What Geffen Playhouse does

Geffen Playhouse is a non-profit 501(c)(3) professional theater founded in 1995 in the Westwood Village neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It operates a two-stage complex — the 512-seat Gil Cates Theater and the 149-seat Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater — plus the Jason and Yvonne Lee Geffen Playhouse Annex on Westwood Boulevard, which it leases from UCLA under a longstanding institutional partnership. The organization presents a season of 5-8 productions per year spanning world premieres, award-winning transfers (Liberation, Purpose), and reimagined classics, supported by subscription, single-ticket, group-sales, and donor-funding revenue mechanics.

The company's digital stack comprises transactional and audience-engagement tooling: a secure online box office (secure.geffenplayhouse.org), a standalone Mobile Ticket Wallet product (wallet.geffenplayhouse.org), a Digital Playbill, and the Geffen Stayhouse at-home streaming program — none of which involve proprietary AI components. Its go-to-market blends direct ticketing, season subscriptions, group sales, education and community programming (Theater as a Lens for Justice, Beyond the Barracks for veterans, High School Partnerships, Lights Up dialogue program, Storytelling Workshop for Young Adults), and corporate/individual philanthropy anchored by a 30th anniversary capital campaign.

Go-to-market channels include the website, email, social, community events such as Talkback Wednesdays and Black Partners Appreciation Nights, and earned-media coverage from LA Times, KCAL News, and KABC7. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the organization holds a 4-star Charity Navigator rating and is governed by an independent board chaired by Mary Ann Cloyd, with executive leadership split between CEO/Executive Director Gil Cates, Jr. and Artistic Director Tarell Alvin McCraney, alongside CFO Sarah Sturdivant and a 100-250-person staff.

Name

Geffen Playhouse

Legal name

Geffen Playhouse

Website

https://geffenplayhouse.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Geffen Playhouse is a Los Angeles non-profit professional theater operating the 512-seat Gil Cates Theater and 149-seat Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater under a UCLA lease, presenting 5-8 productions per season alongside education, community engagement, and donor-funded programs for regional audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Theater / Performing Arts

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM), Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB)

Keywords

• Live theater productions
• Professional performing arts
• Season subscriptions
• Theater education programs
• Community engagement arts

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

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, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Geffen Playhouse is a nonprofit professional theater that produces and presents a season of 5 to 8 live theatrical productions per year across two performance venues (the 512-seat Gil Cates Theater and the 149-seat Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater). The company sells single tickets and season subscriptions, runs education and community engagement programs for students, veterans, educators, and justice-impacted populations, and supplements live performance with digital services including a Mobile Ticket Wallet, Digital Playbill, and Geffen Stayhouse at-home streaming.

Product overview

Geffen Playhouse is a nonprofit professional theater company operating as a unified venue-based organization with two main performance spaces: the Gil Cates Theater (512 seats) and the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater (149 seats). The theater presents a season of 5-8 productions annually ranging from world premieres and award-winning commissioned works to reinterpretations of timeless classics. Supporting offerings include digital ticketing via Mobile Ticket Wallet, Digital Playbill, comprehensive Accessibility Services, and Play! Nights audience engagement events. The Education & Community division operates programs including Theater as a Lens for Justice, Beyond the Barracks (veterans), High School Partnerships, Storytelling Workshop for Young Adults, and Lights Up community dialogue programs. The theater also developed Geffen Stayhouse for at-home streaming during the pandemic and maintains a New Play Development program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gil Cates Theater: The main 512-seat performance space named after Geffen Playhouse founder Gil Cates, used for contemporary and classic plays including world premieres.
• Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater
• Jason and Yvonne Lee Geffen Playhouse Annex

Products and services

• Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous Live theatrical production running at the Gil Cates Theater, in which a trailblazing actress returns to the U.S. to stage a career-defining comeback and collides with a new generation that challenges her past, her politics, and her place in the movement.
• Purpose LA debut of the 2025 Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning play Purpose, directed by Phylicia Rashad, featuring the original Broadway cast and running 11.11 – 12.13.2026 at the Gil Cates Theater.
• Liberation West Coast premiere of the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning play Liberation running 01.27 – 02.28.2027 at the Gil Cates Theater, following its successful Broadway run.
• The Monsters Theatrical production exploring the complicated intimacy of sibling relationships, running 03.03 – 04.04.2027 at the intimate Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater.
• Closing Costs Theatrical production examining the absurdity of the Los Angeles housing market, running 03.31 – 05.02.2027 at the Gil Cates Theater.
• Wine in the Wilderness Production of James McBride's Wine in the Wilderness examining class, colorism, gender, and representation politics, running 06.02 – 07.03.2027 at the Gil Cates Theater.
• Master Harold...and the Boys Production revival of Master Harold...and the Boys, co-directed by Emily Mann and Tarell Alvin McCraney, starring John Kani reprising his role as Sam after 40 years as a tribute following playwright Athol Fugard's death.
• Season Subscriptions Subscription packages for the 2025/2026 and 2026/2027 seasons providing priority seating and free exchanges up until curtain time, with subscribers receiving exchanges at no charge when arranged before curtain time.
• Beyond the Barracks Veterans Writing & Performance Workshop for U.S. military veterans of all branches, a 10-week program culminating in an evening of original monologues written and performed by participants.
• Theater as a Lens for Justice Multi-faceted community access program providing theater access for populations impacted by incarceration, supplemented with talkbacks and workshops.
• High School Partnerships Program Season-long program providing thought-provoking plays and theater workshops for high school students and educators across Los Angeles.
• Lights Up Yearlong theatergoing and meaningful dialogue program for community groups throughout Los Angeles.
• Storytelling Workshop for Young Adults Free six-week creative writing workshop for emerging young artists ages 18-24.
• Accessibility Services Comprehensive accessibility accommodations including accessible seating, wheelchair escorts, assisted listening devices, sign language interpretation (with 2-week advance notice), service animals welcome, and audio described performances.

Segments5 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 flagship and core.

• Cast Iron EntertainmentflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2020Cast Iron Entertainment is part of a new artist residency at Geffen Playhouse announced in February 2020, alongside Tarell Alvin McCraney. The cohort includes notable artists such as Sterling K. Brown, Glenn Davis, Brian Tyree Henry, Jon Michael Hill, and André Holland. Cast Iron Entertainment also provided support for Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous production.
• UCLA (University of California at Los Angeles)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCLA leases the building to Geffen Playhouse as a non-profit and affiliated organization. The partnership was established when Chancellor Charles Young agreed to sell the Doolittle Theater and pledge proceeds to assist Gil Cates with purchasing and refurbishing the Westwood Playhouse. The goal was to create a professional theater that enriches the cultural life of Greater Los Angeles and the UCLA community. Today, UCLA students participate in countless internships, residencies, and workshops at the theater.
• The ShedflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Shed co-produced The Brothers Size with Geffen Playhouse, marking a significant collaboration for the production. This co-production relationship represents a strategic artistic partnership between the two organizations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Arena Stage: Washington DC not-for-profit regional theater with multi-theater complex and new play development focus. Comparable in venue strategy (multiple spaces), non-profit funding model, and commitment to premiering new American work.
• Center Theatre Group: Largest LA-based non-profit theater operator running the Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, and Kirk Douglas Theatre. Direct peer in city, customer base, and programming model (subscription seasons of plays/musicals), though at materially larger scale.
• Pasadena Playhouse: Historic LA-area professional theater presenting a season of plays and musicals with comparable subscription model and educational programming. Direct regional peer competing for the same Southern California theatergoer base.
• Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Chicago-based non-profit theater known for new play development and ensemble-driven productions. Tarell Alvin McCraney is a former Steppenwolf ensemble member. Comparable in mission, artistic ambition, and Tony/Pulitzer-associated programming.
• Lincoln Center Theater: Major New York non-profit producing Broadway and Off-Broadway work including many Tony winners. Functions as both originator and touring partner for productions that travel to Geffen (e.g., Purpose, Liberation come from Broadway origins). Direct peer in programming tier and donor model.
• Manhattan Theatre Club: Off-Broadway non-profit producing new plays and premieres, with strong track record of Pulitzer and Tony-winning work (e.g., Liberation originated here). Directly comparable in new play development mission and donor-supported theater model.
• Goodman Theatre: Chicago-based non-profit presenting a season of classic and new works with education programs. Comparable in scale, programming breadth (large + intimate spaces), and Tony/Pulitzer pedigree (e.g., won Tony for Outstanding Regional Theatre).
• Roundabout Theatre Company: New York non-profit producing classic and new works across multiple venues with extensive Tony-winning history. Comparable as a subscriber-supported theater organization programming Tony/Pulitzer-grade productions.
• The Shed: New York arts center co-producing The Brothers Size with Geffen Playhouse. Comparable in producing live performing arts and in operating flexible, multi-format cultural programming spaces.

Emerging players

• American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.): Harvard-affiliated non-profit theater in Cambridge producing innovative new work. Comparable in academic partnership structure (akin to Geffen-UCLA) and in producing work that transfers to broader national audiences.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@geffenplayhouse
• Xx.com/geffenplayhouse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/geffen-playhouse

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 Geffen Playhouse