Ripple Effect Artists

What Ripple Effect Artists does

Ripple Effect Artists, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) Actor's Equity nonprofit theatre company founded in 2009 and headquartered in New York City. The organization produces socially-themed theatrical productions spanning stage, screen, and radio formats, with each production paired to a thematic human-rights beneficiary organization and accompanied by post-show talk-back discussions. Beyond core stage productions, the company operates a portfolio of adjacent services including corporate training programs (Building the Wall, Guarding the Bridge, Fruit Trilogy, Gidion's Knot) targeted at enterprise DEI and team-building use cases, an Educational Outreach workshop practice at colleges, universities, and community organizations, the Ripple Writers Program for new dramatic material, Film & Radio productions in partnership with WPKN, recurring Non-Violent Communication Sessions, and a Student Ticket Program offering complimentary access. The catalogue includes 20+ original and adapted productions such as AI Vs. Humanity: The Experience (May 2025), Radiant Vermin (2024), Cougar The Musical, 2071, She Has a Name, The Adding Machine, Twelfth Night, and Waiting For Lefty, addressing topics including AI's labor impact, sexual-assault awareness, child mental health, housing, climate change, human trafficking, worker rights, and civil rights.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit funding stack with no equity investment. Revenue is generated from five streams: box office ticket sales (with a portion of proceeds directed to partner human-rights organizations), individual donations processed through Givebutter, corporate sponsorships (with brand exposure, announcements, and VIP event access offered to sponsors), corporate training and touring fees (custom-priced, multi-year contracts, booking via direct contact), and grants (including theatre-development grants secured by the Board President for NYC theatre groups). There is no publicly disclosed pricing for corporate engagements, and student tickets are offered free of charge to ensure financial-access parity. Distribution is multi-channel: Theatre Row and other NYC venues for core productions, university/college and town-hall tours domestically, corporate training engagements, international workshops (historically in Lima, Peru, with broader global performances referenced), and radio via WPKN.

The organization is led by Founding Executive Director Jessie Fahay (MBA, MFA from Bristol Old Vic, TEDx speaker) and Founding Board President Jessica Jennings (Princess Grace Nominee, multiple Jean Dalrymple Awards recipient), supported by an Associate Board and Senior Advisors. It claims 150,000+ audience members reached, 20 productions, 20+ advocacy partners, and 40+ outreach engagements cumulatively. Marketing is primarily organic and earned: Facebook, X, YouTube, LinkedIn, an RSS blog (Ripple Talk), a Mailchimp newsletter, and coverage in theatre publications including Broadway World, Drama Queens, Outerstages, and Arts Independent.

Name

Ripple Effect Artists

Legal name

Ripple Effect Artists, Inc.

Website

https://rippleeffectartists.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ripple Effect Artists is a New York-based 501(c)(3) Actor's Equity nonprofit theatre company that produces socially-themed stage, screen, and radio productions paired with human-rights advocacy partners, serving general audiences, students, universities, and corporate clients through performances, workshops, and training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts and Social Impact Theatre

NAICS

Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (71151), Other Performing Arts Companies (71119)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Cause/Sustainability & Purpose-Driven Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Music & Performance Branded Content (Sessions, Artist/Brand Collabs) (MPADAEAH), Content & Creative Studio for Creators (Concepting/Production) (MPAAAHAD)

Keywords

• Live theatre productions
• Nonprofit theatre company
• Corporate training programs
• Educational outreach workshops
• Community theatre services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Box Office Revenue: Revenue generated from ticket sales to theatre productions and performances. The company also dedicates a portion of box office proceeds to support human rights organizations.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Non-profit organization that accepts donations through givebutter.com platform and has board members actively involved in fundraising efforts.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: The company actively seeks corporate sponsors with special opportunities including brand exposure, announcements, access to VIP events and more. Multiple corporate sponsors are listed on their website.
4. Corporate Training Fees: Revenue from providing corporate training programs and select shows that can be produced at corporate settings. Fees and booking information available upon contact.
5. Grants: The organization has received grants for theatre development, including grants won for three theatre groups in NYC by their Board President Jessica Jennings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Ripple Effect Artists is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Actor's Equity theatre company that produces socially-conscious plays and multimedia content addressing social justice and human rights issues. Each production is paired with post-show talk-back discussions and partnerships with advocacy organizations, with a portion of box office proceeds supporting related human rights causes. The company also offers corporate training programs, educational outreach workshops, a writers development program, and film and radio productions.

Product overview

Ripple Effect Artists is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theatre company that produces socially-conscious plays and performances addressing social justice and human rights issues. The organization operates as a single unified offering (theatre productions) with multiple related services including Corporate Training & Tours, Educational Outreach Workshops, the Ripple Writers Program, Film & Radio Productions, Talk-Back Presentations, and Non-Violent Communication Sessions. The core productions include major plays such as AI Vs. Humanity: Immersive Devised Theatre, Radiant Vermin, Cougar The Musical, 2071, Here Comes Frieda, She Has a Name, The Adding Machine, Deathbed, Twelfth Night, Waiting For Lefty, Tea and Sympathy, and Taming of the Shrew. The company also offers corporate training versions of productions like Building the Wall (addressing immigration rhetoric), Guarding the Bridge (addressing systemic racism), Fruit Trilogy (addressing female autonomy), and Gidion's Knot (addressing child mental health). Each production partners with advocacy organizations and typically donates a portion of box office proceeds to related human rights causes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AI Vs. Humanity: The Experience An electrifying immersive dance experience where technology and humanity take center stage, exploring themes of AI replacing jobs, information overload, and the battle between human intuition and artificial intelligence. Performed for live audiences.
• Radiant Vermin A provocative satire by Philip Ridley about the housing market, following a young couple offered an ideal house by a mysterious stranger with a hidden cost. A portion of proceeds supports The Bowery Mission.
• Gidion's Knot A play about a grieving mother and overwhelmed teacher having a fraught conversation about the tragic suicide of the mother's son, addressing child mental health. Corporate training version available.
• Corporate Training & Tours Select REA productions tailored for and delivered at corporate settings, universities, private institutions, and town halls, covering diversity, inclusion, immigration, systemic racism, female autonomy, and child mental health themes.
• Ripple Writers Program A program for seasoned and up-and-coming writers to workshop their material and engage in a showcase at the end of the year.
• Educational Outreach Workshops Theatre productions and educational workshops conducted at colleges, universities, and community organizations, featuring experts in Psychology and Social-Reform. Includes international drama-education workshops covering writing, improvisation, character crafting, and movement work.
• Film & Radio Productions Film and radio content including The War of the Worlds Podcast, Johnny Got His Gun, Dawn Speaks, and Rose Colored Glass, produced in partnership with WPKN Community Radio.
• Talk-Back Presentations Post-show discussions with partnering organizations, educators, and community leaders to deepen conversations sparked by plays, developed by Board President Jessica Jennings.
• Non-Violent Communication Sessions Regular Non-Violent Communication Sessions on topics aligned with the season's theme, such as immigration.

Quantifiable outcome

• 150,000+ audience members reached
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• All Stars Project Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe company hosts annual workshops at All Stars Project Inc., a national nonprofit that uses a performance-based approach to help tens of thousands of inner-city youth and their families. REA works with teens in theatre on the 'Awakening the Actor's Instrument' program.
• RAPP Program (NYC Department of Education)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Relationship Abuse Prevention Program is a school-based domestic violence prevention program. REA visited local high schools to host workshops focused on improvisation, text interpretation, partner-work, and intellectual development.
• Gilda's Club NYCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA complement to medical care providing networking, support groups, workshops, lectures and social activities for those afflicted with Cancer. REA hosted workshops including Body Work, Meditation, Relaxation, and Alexander Technique.
• Academy for Young WritersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner65 seventh grade students attended The Adding Machine show, benefitting Safe Horizon. The show and outing focused on worker rights and human connection.
• Immigrant Defense ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnering organization for productions addressing immigration issues. REA also provides Non-Violent Communication Sessions on the topic of immigration.
• For HumanityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeneficiary from AI Vs. Humanity production. Over 10 audience members requested to volunteer with For Humanity after attending the production.
• The Bowery MissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeneficiary from Radiant Vermin production. Several audience members signed up to volunteer at The Bowery Mission and asked how they can take care of their homeless neighbors.
• Abortion Conversations ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeneficiary from Radiant Vermin and Cougar The Musical productions.
• 350.orgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeneficiary from 2071: The World We'll Leave Our Grandchildren production addressing climate change. Audiences asked about how to write to political leaders about climate change policies.
• GEMS (Girls Educational and Mentoring Services)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeneficiary from She Has a Name production addressing human trafficking. Audiences requested information about GEMS.
• Safe HorizoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNation's leading victim assistance organization. Beneficiary from The Adding Machine production. This production paid nine actors salaries, beginning REA's Actors Equity Productions.
• Freedom to MarryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeneficiary from Twelfth Night production.
• League of Women VotersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeneficiary from Waiting For Lefty production.
• The Trevor ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeneficiary from Tea and Sympathy production. Audience directly asked about making a large contribution to the Trevor Project.
• Paradigm Shift NYCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeneficiary from Taming of the Shrew production. Audience members asked pertinent questions about feminism during talk-back.
• Drawing and TalkingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeneficiary from Cougar The Musical and Gidion's Knot productions. An audience member brought the Drawing and Talking Program to their school after attending.
• WPKN Community RadiominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership for radio productions including The War of the Worlds Podcast, Johnny Got His Gun, Dawn Speaks, and Rose Colored Glass Act One.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Civilians: NYC-based non-profit theatre company that creates investigative theatre exploring social, political, and religious issues. Closest direct peer because of overlapping mission of using theatrical production to interrogate contemporary social issues and engage audiences in dialogue.
• The New Group: NYC-based non-profit theatre company producing new plays and musicals with an emphasis on socially engaged storytelling. Comparable scale and operating model to REA as a producing non-profit with corporate-training-adjacent programming.
• New Georges: NYC non-profit theatre company supporting women and non-binary theatre makers, producing new work with a social-justice orientation. Comparable in size, producing mission, and commitment to thematic work tied to equity and human rights.
• Rattlestick Playwrights Theater: Small NYC non-profit theatre dedicated to developing and producing new work by playwrights, with a focus on intimate, issue-driven productions. Comparable in scale, production count, and emphasis on writer-driven socially conscious content.
• Ma-Yi Theater Company: NYC non-profit theatre company producing original work by Asian-American playwrights, with strong education and community outreach programming. Comparable in scale, mission-driven producing model, and workshop-driven outreach to underserved communities.
• WP Theater: NYC's longest-running non-profit theatre company dedicated to developing and producing work by women+ theatre makers, with associated literary and education programs. Similar in producing scale and mission-driven focus on representation and social issues.
• Theatre of the Oppressed NYC: Non-profit theatre company in NYC applying Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed methodology to social justice, community organizing, and dialogue. Highly comparable in mission alignment, audience activation model, and workshop-driven community programming.

Broad incumbents

• Atlantic Theater Company: Off-Broadway NYC non-profit theatre company producing new plays with a distinctive aesthetic. Larger and more established than REA but operates a similar producing model with educational outreach programming.
• New York Theatre Workshop: Established NYC off-Broadway non-profit theatre known for developing new works with social and political resonance (e.g., Rent, Hadestown). Larger and more institutionally established than REA, but operates in the same producing-and-presenting mission-driven theatre space.

Others

• Theatre Communications Group: National non-profit service organization for the American theatre field, providing grantmaking, research, and career programs. Not a producing peer, but a key ecosystem partner for non-profit theatres like REA and a relevant counterpart for understanding the broader funding environment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/reartists
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC74-EhyMZgSKuS_yz8B73Sw
• Facebookfacebook.com/RippleEffectArtists
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ripple-effect-artists-inc-

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Ripple Effect Artists