6th Street Playhouse

What 6th Street Playhouse does

6th Street Playhouse is a nonprofit performing arts organization headquartered in Santa Rosa, California, operating as the primary professional theater company serving Sonoma County and the broader North Bay Area. The company was founded in 2006 (evolving from the earlier Santa Rosa Players community theater, which traces roots to 1971) and is structured as Santa Rosa Players, DBA 6th Street Playhouse, with EIN 94-1748527. It operates two physical venues: the 184-seat proscenium GK Hardt Theater and the 99-seat intimate Monroe Stage, with a combined 283-seat capacity, co-located with the 6th Street Studio education facility at 52 W 6th Street in the Railroad Square district.

The organization produces 10-16 fully staged productions annually, plus 3 semi-staged concerts and 3 special fundraising events, drawing on a repertoire spanning classics (Rodgers & Hammerstein, Shakespeare) to contemporary works and youth-oriented productions (Willy Wonka KIDS, Disney's Frozen KIDS, The Music Man KIDS). Technology is traditional theatrical staging, lighting, sound, and set design; the company has no proprietary technology, AI, or digital product surface beyond a custom vbotickets.com ticketing platform, Constant Contact email, Eventbrite for special events, and a website receiving 220,000+ annual visits.

Revenue is generated through six streams: individual ticket sales (transaction-based, tiered pricing), season subscriptions (recurring discounted multi-show packages), corporate sponsorships at five tiers from $250 to $50,000, education program fees for the 6th Street Studio serving 800+ youth ages 3-18, tax-deductible donations plus an annual June fundraiser, and gift certificate/merchandise sales. In 2023-24 the organization sold approximately 25,000 tickets. Customers are segmented into three primary groups: theater enthusiasts (professionals 35+), families with children participating in youth education, and corporate sponsors seeking visibility to the 27,000+ annual audience across Sonoma, Lake, Marin, Solano, and San Francisco counties. Leadership is provided by Executive Artistic Director Emily Lynn Cornelius (appointed August 2023) and a volunteer board of directors.

Name

6th Street Playhouse

Legal name

Santa Rosa Players, DBA 6th Street Playhouse

Website

https://6thstreetplayhouse.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

6th Street Playhouse is a Santa Rosa, California nonprofit performing arts organization operating two venues (184-seat GK Hardt Theater and 99-seat Monroe Stage) to produce professional live theater and youth education programs serving 25,000 patrons and 800+ students annually across the North Bay.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theatre Education, Training & Conservatories (MPAGABAN), Broadway & Commercial Theatre Productions (MPAGABAA), Performing Arts Programs (Band, Choir, Orchestra, Theater) (EDAJAJAE)

Keywords

• Live theater productions
• Performing arts education
• Theater season subscriptions
• Corporate sponsorship programs
• Youth drama classes

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Rosa

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Direct ticket sales for individual performances through their box office system (vbotickets.com), with tiered pricing based on production and seat location.
2. Season Subscriptions: Multi-show subscription packages offering discounted access to the full season lineup, including the 2026-27 season with productions like Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific, Misalliance, Meet Me in St. Louis, and others.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Various sponsorship tiers including Season Sponsors ($25,000-$50,000), Production Partners ($5,000-$7,500), Event Partners ($1,000+), Preview Partners, and Playbill Advertising (starting at $250).
4. Education Programs: Revenue from 6th Street Studio educational programming including youth productions, studio classes, and workshops for youth players aged 3-18.
5. Donations and Fundraising: Tax-deductible donations accepted, with annual fundraising events such as the June 28 annual fundraiser featuring live entertainment, auctions, and hors d'oeuvres. Tax ID: 94-1748527.
6. Gift Certificates and Merchandise: Sale of gift certificates (usable for tickets or classes) and merchandise through their box office services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

6th Street Playhouse is a nonprofit performing arts organization that produces and presents professional-quality live theatrical productions on two stages—the 184-seat GK Hardt Theater and the 99-seat Monroe Stage—at its Santa Rosa, California venue. It produces 10-16 fully staged plays and musicals per season, supplemented by semi-staged concerts and fundraising events. The organization also operates 6th Street Studio, a youth performing arts education program serving more than 800 children ages 3-18 through classes and youth productions, and sells season subscriptions, corporate sponsorships, and box office gift certificates/merchandise.

Product overview

6th Street Playhouse is a nonprofit performing arts organization operating as a single unified theater company with two distinct venue products (GK Hardt Theater and Monroe Stage) and an education program (6th Street Studio). The GK Hardt Theater (184-seat proscenium) serves as the main stage for major productions, while the Monroe Stage (99-seat intimate venue) hosts smaller-scale and experimental works. The 6th Street Studio provides educational programming for youth. The company produces 10-16 fully staged theatrical productions annually, including plays and musicals, along with 3 semi-staged concerts and 3 special fundraising events. Box office services support patron ticket purchasing and account management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Main Stage Theatrical Productions Fully staged professional-quality plays and musicals presented each season on the GK Hardt Theater and Monroe Stage for ticketed audiences. The company produces 10-16 fully staged productions annually plus 3 semi-staged concerts and 3 special fundraising events. Recent productions include Sister Act, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific, A Christmas Story: The Musical, Mary Poppins, The Lifespan of a Fact, Head Over Heels, and Marjorie Prime.
• Season Subscriptions Multi-show subscription packages providing discounted access to the full season lineup, sold directly through the box office. Subscribers receive savings compared to individual ticket pricing and priority access to productions throughout the season.
• 6th Street Studio Youth Education Programs Performing arts education program offering theater arts instruction for youth ages 3-18, including Preschool Players (ages 3-5, weekend matinee showcases), Tiny Players (ages 5-7, musical ensemble), Youth Players (ages 7-12, full youth productions), Teen Players, and Studio Classes. The program serves 800+ youth annually through in-house programming and community partnerships with Chops Teen Club and Rincon Valley Education Fund.
• Corporate Sponsorship Programs Tiered B2B sponsorship packages offering local and regional businesses brand visibility, logo placement, season tickets, cast/director meet opportunities, lobby tabling, lobby signage, and Playbill advertising in front of 27,000+ annual ticket buyers.
• Gift Certificates & Merchandise Gift certificates (redeemable for tickets or studio classes) and theater-branded merchandise sold through the box office services channel.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25,000 tickets sold in 2023-2024 season
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Children's Museum of Sonoma County (CMoSC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 July 2023Partnership for pre-show activities based on Mo Willems' books for Elephant & Piggie productions. CMoSC provides interactive storytime events featuring costumed actors reading from show-related books, engaging children in theater magic before performances.
• Charles M. Schulz MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 July 2023Co-hosting performances of Elephant & Piggie at the museum's theater, with tickets including same-day museum admission. Strategic partnership combining theater and cultural education.
• Korbel California ChampagneminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal beverage partner providing in-kind support for events and donor recognition. Visible as sponsor in footer of website.
• Sutter HealthminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHealthcare provider as corporate sponsor visible in website footer, demonstrating community health-sector partnerships.
• The Press DemocratminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPrimary regional newspaper as media sponsor, frequently covering 6th Street Playhouse productions and awards.
• Chops Teen ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth programming partner collaborating with 6th Street Studio to serve teenage participants through educational outreach.
• Rincon Valley Education FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation-focused nonprofit partner supporting 6th Street Studio's youth programming through funding partnerships.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cinnabar Theater: Nonprofit regional theater in Petaluma, Sonoma County operating a comparable small-venue model (a mainstage and an intimate cabaret space) with a parallel youth education program. Directly comparable as a same-county peer facing identical audience and sponsorship dynamics.
• Marin Theatre Company: Nonprofit regional theater in Mill Valley (Marin County) producing a season of plays and musicals for North Bay audiences. Closely comparable Bay Area regional theater with subscription-based ticketing and corporate sponsorship model.
• San Francisco Playhouse: Bay Area nonprofit regional theater producing a season of plays and musicals in San Francisco. Comparable mid-sized regional theater model with subscription packages and corporate sponsorship tiers.
• Aurora Theatre Company: Berkeley-based nonprofit regional theater producing a season of plays and musicals at the Aurora Theatre. Directly comparable as a similar-sized Bay Area regional theater with subscription ticketing and donor-funded operating model.
• Hillbarn Theatre: Nonprofit community theater in Foster City producing a season of plays and musicals in a similar small-venue footprint. Comparable Bay Area regional theater operating at a similar scale with a parallel subscription/sponsorship model.
• Broadway By the Bay: San Mateo-based nonprofit regional theater producing Broadway musicals with a season subscription model and corporate sponsorship tiers. Directly comparable as a similar-sized Bay Area musical theater company.

Broad incumbents

• Berkeley Repertory Theatre: Larger, well-established Bay Area regional theater with multiple venues, a Tony-winning reputation, and significantly greater annual budgets and audiences. Overlaps with 6th Street Playhouse's programming categories and competes for the same North Bay discretionary entertainment spend.
• TheatreWorks Silicon Valley: Larger Bay Area regional theater producing new works and musicals at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. Comparable season-subscription, corporate-sponsorship, and education-program model but at materially larger scale.

Regional players

• Spreckels Performing Arts Center: Rohnert Park (Sonoma County) performing arts venue presenting live entertainment including concerts and theatrical events. Regional peer operating in the same North Bay market though primarily as a presenter rather than a producing theater.

Others

• PCPA (Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts): Santa Maria-based nonprofit producing theater company paired with a conservatory training program. Comparable as a combining producing theater and theater-education program under one nonprofit, though in a different California region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/6thStreetPlayhouse
• Instagraminstagram.com/6thstplayhouse
• Xx.com/6thStPlayhouse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/6th-street-playhouse

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 6th Street Playhouse