Auditorium Theatre

Name

Auditorium Theatre

Legal name

The Auditorium Theatre

Website

https://auditoriumtheatre.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1889

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Venue

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB), Event Operations & Venue Services (Box Office, FOH/BOH, Concessions) (MPAIAFAL), VIP Hospitality & Client Entertainment (Boxes, Suites, Hosted Experiences) (MPAGAHAG)

Keywords

• Performing arts venue
• Live event hosting
• Venue rental services
• Broadway productions
• Arts education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream through sale of tickets for performances including Broadway productions, dance, concerts, and special events. Tickets sold primarily through AXS and Ticketmaster platforms with facility fees and service charges applied.
2. Venue Rental: Available for performance and private event rental including concerts, lectures, meetings, conferences, private receptions, parties, and galas. Contact via form submission or phone at 312.341.2334.
3. Donations and Fundraising: Donor-driven nonprofit organization accepting donations through DonorDrive platform. Sponsorship opportunities available for events and programs. Proceeds support building restoration efforts, artistic programming, and community access initiatives.
4. Food and Beverage: Food and beverage services managed internally with preferred caterers list for rental events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Auditorium Theatre is a National Historic Landmark performing arts venue in Chicago that hosts live performances including Broadway productions, concerts, dance, opera, and film-with-orchestra events. It also rents its 3,875-seat facility for corporate events, private receptions, conferences, and galas, and operates community arts programs such as the free Hearts to Art grief-support summer camp and ArtsXChange educator training. Ticket distribution is handled primarily through AXS and Ticketmaster, while venue rental inquiries are managed directly.

Product overview

The Auditorium Theatre is a historic National Historic Landmark venue in Chicago offering live performance ticketing across multiple genres (music, dance, Broadway, film), venue rental services for events, and community-focused educational programs including student matinees, the Hearts to Art grief support camp, school opportunities, and backstage tours. The venue also hosts fundraising events and provides rental spaces for private events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Performance Ticketing Sale of tickets to live performances (Broadway productions, concerts, dance, opera, film with live orchestra) at the historic Chicago venue, distributed primarily through AXS and Ticketmaster with facility fees and service charges applied per ticket.
• Venue Rental Rental of the 3,875-seat historic auditorium for concerts, lectures, meetings, conferences, private receptions, parties, and galas. Includes preferred caterers list and on-site food and beverage services.
• National Landmark Backstage Tours

Named customers8 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

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Broadway in ChicagocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with Broadway in Chicago to present touring Broadway productions at the venue. Examples include & Juliet, Mean Girls, and Beetlejuice. Broadway in Chicago manages marketing and ticketing for these productions through Ticketmaster.
• Loop Auto ParksminorOthersRecommended parking partner located at 524 S Wabash, approximately half block from theatre. Provides convenient parking for patrons attending performances and events.
• AXScoreTechnology or IntegrationPrimary ticketing platform for most performances at the venue. Handles ticket sales, distribution, and transaction processing for concerts, dance, and special events.
• Alvin Ailey American Dance TheatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual residency at the theatre showcasing dance company's Season 2025-26. The theatre has hosted Alvin Ailey since 2015 as a beloved annual event celebrating diversity and artistry. Performance dates April 24-26, 2026.
• Joffrey BalletcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCalled the Auditorium home until 2017, drew international attention during its residency. Partnership established during transformative 2010s period for the theatre.
• Ensemble Español Spanish Dance TheatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago-based dance company that highlighted the strength and resilience of the dance community; marked the theatre's reopening and start of 2021-22 Season post-pandemic closure.
• Chicago PhilharmoniccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for live-scored performances including Bram Stoker's Dracula, blending traditional performing arts with innovative formats.
• ArtsXChangecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished in 2011 to provide educators with arts-based learning strategies to integrate into existing curriculum and classroom practice.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Chicago-based producing theater with its own venue and a strong subscriber/donor model, competing for the same theater audience and corporate event rentals in the metro.
• Goodman Theatre: Chicago-based resident theater producing plays and musicals in its own Loop-adjacent facility, overlapping with the Auditorium's theater programming and donor base.

Broad incumbents

• Kennedy Center: National performing arts center operating multiple venues for theater, dance, music, and opera with broad programming and educational mission, a scaled incumbent in the same space.
• Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts: Multi-venue performing arts complex that presents opera, ballet, symphony, theater, and film at scale, comparable in programming breadth but considerably larger than the Auditorium.

Direct peers

• Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Symphony Center): Chicago-based presenter and venue operator hosting orchestral, pops, and special programming in a comparable downtown Loop-adjacent footprint.
• Harris Theater for Music and Dance: Chicago performing arts presenter that books dance, music, and multimedia performances in its own venue, directly overlapping with the Auditorium's programming mix.
• Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM): Historic multi-venue performing arts center that programs dance, music, theater, and film, comparable to the Auditorium's role as a curated presenting venue with heritage status.
• Lyric Opera of Chicago: Major Chicago performing arts presenting organization operating its own venue and competing for the same audience, donors, and touring productions as the Auditorium Theatre.
• Radio City Music Hall: Historic large-capacity New York performance venue hosting concerts, Broadway-style shows, and signature events, comparable to the Auditorium in heritage prestige and event-driven programming.
• Carnegie Hall: Iconic historic concert hall and presenting organization offering classical, contemporary, and educational programming in a venue of similar heritage prestige.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/auditoriumchgo

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Auditorium Theatre