product overview

Maryland Theatre Education Association (MTEA) is a nonprofit organization that connects, supports, and empowers theatre educators and learners of all ages through fellowship, professional development, and advocacy. The organization's product portfolio consists primarily of membership programs with tiered pricing structures, including associate memberships at $40 (THRIVE-only) and $70 (full access), and organizational memberships at $280 for institutions with minimum 5 members. These memberships provide access to professional development events (THRIVE Conference, Fall Focus & Expo), the Maryland Theatre Journal, advocacy resources, grant writing support, and anti-censorship support. MTEA also maintains a Resources page featuring partnership organizations and listings of collegiate theatre programs across Maryland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Associate Membership – THRIVE Only Annual individual membership tier priced at $40 for Maryland theatre educators, providing access to the THRIVE 2026 conference, lunch, and digital professional development content.
• Associate Membership – Full Full annual individual membership priced at $70 that covers both major annual conferences (Fall Focus & Expo and THRIVE), including lunches and digital professional development content for theatre educators in Maryland.
• MTEA Organizational Membership 2025-26 Annual institutional membership at $280 covering a minimum of 5 individuals, with a 20% discount per member; includes free collegiate membership, monthly meetings, PD book club, Maryland Theatre Journal, grant writing support, anti-censorship support, and professional development points.
• THRIVE Conference Annual spring professional development conference for Maryland theatre educators, with registration at $45 (including membership and boxed lunch). Free for existing MTEA members via coupon code.
• Fall Focus & Expo Annual autumn conference and expo for Maryland theatre educators, providing professional development, networking, and membership acquisition opportunities alongside THRIVE.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) - Fine ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState government education agency partnership providing alignment with Maryland's fine arts education standards and initiatives. Listed prominently on the MTEA Resources page as a key partnership organization.
• AEMS (Arts Education in Maryland Schools)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide arts education coalition partnership supporting arts education across Maryland schools. Collaborates on advocacy and professional development for theatre educators.
• Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState arts agency partnership providing access to arts funding, resources, and programming support for Maryland's theatre educators and programs.
• Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerState higher education coordination agency partnership supporting connections between K-12 theatre education and higher education institutions in Maryland.
• Maryland Arts Council (MCA)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerState arts organization partnership providing additional resources and networking opportunities for theatre educators.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• National Education Association (NEA): National labor and professional association for educators. Provides PD resources and advocacy that overlap with MTEA's value proposition but at much larger scale and broader scope.

Direct peers

• Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE): Professional association for theatre education in colleges and universities, providing conferences, publications, and advocacy. Overlaps with MTEA's collegiate faculty segment and competes for the same PD budget.
• American Alliance for Theatre & Education (AATE): National alliance focused on theatre education research, PD, and advocacy across K-12 and higher education. Comparable to MTEA in mission and member base, but operating nationally with academic publishing and conference programming.
• Educational Theatre Association (EdTA): National professional association serving school theatre educators through advocacy, conferences, and publications such as Teaching Theatre. Most direct competitor for MTEA's core educator persona, operating at national scale with overlapping PD and membership benefits.
• Maryland Art Education Association (MAEA): Maryland's statewide professional association for visual arts educators, mirroring MTEA's model for theatre. Closest cross-discipline peer inside Maryland for benchmarking membership pricing and event design.
• Maryland Music Education Association (MMEA): State-level professional association for Maryland music educators using the same membership, conference, and advocacy model as MTEA but applied to music. Closest structural analog within Maryland's arts education ecosystem.

Emerging players

• International Society for Theatre Education (ISTA): International organization for theatre educators offering conferences and PD programming. Comparable in core mission but operates globally with a distinct theatre-research orientation rather than a state advocacy model.

Regional players

• Maryland State Education Association (MSEA): Maryland's largest statewide teacher association, providing PD and advocacy to educators across subjects. Differs in scale and subject focus, but competes for the same Maryland educator membership dollars and PD time.
• Virginia Theatre Association: State-level professional association for Virginia theatre educators with analogous membership and conference model. Most direct geographic analog outside Maryland, useful for benchmarking MTEA's structural design.

Others

• Theatre Communications Group (TCG): National nonprofit service organization for the professional nonprofit theatre field. Adjacent rather than directly competitive, but operates in MTEA's theatre ecosystem and shares an advocacy and publishing orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MdTheatreEd
• Facebookfacebook.com/mdtheatreassoc
• Instagraminstagram.com/mdtheatreassoc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maryland-theatre-education-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Maryland Theatre Education Association