Local Theater Company

What Local Theater Company does

Local Theater Company (LTC) is a Boulder, Colorado-based 501(c)3 nonprofit theater company founded in 2012 that discovers, develops, and produces new American plays. Its core product is a structured new-play development pipeline that moves works from open submission (Local Lab festival, accepting plays from western U.S. playwrights) through workshop and staged readings to full world premiere production, supported by an Actor's Equity Association Small Professional Theater (ITC) agreement and an in-house production team. The company operates a portfolio of interconnected programs: full theatrical seasons of world premieres, the annual Local Lab festival, the Living Room Local digital conversation series, and community programs including LocalWRITES (bilingual playwriting for middle schoolers in two school districts) and a Colorado Justice Department Probation Academy partnership.

LTC serves multiple customer segments: adult theater audiences and arts patrons (subscribers from $35/season, members $39-$5,000/year), K-12 students and educators through educational programs, playwrights and theater artists seeking development resources, and institutional buyers (the Colorado Justice Department for training services). Revenue mechanics are diversified across individual donations, corporate sponsorships ($500+), foundation grants (Spier Family Foundation at $60,000+ Season Hero tier; SCFD, Shubert Foundation, Boulder Arts Commission at Champion tier), season memberships and subscriptions, ticket sales ($18-$45 per ticket), education program fees ($199-$299 per class), and government contracts.

The company's core technology is its creative development and production capability — a curated pathway for new work combined with a multi-tiered funding model anchored by major institutional sponsors and an annual season structure. LTC holds no patents or proprietary software; its defensible assets are the content library of 20+ world-premiere plays, award recognition (5280 Magazine Best Theater Company in Colorado 2019; Colorado Theater Guild Henry Award for Best New Play 2019 for Paper Cut), and the 2026 Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency. Distribution runs through direct website sales, the Dairy Arts Center box office, partner theater cross-promotion (Bridge Program), and earned media across Colorado press outlets.

Name

Local Theater Company

Legal name

Local Theater Company

Website

https://localtheaterco.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Local Theater Company is a Boulder, Colorado 501(c)3 nonprofit theater company founded in 2012 that discovers, develops, and produces new American plays through world premiere productions, the Local Lab festival, educational programs for K-12 students, and community partnerships including government training contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts / Live Theater

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB)

Keywords

• New play development
• Live theater productions
• Theater education programs
• Community arts programming
• Playwright development services

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulder

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

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: Ticket sales for world premiere productions and Local Lab festival presentations. Ticket prices range from $18 for previews to $45 for opening nights. Subscriptions start at $35 for Season 16.
2. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting the nonprofit mission to discover, develop, and produce new American plays.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships starting at $500, providing brand awareness and community engagement benefits for businesses.
4. Foundation Grants: Major foundation support including Spier Family Foundation ($60,000+), Shubert Foundation, and other institutional funders.
5. Season Memberships: Season memberships providing 50% off tickets, All-Access passes to Local Lab, early access to tickets, concierge ticketing, and Bridge Program discounts at partner theaters.
6. Education Programs: Writing for Stage & Screen classes taught by industry professionals. Program fees for LocalWRITES and The Art of Play educational programs.
7. Government Contracts: Partnership with Colorado Justice Department providing training to emerging probation staff through simulated real-world interviews with professional actors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Local Theater Company is a 501(c)3 nonprofit theater that discovers, develops, and produces world-premiere new American plays through an annual season of productions and the Local Lab new play festival. It complements its core theatrical work with bilingual K-12 theater and literacy education (LocalWRITES, The Art of Play), adult writing classes (Writing for Stage & Screen), the Living Room Local virtual artist-conversation series, and a Probation Academy training partnership with the Colorado Justice Department.

Product overview

Local Theater Company is a nonprofit theater organization operating as a single unified entity that discovers, develops, and produces new American plays. The company offers multiple interconnected programs: its core productions include world premiere plays and the annual Local Lab festival for new play development; educational offerings encompass LocalWRITES for middle school students, The Art of Play for K-12, and Writing for Stage & Screen classes; engagement programs include Living Room Local virtual artist conversations and community initiatives like the Probation Academy partnership. Revenue streams include season memberships, subscriptions starting at $35, donor societies, corporate sponsorships, and the Fierce Fund major donor program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Local Lab: Boulder's premier new play festival that discovers and develops world-premiere plays, small-cast musicals, and hybrid theater pieces through workshops and public presentations.
• LocalWRITES
• Living Room Local
• The Fierce Fund

Products and services

• Season 16 World Premiere Productions Annual season of world-premiere new American plays performed for ticketed audiences at the Dairy Arts Center (Boulder) and partner venues including Wolf Theater at Mizel Arts and Culture Center and the JCC Elaine Wolff Theater in Denver.
• Local Lab New Play Festival Boulder's premier new play festival that discovers and develops world-premiere plays, small-cast musicals, and hybrid/devised theater pieces through workshops and publicly presented readings followed by curated post-show conversations. Open to playwrights from western U.S. states via annual call for new works.
• LocalWRITES Standards-based theater and literacy program for middle school students (grades 6-8) that enhances reading comprehension, inspires original writing, and increases self-esteem through playwriting instruction and public presentations of student work. Offered in English and Spanish in partnership with Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley School Districts.
• The Art of Play (Theater Games) Arts education program for K-12 students that uses theater games to build self-confidence, encourage collaboration, and increase concentration. Teaching artists use active engagement with joy, wonder, and discovery to foster community in school settings.
• Writing for Stage & Screen Classes taught by industry professionals (including Sheila Callaghan, Rachel Fowler, Adam Mervis, and Tony Meneses) that sharpen narrative skills and introduce new entry points for creating plays and screenplays. Priced at $199-$249 for Season Members and $249-$299 for non-Members per class.
• Living Room Local Virtual series featuring intimate, interactive conversations with leading artists on their creative processes, including past guests John Lithgow, Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr., Alexandra Grant, Forrest McClendon, Sheila Callaghan, Rep. Joe Neguse, Christopher Bayes, and others. Archival recordings available to Season Members.
• Probation Academy Partnership with the Colorado Justice Department providing training to emerging probation staff through simulated real-world interviews involving professional actors who play realistic clients, enabling practice of motivational interviewing, feedback, and decision-making in a safe setting at the Ralph L. Carr Judicial Center.
• Local Listens: Home Community-inspired new play initiative running all season long as part of Season 16, offering opportunities for audience engagement and participation in developing new American plays through interactive feedback and storytelling contributions from the Boulder community.
• Season Membership / Subscriptions Annual subscription and membership program providing 50% off tickets to each full production, All-Access Pass to Local Lab, early access to tickets, concierge ticketing service, and discounts at Bridge Program partner theaters. Individual memberships from $39, Family Membership up to 4 individuals at $139, and donor tiers ranging from $500 to $5,000/year. Season 16 subscriptions start at $35.

Quantifiable outcome

• Produced over 20 new American plays since 2012
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• The Dairy Arts CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary performance venue for Local Theater Company productions. Hosted Paper Cut, Discount Ghost Stories, Flame Broiled. or the ugly play, and Local Lab festival. Partnership includes access to Grace Gamm Theater and Carsen Theater spaces.
• The CatamountsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBridge Program partner theater offering 15% discount to Local Theater Company season members.
• Curious Theatre CompanymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative production partner including We the People: The Democracy Cycle co-production and collaboration on multiple seasons. Colorado's premier theater company for socially relevant new plays.
• Miners AlleyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBridge Program partner theater offering 15% discount to Local Theater Company season members.
• PhamalyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBridge Program partner theater offering 15% discount to Local Theater Company season members. Theater company serving artists with disabilities.
• Stories on StageminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBridge Program partner theater offering 15% discount to Local Theater Company season members.
• Boulder Valley School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner school district for LocalWRITES playwriting program serving middle school students (grades 6-8) in English and Spanish. Students attend live professional theater productions as part of the program.
• St. Vrain Valley School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner school district for LocalWRITES playwriting program serving middle school students (grades 6-8) in English and Spanish.
• Gunnison Valley Theatre FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative production partner on We the People: The Democracy Cycle project.
• Colorado Justice DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCO Probation Academy partnership providing training to emerging probation staff through simulated real-world interviews involving professional actors. Local Theater Company assembles performer teams for quarterly training sessions at Ralph L. Carr Judicial Center.
• Playwrights CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational service organization for playwrights. Local Theater Company works with emerging playwrights including those who have developed work through Playwrights Center programs.
• UCLAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UCLA for 237 Virginia Avenue workshop presentation in Los Angeles. Invitation-only event presented in partnership with the university.
• Roundabout Theatre CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Roundabout Theatre Company for Maybe the Saddest Thing workshop production in New York City.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Catamounts: Denver-area small professional theater producing original and devised work. Bridge Program partner with overlapping audience and similar nonprofit scale.
• Curious Theatre Company: Denver-based nonprofit theater company also focused on socially relevant new plays. Direct collaborator on We the People: The Democracy Cycle and a Bridge Program partner with overlapping audience base in the Front Range.
• Atlantic Theater Company: New York-based nonprofit theater with a parallel mission of developing and producing new American work with small professional casts. Comparable in original-play focus and small-theater scale, though operating in a different geography.
• Stories on Stage: Denver-based nonprofit producing staged readings of short fiction. Bridge Program partner serving same audience base with similar small-scale nonprofit model.
• Phamaly: Denver-based nonprofit theater company producing work with artists with disabilities. A Bridge Program partner with comparable nonprofit, original-work focus and small company model.
• Buntport Theater: Denver-based ensemble theater producing original works with a small professional company model. Comparable in scale, nonprofit structure, and original-play focus, serving the same Front Range audience.
• Miners Alley Playhouse: Denver-area community and small professional theater producing a mix of new and classic work. Bridge Program partner serving overlapping Front Range audiences.

Broad incumbents

• Roundabout Theatre Company: Major New York nonprofit theater company with a national new-play development program. Strategic partner on Maybe the Saddest Thing workshop; represents a possible downstream venue for LTC-developed premieres to scale.
• Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Large-scale regional theater producing Shakespeare and new work with comparable Equity Small Professional Theater classifications. Represents a comparable peer at substantially greater scale for benchmarking new-play development and education programming.
• Denver Center for the Performing Arts: Colorado's largest performing arts organization with multiple venue operations and Broadway-scale programming. Competes for the same donor, audience, and sponsor base in the Colorado market, though at much greater scale and with broader programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/localtheater
• Facebookfacebook.com/LOCALTheater
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/local-theater-company

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 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 Local Theater Company