NYU Skirball

What NYU Skirball does

NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is a non-profit performing arts venue owned and operated by New York University, located at the base of NYU's Kimmel Center for University Life at 566 LaGuardia Place on Washington Square in Manhattan. Founded in 2003, the 852-seat proscenium theater presents a curated season of avant-garde and boundary-pushing theater, dance, music, comedy, film, and spoken-word programming, and has been characterized by Time Out as 'New York's top landing zone for Europe's most outré avant garde theater and dance.' It also commissions new works, co-presents academic discourse series (e.g., 'Paradigm Shifters' with NYU Center for the Humanities), and screens National Theatre Live broadcasts from London. Its technical infrastructure includes an ETC Eos Ti/Sensor3 dimming system (312 dimmers), a D&B loudspeaker rig with Yamaha PM5D digital console, video projection, and broadcast/livestream capability, supporting both in-house productions and external rental events.

Name

NYU Skirball

Legal name

NYU Skirball Center for Performing Arts

Website

https://nyuskirball.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NYU Skirball is an 852-seat non-profit performing arts venue at NYU's Washington Square campus presenting avant-garde theater, dance, music, and film to the NYU community and New York City audiences, with revenue from tickets, memberships, venue rentals, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Venue / Live Entertainment

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB), Alternative Content Exhibition (Live Broadcasts, Concert Films, Sports, Opera) (MPADAKAG), Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB)

Keywords

• Performing arts venue
• Live performance programming
• Avant-garde theater
• Contemporary dance presentations
• Venue rental services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from ticket sales for performances and events. Tickets are sold through NYU ticketing platform (tickets.nyu.edu), with various price points depending on event and seating.
2. Memberships: Annual membership program starting at $75, offering discounted or free tickets, pre-sale opportunities, and special invitations to events.
3. Venue Rentals: The theater is available for rental to outside organizations, productions, and events through an application process.
4. Donations: The venue accepts donations and offers naming opportunities such as 'Name A Seat' program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is a 852-seat professional theater that presents a season of innovative performing arts — theater, dance, music, comedy, and film screenings, including live National Theatre broadcasts — alongside commissions of new avant-garde work, a venue rental service for outside producers and events, a tiered membership program, and student discount ticketing. Its programming emphasizes boundary-pushing international and experimental performance for the NYU community and Tri-State area audiences.

Product overview

NYU Skirball Center is a performing arts venue offering a unified portfolio of event programming and venue services. The core offering consists of performance programming featuring international avant-garde theater, dance, music, and comedy; venue rental services for external events; and commissioned new works through its artist commissioning program. Supporting offerings include membership tiers, student discount programs, educational outreach, and the Paradigm Shifters discussion series. The venue hosts National Theatre Live screenings and maintains the Skirball TV Archives for virtual content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Performance Programming A seasonal roster of presenting-house performances in theater, dance, comedy, music, and film screened at the 852-seat NYU Skirball, aimed at NYC arts audiences and the NYU community.
• Venue Rental Rental of the 852-seat theater and facilities for external concerts, dance, drama, opera, video and film exhibition, television recording, ceremonies, conferences, lectures, receptions, and symposia.
• NYU Skirball Commissions Commissioning and presenting new works from contemporary artists in dance, theater, and multidisciplinary performance, with an emphasis on experimental and avant-garde work.
• Membership Program Annual membership starting at $75 offering discounted or free tickets to performances, pre-sale ticket access, and special invitations to events.
• National Theatre Live Screenings Cinema-screen broadcast of live National Theatre (London) productions at the Skirball venue, bringing British theater to New York audiences (e.g., 'Les Liaisons Dangereuses').
• Paradigm Shifters Series Conversation series featuring scholars, artists, writers, and activists who have altered public discussion and shifted paradigms of knowledge, presented in partnership with NYU Center for the Humanities.
• Skirball TV Archives Digital archive of past virtual events, performances, and conversations recorded at NYU Skirball, available for online viewing.
• Student Discount Programs Discounted ticket programs for students including $20 NYU student flat-rate tickets and $25 non-NYU student rush tickets (in person on day of show).

Named customers5 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Theatre LivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to screen National Theatre productions live from London. NYU Skirball serves as a cinema screen venue for NT Live broadcasts, bringing British theatre to New York audiences with productions like 'Les Liaisons Dangereuses'.
• NYU Center for the HumanitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presenters of the 'Paradigm Shifters' series featuring conversations with pathbreaking scholars, artists, writers and activists. Series hosted by Uli Baer, Director of NYU Center for the Humanities.
• Washington Square Village GarageminorOthersDiscount parking partnership one block from the venue. Validations available at box office or concessions bar for $13 per vehicle.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM): BAM is a major NYC presenting venue known for cutting-edge international theater, dance, and film programming. BAM is the closest direct peer to Skirball in curatorial philosophy and audience overlap, though at significantly larger scale.
• The Joyce Theater: The Joyce is a NYC-based dance-presenting venue that programs international and contemporary dance companies, sharing Skirball's focus on innovative performance and overlapping artist relationships (e.g., A.I.M., De Keersmaeker).
• Park Avenue Armory: Park Avenue Armory is a NYC venue that presents large-scale, experimental, and avant-garde performing arts commissions. Its curatorial identity and commissioning model closely align with Skirball's experimental programming, though at a higher-end price point and production scale.
• New York Live Arts: New York Live Arts is a NYC presenter focused on contemporary dance and performance, with commissioning and artist-residency programs. It is comparable to Skirball in mission, scale, and audience, though with a stronger dance tilt.
• The Public Theater: The Public Theater is a nonprofit NYC presenter producing and presenting innovative theater, including new work and avant-garde productions. It competes with Skirball for similar audiences interested in boundary-pushing work and is a major downtown cultural institution.
• La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club: La MaMa is a NYC nonprofit known for presenting avant-garde and experimental theater, with deep ties to NYU alumni and faculty. It is highly comparable to Skirball in curatorial philosophy and emerging-artist focus, though at much smaller venue scale.
• St. Ann's Warehouse: St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn presents international theater and live performance with a curatorial emphasis on bold, non-commercial work. It is comparable to Skirball in mission and target audience, though in a different NYC borough.

Broad incumbents

• Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts: Lincoln Center is a broad multi-venue performing arts campus encompassing theater, dance, music, and opera. It is a much larger incumbent in the same space, with overlapping audiences and artist relationships but a wider commercial and institutional remit than Skirball's avant-garde focus.
• 92nd Street Y (92Y): 92Y is a NYC cultural institution presenting dance, theater, music, and spoken-word programming. While broader in scope, it shares Skirball's combination of presenting, educational outreach, and discourse programming, and serves a culturally engaged NYC audience.

Emerging players

• Japan Society: Japan Society presents performing arts from Japan and across Asia at its NYC venue. It is an emerging player in the international performing arts space that competes for similar niche audiences and presents a comparable mix of curated international programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nyuskirball
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/nyuskirball
• Facebookfacebook.com/nyuskirball
• Instagraminstagram.com/nyuskirball
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nyu-skirball-center-for-the-performing-arts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 NYU Skirball