Chicago Dramatists
Chicago Dramatists is a 501c3 non-profit founded in 1979 that provides playwriting classes, multi-tier membership programs, one-on-one script development, and staged readings at its historic 77-seat Russ Tutterow Theatre in Chicago, serving emerging and professional playwrights nationwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1979
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Chicago Dramatists does
Chicago Dramatists is a 501c3 non-profit organization (EIN 36-3070510) founded in 1979 in Chicago that provides training, development, and community resources for playwrights, screenwriters, lyricists, and storytellers. It operates a multi-tier pathway spanning classes (primarily delivered over Zoom), a Network Playwright membership program priced at $300/year, an Early Career Cohort at $150/year for writers 30 and under, a free by-invitation NextGen Dramatists tier for writers under 24 or in undergraduate/graduate theater programs, and a select Resident Playwright roster of 14 accomplished dramatists. Monetized services extend to Script Lab and Level Up development services (one-on-one feedback, intensives, table reads, coaching), short educational add-ons such as Class Passes and quarterly Best in Class showcases, and rental of the historic 77-seat Russ Tutterow Theatre (built 1888) at $65/hour, $500/day, or $1500/week to other producers and tenants.
The organization has no proprietary technology platform beyond a Neon One-hosted registration/membership site and standard email marketing; its core "technology" is the physical Russ Tutterow Theatre and a Zoom-class delivery model. Revenue is generated from a mix of membership dues, class tuition, professional script-development services, theatre rentals, and donation/grants (typical of arts non-profits, with donations likely the largest single line). Customer segments are predominantly individual consumer-playwrights at various career stages, with a small institutional segment for venue rentals. The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven, relying on staged readings, festivals, and showcases as both programming and acquisition channels.
The organization is led by Executive Director Victoria Podesta, Co-Artistic Directors Robert Tenges and Josh Fardon, Director of Education Arlene Malinowski, Network Playwright Program Director Cathy Earnest, and General Manager Kyle Drexler, with a Board of Directors chaired by Debra Gilbert Rosenberg. Chicago Dramatists is independent, with no parent company, no subsidiaries, no institutional investment, and no M&A activity. Historical milestones include a 1998 special Joseph Jefferson Award, a 2005 League of Chicago Theaters Artistic Leadership Award awarded to founder Russ Tutterow (who passed in 2015), and the development of two Broadway productions: Lydia Diamond's Stick Fly and Keith Huff's A Steady Rain.
Chicago Dramatists firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Chicago Dramatists
- Legal name
- Chicago Dramatists
- Website
- https://chicagodramatists.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1979
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Chicago Dramatists is a 501c3 non-profit founded in 1979 that provides playwriting classes, multi-tier membership programs, one-on-one script development, and staged readings at its historic 77-seat Russ Tutterow Theatre in Chicago, serving emerging and professional playwrights nationwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Chicago Dramatists industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Theater Education Services
- NAICS
- Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Performing Arts Companies (7111)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Theatre Education, Training & Conservatories (MPAGABAN)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Theater & Drama Education (Acting, Improvisation, Musical Theater) (EDAMAAAG), Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)
Keywords
Where Chicago Dramatists is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Chicago Dramatists business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: Network Playwright Membership at $300 per year provides access to First Draft Readings, Ten-Minute Play Festival, online meetups, class discounts, Script Lab half-price, in-person events, and newsletter. Early Career Cohort available at half-price ($150/year) for playwrights 30 and under. NextGen Dramatists is free for members under 24 or enrolled in undergraduate/graduate theater programs.
- Classes and Education: Workshop classes taught by working theatre professionals, with small group sizes for ample feedback. Private classes offer more personal attention. Class Passes provide access to popular classes. Classes are primarily offered on Zoom.
- Rental Income: Theatre rentals at $65/hour ($500/day, $1500/week) and rehearsal room at $25/hour ($180/day, $600/week). Discounts available for members and playwrights. The 77-seat historic venue built in 1888 serves as an additional revenue stream.
- Script Lab and Development Services: Level Up script services including Script Lab (comprehensive feedback on complete draft), Second Look (half-price follow-up), Script Intensive (one-on-one project guidance), Table Reads, Workshops, and Development Coaching. Network members receive half-off Script Lab.
- Donations and Grants: 501c3 non-profit organization (EIN: 36-3070510) that accepts tax-deductible donations. Major donor program supports advanced development opportunities, scholarship programs, full productions, and theatre improvements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Network Playwright Membership - $300/year |
| Subscription | Annual | Early Career Cohort - $150/year |
| Subscription | Annual | NextGen Dramatists - Free (by invitation) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Theatre Rental - $65/hour, $500/day, $1500/week |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Rehearsal Room - $25/hour, $180/day, $600/week |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Chicago Dramatists product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Chicago Dramatists is a 501c3 non-profit playwright development organization founded in 1979 that provides playwriting classes (in-person and online via Zoom), structured development programs for playwrights at multiple career stages, and one-on-one script development services. The organization owns and operates the historic 77-seat Russ Tutterow Theatre, which it uses for performances and rents to outside theater companies.
Product overview
Chicago Dramatists operates as a multi-tiered playwright development organization offering a portfolio of interconnected services. The core offerings include Classes (workshop classes at all levels taught by working theatre professionals via Zoom) and Membership Programs (Network Playwright Program at $300/year, NextGen Dramatists for those under 24, and Early Career Cohort for those 30 and under at half-price). Script development services include Script Lab (one-on-one feedback from Resident Playwrights on complete drafts), Second Look (half-price follow-up review), Script Intensive (project-based work), Table Reads and Workshops (in Russ Tutterow Theatre), and Development Coaching (one-on-one mentorship). The Resident Playwright Program provides comprehensive development for select accomplished dramatists, with an Advanced Development Program for one or two residents yearly. The organization also offers Theater Rentals (77-seat historic venue) and quarterly Best in Class showcases featuring student work read by professional actors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- NextGen Dramatists: Dedicated to empowering the next generation of playwrights, highlighting innovative voices of early career artists including current and recent college students
- Early Career Cohort
- Script Lab
- Level Up Services
Products and services
- Playwriting Classes
- Network Playwright Program
- NextGen Dramatists
- Early Career Cohort
- Script Lab
- Script Intensive Concentrated script development service offering a more focused, shorter-cycle version of the Script Lab process for playwrights with near-final drafts.
- Russ Tutterow Theatre Rentals Rental of the organization's historic 77-seat Russ Tutterow Theatre to outside theater companies and producers for performances and events.
- Resident Playwright Program Top-tier program supporting selected Resident Playwrights with premieres, development, and production opportunities; Resident Playwrights have had work produced on Broadway and internationally.
- Education Fund Need-based scholarship program that provides financial assistance for playwrights who cannot afford class fees or membership dues.
Quantifiable outcome
- Two plays developed at CD reached Broadway (Stick Fly, A Steady Rain)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Chicago Dramatists
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Chicago Dramatists technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Chicago Dramatists partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Chicago Dramatists competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- American Repertory Theater: Harvard-affiliated professional theater with strong new play and playwright development programs. Operates a comparable artist-development ecosystem at larger institutional scale and with academic backing Chicago Dramatists lacks.
- Goodman Theatre: Major Chicago regional theater with extensive new play development. Robert Falls (former Goodman artistic director) spoke at Russ Tutterow's memorial, evidencing direct ecosystem connections. Operates at much larger scale and serves a different audience tier.
- Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Chicago-based Tony-winning theater with an ensemble model and strong new play program. Significantly larger scale and broader mission than Chicago Dramatists but shares the Chicago theater ecosystem and overlapping playwright network.
Direct peers
- Playwrights' Center: Minneapolis-based national playwright development organization offering classes, workshops, fellowships, and new play development. Near-identical operating model to Chicago Dramatists with a comparable member/playwright pathway and a national scope of programming.
- Atlantic Theater Company: NYC off-Broadway company known for new play development, staged readings, and a writer-development program similar in spirit to Chicago Dramatists' pathway from classes through professional productions.
- Playwrights Horizons: NYC-based off-Broadway theater company dedicated to developing and producing new work by American playwrights. Closely comparable model of artist development, new play incubation, and staging of new scripts — operates the similar writer-centric development pathway that Chicago Dramatists runs at smaller scale.
- New York Theatre Workshop: Off-Broadway theater renowned for developing new plays and supporting playwrights through readings, workshops, and productions. Comparable in its focus on new work development and long-running playwright relationships, though at significantly larger scale and higher production profile.
- Dramatists Guild of America: National non-profit trade organization for playwrights, composers, and lyricists. Directly comparable mission of supporting and developing dramatists through advocacy, resources, and community — operates at a national scale with membership dues and events.
Emerging players
- Yale School of Drama: Premier MFA program in playwriting. Competes for the same emerging playwright talent pool that Chicago Dramatists cultivates through classes and membership, but offers a formal degree pathway rather than community-based development.
Regional players
- Victory Gardens Theater: Chicago-based theater company with explicit focus on new plays and playwrights of diverse voices. Operates in the same Chicago market with overlapping playwright development mission; Arbery Malinowski (CD's Director of Education) previously taught at Victory Gardens, evidencing direct ecosystem overlap.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Chicago Dramatists social profiles
Digital presenceChicago Dramatists financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Chicago Dramatists leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Chicago Dramatists funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Chicago Dramatists M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Chicago Dramatists
What does Chicago Dramatists do?
Chicago Dramatists is a 501c3 non-profit playwright development organization founded in 1979 that provides playwriting classes (in-person and online via Zoom), structured development programs for playwrights at multiple career stages, and one-on-one script development services. The organization owns and operates the historic 77-seat Russ Tutterow Theatre, which it uses for performances and rents to outside theater companies.
Is Chicago Dramatists a public or private company?
Chicago Dramatists is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Chicago Dramatists founded?
Chicago Dramatists was founded in 1979. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Chicago Dramatists based?
Chicago Dramatists is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Chicago Dramatists make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are classes and Education, rental Income, script Lab and Development Services and donations and Grants.
Who are Chicago Dramatists's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are American Repertory Theater, Goodman Theatre and Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Direct peers are Playwrights' Center, Atlantic Theater Company, Playwrights Horizons, New York Theatre Workshop and Dramatists Guild of America. Yale School of Drama is listed as an emerging player. Victory Gardens Theater is listed as a regional player.
Does Chicago Dramatists have an API?
No public API is recorded for Chicago Dramatists.
What industry is Chicago Dramatists in?
Chicago Dramatists's product category is Theater Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGABAN, Theatre Education, Training & Conservatories, with a secondary code of EDAMAAAG, Theater & Drama Education (Acting, Improvisation, Musical Theater). Its NAICS code is 711110 and its SIC code is 7900.