What Live In Theater does

Live In Theater (legally LIT Interactive LLC) is a New York-based interactive theater company founded in 2009 by Carlo D'Amore. It produces live, audience-driven theatrical experiences centered on historical true-crime murder mysteries, delivered as virtual sessions on Zoom, hybrid formats, or in-person events within the New York Tri-state area. The company has built a catalog of eight-plus murder mystery shows anchored in real historical periods (e.g., The Ryan Case 1873, Lombardi Case 1975, Wrestle Rally '86, Mission Athena: SABOTAGED!), supplemented by DEI and diversity workshops, K-12 and higher education programming, and a psychological thriller title (Still Missing).

The product relies on a distributed network of 20-plus professional interactive theater actors performing in real time and on Zoom's video infrastructure (with Google Meet as a secondary option) to facilitate audience participation, breakout-room interrogation of suspects, and outcome-driven storytelling. The company does not use proprietary platform technology; its differentiation is in its content library, its talent bench, and its interactive-theater methodology, with a Drama Desk Award nomination earned in 2010 and recognition from the New York Times, CBS, and Time Out NY.

Live In Theater operates a direct-to-consumer, event-driven business model. Pricing is primarily transactional: per-person rates of $30-$50 for individual mystery shows and tiered flat-fee packages for groups (e.g., $750-$2,000 for DEI workshops, $1,000-$9,250 for the Santa Gate Christmas experience, $450-$1,690 for the Asians In America workshop). In-person events carry a $500 surcharge and are limited to the NY Tri-state market; virtual events are sold globally 24/7. The primary customer segment is corporate teams (with named enterprise clients including Meta, Spotify, Netflix, Delta, Uber, Google, GM, and eBay), followed by educational institutions and private-event consumers. The company is founder-owned, bootstrapped (no disclosed external funding), and reports 51-100 employees.

Name

Live In Theater

Legal name

LIT Interactive LLC

Website

https://liveintheater.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Live In Theater is a New York-based interactive theater company producing live, audience-driven historical true-crime murder mystery experiences and DEI workshops, delivered virtually via Zoom or in-person in the NY Tri-state area for corporate teams, educational institutions, and private events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Interactive Theater and Entertainment Services

NAICS

Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Hybrid Concerts & Live Shows (Venue + Remote Audience) (MPAGAOAE), VIP Hospitality & Client Entertainment (Boxes, Suites, Hosted Experiences) (MPAGAHAG)

Keywords

• Interactive theater experiences
• Virtual murder mystery events
• Corporate team building activities
• DEI training workshops
• Educational theater programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Per-Person Ticketed Experiences: Live In Theater charges per-person fees for their murder mystery shows and DEI workshops. Pricing varies by experience type and group size, with per-person rates ranging from $30 to $50 for standard shows and tiered pricing structures.
2. Flat Fee Event Packages: Some experiences are priced as flat fees regardless of per-person rate, such as Santa Gate at $1,000 base and Mean Queens at $500 base. These packages include the full experience with professional actors guiding participants through the mystery.
3. Corporate Workshop Services: DEI workshops and educational programming offered at tiered flat rates based on group size, with corporate team building experiences ranging from $750 to $2,000 depending on participant count.
4. In-Person Experience Premium: In-person experiences include an additional $500 service charge on top of experience fees, available exclusively within the New York Tri-state area.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Live In Theater produces and delivers interactive theatrical true-crime murder mystery experiences, DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) workshops, and educational theater programs. Events are conducted live by professional actors with audiences participating remotely via Zoom (or Google Meet on request) or in-person within the New York Tri-state area. The company also offers hybrid formats and a dedicated booking team that handles scheduling, group sizing, and customization for corporate team-building, school, and private event clients.

Product overview

Live In Theater offers interactive true-crime murder mystery experiences and educational theater programs. The core product portfolio includes eight murder mystery shows (Murder at River Crossing Book Club, Wrestle Rally '86, Mission Athena: SABOTAGED!, The Ryan Case 1873, Lombardi Case 1975, Murder in La La Land, Mean Queens, Santa Gate: A Corporate Christmas Conspiracy, and Still Missing), four DEI and history workshops (DEI Conversations at Work, Gay New York, Women Who Changed the World, Asians In America), and educational programs (The Ryan Case 1873, The Trial Of Typhoid Mary, Mission Athena: SABOTAGED!). Experiences are delivered virtually via Zoom/Google Meet, or in-person in the New York Tri-state area, and serve as team-building activities for corporate groups, educational institutions, and private events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Murder at River Crossing Book Club A murder mystery show set in River Crossing, Carolina, where participants interview townspeople to investigate the murder of the town's most influential resident, Ursula Fitzroy, and write a front-page headline. Priced at $40 per person, delivered virtually via Zoom or in-person in NY Tri-state. Targeted at corporate groups, schools, and private events.
• Wrestle Rally '86 An 80s-themed murder mystery set in the world of professional wrestling, in which participants investigate the death of wrestling star 'Radical' Rachel Riley at Wrestle Rally '86. Priced at $40 per person and delivered via Zoom or in-person. Audience: corporate teams and private groups seeking nostalgic, pop-culture-flavored interactive entertainment.
• Mission Athena: SABOTAGED! A 1962 space-race themed murder mystery where participants play CIA Special Agent Brock Hammerhold to expose a saboteur behind an explosion during the first woman-in-space mission at Cape Canaveral. Priced at $40 per person. Doubles as an educational experience for schools covering the space race and women's history.
• The Ryan Case 1873 The flagship historical murder mystery set in 1870s New York City Five Points, where participants play rookie detectives investigating the deaths of two Irish siblings. Priced at $40 per person. Nominated for a Drama Desk Award in 2010 and recognized as a Top Ten event by Time Out NY. Used for corporate team building and as an educational program for schools.
• Lombardi Case 1975 A gritty murder mystery set in 1970s Manhattan Lower East Side where participants play rookie detectives investigating the killing of a politico's daughter. Priced at $40 per person and delivered via Zoom or in-person. Audience: corporate teams and adult private groups.
• Murder in La La Land A Hollywood Golden Age murder mystery set at the Summit Pictures film studio, where participants investigate the murder of a screenwriter found dead at the foot of a bridge. Priced at $40 per person. Audience: corporate teams and private groups.
• Mean Queens A true-crime podcast-style murder mystery set on the Brookville University campus where participants investigate the murder of Cory Singer, found in a banana suit. Priced at $50 per person, with flat-fee group tiers also available (e.g., 5–10 people: $500; 21–30: $1,000).
• Santa Gate: A Corporate Christmas Conspiracy A holiday-themed murder mystery where participants, as members of Santa's elf brigade, help Mrs. Claus uncover a threat to the holiday season at the North Pole. Sold as a flat-fee event package tiered by group size (e.g., 5–25 people: $1,000; up to 276–300: $9,250). Audience: corporate holiday parties.
• Still Missing A live psychological thriller in which participants investigate a disappearance whose official story does not add up, examining testimony and questioning key individuals. Audience: corporate teams and adult private groups seeking non-murder interactive suspense.
• DEI Conversations at Work A diversity, equity, and inclusion workshop that uses forum theater, improvisation, and live scenes to help participants develop practical tools for addressing DEI challenges in the workplace. Sold as a flat-fee workshop tiered by participant count (1–15: $750; up to 51–100: $2,000). Audience: corporate HR, L&D, and DEI leads.
• Gay New York – A History of the LGBTQIA Movement An interactive lecture exploring LGBTQ history in New York City, covering terminology, hidden messages, chosen family, and the Stonewall Uprising of June 1969. Audience: corporate groups, schools, and community organizations.
• Women Who Changed the World An educational lecture highlighting influential women throughout history, including Hypatia of Alexandria, Huda Sha'arawi, suffragettes, artists, scientists, and politicians. Priced at $30 per person. Audience: schools and corporate groups.
• Asians In America - Adversity, Endurance, and Achievement An educational lecture commemorating Asian American Heritage Month, exploring the history and contributions of Asian American immigrants and notable figures, including Nobel Laureates and entrepreneurs. Sold as a flat-fee workshop tiered by participant count (1–15: $450; up to 401–500: $1,690). Audience: schools and corporate groups.
• The Trial Of Typhoid Mary An educational trial experience in which students participate in the historic trial of Mary Mallon (Typhoid Mary), exploring themes of public health, immigration, and gender inequality. Audience: K-12 schools, colleges, and educational programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of groups and companies served worldwide
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Eventbrite: Public ticketing and event-discovery platform that Live In Theater could use for distribution and that hosts many competing live experience providers. Relevant as a distribution/adoption comparable for ticketed live entertainment scale.

Broad incumbents

• Airbnb Online Experiences: Hosts consumer and small-group interactive online experiences, including murder mystery and immersive formats. A potential distribution and direct competitor for LIT's individual/group virtual mystery product, with much larger reach and marketing engine.
• TeamBonding: Established corporate team-building and corporate events company offering a range of in-person and virtual programs including mystery-themed events. Direct overlap on corporate team-building buyers and virtual event delivery.
• Hopin: Once-leading virtual and hybrid events platform used by corporate teams for large-scale online experiences. Adjacent competitor for the virtual corporate event budget, though focused on conferences/webinars rather than interactive theater.
• Sleep No More (Punchdrunk): Pioneering immersive theater company behind Sleep No More. Comparable on immersive, audience-driven theatrical format and corporate/private event demand, though it operates a fixed large-scale venue rather than virtual delivery.
• Outback Team Building: Larger, established corporate team-building provider with a portfolio of activity formats including murder mystery, scavenger hunts, and virtual events. Comparable buyer (corporate HR/L&D) and virtual delivery model, but broader portfolio and less specialization in interactive theater.

Direct peers

• What May Come Immersive: Immersive theater company also referenced in LIT's leadership bios (Sarah Sutliff and Chris Enright are members). Competes in the same interactive/immersive theater category serving corporate and consumer audiences.
• The Murder Mystery Company: One of the largest U.S. providers of in-person and virtual murder mystery events for corporate and private groups. Directly comparable to Live In Theater in product format, target buyer (corporate team building), and per-person pricing model.
• Blue Dragon Murder Mysteries: Mid-size murder mystery event company offering scripted interactive shows for corporate and private groups. Comparable on product, customer segment, and live-actor delivery model.
• Broadway Murder Mysteries: NYC-based interactive murder mystery theater company referenced in LIT's own management bios (Sarah Sutliff is Head of Talent Management). Competes in the same in-person corporate/team-building murder mystery niche in the New York metro area.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Live In Theater