What Theater Latté Da does

Theater Latté Da is a nonprofit professional theater company founded in 1998 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, that exclusively produces musical theater. Operating under Section 501(c)(3), it serves Twin Cities and broader Minnesota audiences with an annual slate of four to five mainstage productions at its owned historic Ritz Theater in Northeast Minneapolis, plus the annual NEXT Festival of New Musicals and special events. Across its 28th season (2025-26), the company has presented over 100 mainstage productions including 18 world premieres and 18 area premieres, engaging approximately 40,000 audience members per year. Its programming mixes world premieres of new American musicals (e.g., My Ántonia, 2026) with bold reimaginings of classics (e.g., My Fair Lady, Passion, Scotland PA) and is paired with structured new-work development programs including the NEXT Festival workshop model and the $20,000 NEXT Generation Commission for women artists and artists of color.

The company's core technology is fundamentally artistic rather than software-driven: an in-house new-work development pipeline (two-week workshops, 50+ rehearsal hours, two public presentations with audience feedback per project) and a Scenic Studio in Fridley that supports scenic construction. Its digital footprint is comparatively thin: a Squarespace-hosted website with Stripe-based ticketing, Google Analytics, and Facebook advertising integrations, and no disclosed AI, app, or proprietary software platform. Operational and box-office functions are handled by a small staff of 1–10 employees, with leadership split between Artistic Director Justin Lucero (appointed October 2023) and Managing Director Elisa Spencer-Kaplan.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid nonprofit model combining earned income (single-ticket sales at $35–$39, season subscriptions of 3/4/5 shows starting at $105, FLEXPacks at $396–$408, group sales, and Scene Shop rentals to peer companies) with contributed income (individual donations, foundation grants from McKnight and Shubert, NEA and Minnesota State Arts Board support, and Give to the Max Day participation). Accessibility features (ASL interpretation, open captioning, audio description, Row A for All pay-what-you-can pricing as low as $15) and the Ritz Club under-39 subscription tier broaden audience reach. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through the latteda.org website, phone box office, and in-person sales at the Ritz, supplemented by national broadcast partnerships with PBS and streaming distribution via BroadwayHD for award-winning catalog titles.

Name

Theater Latté Da

Legal name

Theater Latté Da

Website

https://latteda.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Theater Latté Da is a nonprofit professional musical theater company founded in 1998 in Minneapolis, exclusively producing mainstage works, world premieres, and the annual NEXT Festival for new musicals at its owned Ritz Theater for Twin Cities audiences and foundation funders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Musical Theater

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH), Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB)

Keywords

• Musical theater productions
• Live performing arts
• New musical development
• Theater season subscriptions
• Nonprofit professional theater

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Individual performance tickets sold directly to consumers through online, phone, and in-person channels. Single tickets range from $35-$39 for various productions.
2. Season Subscriptions: Multi-show subscription packages offering 3-show, 4-show, and 5-show options at discounted per-ticket rates starting at $105 for 3-show packages. Includes Ritz Club for patrons aged 39 and under.
3. FLEXPacks: 6-ticket bundles available for $396-$408 that can be used in any combination for any available seats throughout the season.
4. Scene Shop Rentals: Scenic studio rental program allowing Twin Cities theater companies and individuals to utilize the scene shop for productions and projects, with daily and weekly rates available for woodworking, welding, painting and carpentry work.
5. Donations and Grants: Charitable contributions from individuals, foundations, and government arts boards including Minnesota State Arts Board and National Endowment for the Arts. Participates in annual Give to the Max Day fundraising events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Theater Latté Da produces and presents professional musical theater at the historic Ritz Theater in Northeast Minneapolis, including world premieres of new musicals, reimagined classics, and area premieres. The company runs the annual NEXT Festival for new musical development, administers the NEXT Generation Commission supporting women artists and artists of color, and offers subscription ticketing, group sales, and scenic studio rentals to Twin Cities theater organizations.

Product overview

Theater Latté Da is a nonprofit professional theater in Minnesota that exclusively produces music theater. The company operates as a single venue-based organization with multiple interconnected programs: the core offering is mainstage productions at the Ritz Theater (including world premieres, reimagined classics, and area premieres), supported by the NEXT Festival for new work development, the NEXT Generation Commission for commissioning work by underrepresented artists, and a Scenic Studio for scene construction. Additional offerings include subscription packages, FLEXPacks, the Ritz Club young professional subscription, Row A for All accessibility pricing, and comprehensive accessibility services. The company also hosts the annual NEXT Festival of New Musicals each summer. Since 2016, Theater Latté Da has been permanently housed at the historic Ritz Theater in Northeast Minneapolis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NEXT Festival: Annual summer festival dedicated to the development of new musicals and plays with music, featuring workshops and public presentations of works in development.
• NEXT Generation Commission
• NEXT 25x25

Products and services

• Mainstage Productions Full-scale professional musical theater productions presented at the Ritz Theater in Minneapolis, including world premieres of new musicals, reimagined classics, and area premieres. The company has produced over 100 mainstage productions since 1998, including 18 world premieres and 18 area premieres, reaching approximately 40,000 audience members each season.
• NEXT Festival of New Musicals Annual summer festival dedicated to developing new musicals and plays with music. Each year showcases 3-4 works receiving two-week developmental workshops with professional directors, music directors, and Twin Cities actors, culminating in two public presentations followed by audience feedback conversations with the creative teams.
• NEXT Generation Commission $20,000 commission program supporting creation and development of new music theater projects by creative teams that include women artists and artists of color. Includes 18 months of developmental partnership with two workshops totaling a minimum of 50 hours and collaboration with company artistic leadership.
• Scenic Studio (Scene Shop) Rentals Shared scenic studio available for rental to Twin Cities theater companies and individuals for set construction. Offers woodworking, MIG welding, painting, and carpentry capabilities with daily and weekly rental rates. Located in Fridley, Minnesota, with hours Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm and weekends by appointment.
• Accessibility Services Comprehensive accessibility offerings provided for every mainstage performance, including ASL interpretation, open captioning, audio description, braille and large-print programs, assistive listening devices, accessible seating, wheelchair companion seating, bariatric chairs, and physically accessible all-gender restrooms.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40,000+ audience members engage with Latté Da each season
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, flagship and core.

• Doors Open MinneapolissupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 10 May 2026Annual city-wide event showcasing Minneapolis architecture and cultural spaces. Theater Latté Da opened the Ritz Theater for free public tours during the 100th anniversary celebration.
• BroadwayHDflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 30 November 2020Streaming partnership for All Is Calm premiere on BroadwayHD beginning December 15, 2020, expanding reach beyond live theater audiences.
• PBSflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 November 2019National broadcast partnership for All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914, filmed for national broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service. The award-winning docu-musical premiered on PBS platforms.
• University of MinnesotacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Spring Awakening production, reuniting after 15 years since a landmark collaboration. Latté Da artists and University of Minnesota talent will come together for this Tony Award-winning musical.
• YourClassical MPRsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerSeason media sponsor providing classical music radio coverage and audience engagement for Theater Latté Da productions.
• Native Pride ProductionssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerContinued relationship and space sharing with Native Pride Productions as part of Theater Latté Da's anti-racist organizational commitment and land acknowledgement initiatives.
• Native Arts CollaborativesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Native Arts Collaborative and consultant Christal Moose guiding Theater Latté Da's anti-racist organizational assessment and land acknowledgement processes.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Guthrie Theater: Largest regional theater in Minneapolis, presenting a broad repertory including musicals, classics, and new work. Operates three stages on the Mississippi riverfront and competes directly with Latté Da for Twin Cities audiences, donors, and discretionary-arts spending.
• Children's Theatre Company: Tony Award-winning Minneapolis children's theater producing original musicals and adaptations for young audiences. Competes for the same family audience segment and regional donor base in the Twin Cities as Latté Da, and shares the city's nonprofit professional theater ecosystem.
• Mixed Blood Theatre: Minneapolis-based nonprofit professional theater with a strong emphasis on new work, diverse casting, and radical inclusion (including a no-charge admission policy). Direct local competitor for subscribers and donors interested in new American plays and musicals.
• Jungle Theater: Intimate 150-seat neighborhood theater in Minneapolis producing a season of contemporary comedies, dramas, and musicals. Operates a similar small-venue, subscription-based model with comparable ticket price points and serves overlapping Twin Cities audiences.
• History Theatre: St. Paul-based nonprofit producing original musicals and plays drawn from regional and American history. Directly comparable in its focus on new musical development and its mid-size regional theater footprint within the same Twin Cities market.
• Penumbra Theatre Company: St. Paul-based nonprofit theater focused on Black artistic voices and new work development. Competes for the same regional donor base and audiences interested in new American musicals and socially engaged programming.
• Signature Theatre (Virginia): Arlington, VA-based Tony Award-winning regional theater dedicated exclusively to new musicals and innovative interpretations of classics. Closely comparable in its singular focus on musical theater development and new-work commissioning.
• Goodspeed Musicals: Connecticut-based nonprofit dedicated to developing and producing new musicals plus reviving classic works. Highly comparable operating model: owned historic venue, subscription base, commissioning program, and national reputation for new musical development.
• Asolo Repertory Theatre: Florida-based LORT regional theater producing musicals, classics, and new work across multiple stages. Notably comparable because founding Latté Da Artistic Director Peter Rothstein departed to lead Asolo Rep, making it the most direct institutional comparator for career trajectory and operating scale.

Broad incumbents

• Ordway Center for Performing Arts: St. Paul-based presenting venue and producer hosting Broadway tours, Music Theatre, and resident companies (including Minnesota Opera). Functions as both a competitor (for touring musical ticket buyers) and a peer institution within the Twin Cities performing arts ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/theaterlatteda
• Xx.com/theaterlatteda

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 Theater Latté Da