Lobero Theatre

Name

Lobero Theatre

Legal name

Lobero Theatre Foundation

Website

https://lobero.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1873

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Venue

NAICS

Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB), Concert Halls & Music Venue Operations (Symphony Halls, Recital Venues) (MPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Performing arts venue
• Live event hosting
• Venue rental services
• Performing arts programming
• Historic theatre operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Barbara

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from ticket sales to performances and events. Tickets are sold online with a $3 web order fee, $3 phone order fee, and a $7 facility fee per ticket. The facility fee supports maintenance and improvement of the theatre as a registered California Historic Landmark.
2. Venue Rental: The 604-seat theatre is rented to outside producers and organizations for concerts, conferences, film screenings, dance performances, theater, benefits, lectures, and graduation ceremonies. Ticketing, marketing, and technical support are available to renters.
3. Individual Giving and Donations: Donations through Individual Giving programs including Ghostlight Society (major donors), Brubeck Circle Membership (jazz supporters), Heritage Giving (planned gifts), and general contributions. The theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
4. Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate sponsors support the Lobero LIVE series with packages ranging from $2,500 to $20,000, including advertising in BACKSTAGE magazine, logo placement, ticket packages, and VIP pre-show party opportunities. Culinary sponsors provide in-kind food services for VIP events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Lobero Theatre is a historic 604-seat performing arts venue in Santa Barbara, California, founded in 1873 and recognized as the oldest continuously operating theatre in California. It presents and hosts live performances, concerts, film screenings, conferences, community programs, and private events, and rents the venue to corporate and private clients. The theatre operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and offers digital ticketing through its website and a dedicated mobile app.

Product overview

Lobero Theatre is a historic performing arts venue (established 1873, California’s oldest continuously operating theatre) offering venue rental services for events, digital ticketing via its website and mobile app (The Lobero App), and hosting multiple event series including Jazz at the Lobero, Lobero LIVE, Opera Santa Barbara, State Street Ballet, Music Academy of the West, and Earl Minnis Presents. The venue operates membership programs (Circle/Brubeck Circle) providing exclusive pre-sale access and supports community youth programs through education subsidies and ticket outreach initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• More than $100,000 in annual subsidies to local performing arts and youth organizations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Opera Santa BarbaracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResident opera company performing multiple productions annually at the Lobero including Rigoletto, The Barber of Seville, and Riders of the Purple Sage. Opera Santa Barbara brings raw power of rock show energy combined with virtuosic vocal talent to the historic stage.
• State Street BalletcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational dance company drawing dancers from around the globe. Performs captivation performances combining timeless classics and innovative new works at the Lobero.
• Music Academy of the WestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreates space where exceptional talent thrives through transformative educational and performance experiences. Provides classically trained musicians and diverse audiences with summer festival programming at the Lobero.
• Flamenco Arts FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLatino 501(c)(3) arts and education nonprofit presenting flamenco performances. Supports Access to the Arts Initiative (ATTA) providing free or reduced community access tickets.
• Santa Barbara County Office of Arts & CulturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner for Jazz at the Lobero and Lobero LIVE series through Events and Festivals Program partnership with City of Santa Barbara.
• KCBXminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal public radio station supporting jazz programming at the Lobero as community partner.
• Montecito Bank and TrustminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor listed among supporters of the Lobero Theatre with logo display on website and at events.
• Margerum Wine CompanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor and culinary partner providing wine for events and receptions.
• Cottage HealthminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor supporting Lobero programming with healthcare community partnership.
• Fess Parker Winery & VineyardminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor and vintner partner for events and hospitality.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Massey Hall: Historic concert hall recently renovated, comparable in legacy brand and presenting model to the Lobero but serving a much larger metropolitan market and running higher-grossing orchestral programming.
• Ryman Auditorium: Iconic historic American performance venue with strong tourism and presenting brand. Comparable in heritage positioning and acoustic intimacy but operates at substantially larger scale and commercial intensity.
• Segerstrom Center for the Arts: Larger California presenting organization with comparable resident-company model (Pacific Symphony, Philharmonic Society) and presenting series. Operates at significantly larger scale than the Lobero.

Direct peers

• Yoshi's Oakland: Historic California jazz venue with restaurant integration, comparable in intimate scale and jazz-programming identity to the Lobero's Jazz at the Lobero series.
• Blue Note Jazz Club: Internationally recognized jazz presenting venue with multiple locations and DownBeat recognition. Comparable in jazz programming prestige and presenting-as-core-model approach, though commercial rather than nonprofit.
• McCarter Theatre Center: Mid-sized nonprofit presenting theater with a similar mix of self-presented programming series, resident company partnerships, and community/youth education programming in a comparable mid-sized market.
• The Granada Theatre: The other principal historic performing arts venue in Santa Barbara. It is the most direct competitor for resident companies, touring productions, sponsorships, and audience in the same small market.
• Café Lena: One of the oldest continuously operating folk/jazz venues in the US, nonprofit-led, with similar legacy brand, intimate scale, and presenting model to the Lobero.

Regional players

• Smothers Theatre (Pepperdine University): Malibu-area performing arts venue presenting touring and university programming to a Southern California audience that partially overlaps the Lobero's draw.
• Campbell Hall (UCSB Arts & Lectures): University-presented performance venue in Santa Barbara County competing for the same regional audience base, though operates with university-subsidized economics rather than independent nonprofit model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LoberoTheatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/loberotheatre
• Xx.com/loberotheatre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lobero-theatre-foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Lobero Theatre