Esther's Follies

Name

Esther's Follies

Legal name

Esther's Follies

Website

https://esthersfollies.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Entertainment

NAICS

Performing Arts Companies (7111), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Circus, Magic & Variety Shows (THAJAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Comedy Shows & Spoken-Word Events (THAJAFAC), Comedy Clubs (Nightlife Venues) (MPAGAIAH), Theater & Performing Arts Ticketing (HSACALAC), Event Operations & Venue Services (Box Office, FOH/BOH, Concessions) (MPAIAFAL)

Keywords

• Live comedy shows
• Variety entertainment
• Magic performances
• Political satire
• Musical comedy

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

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, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from admission tickets. Shows run Thursday, Friday (early and late/After Hours), and Saturday (early and late). All seats are reserved.
2. Full Bar and Concessions: On-site bar serving drinks with no drink minimum. Freshly popped popcorn and candy available. Taqueria Las Chismosas accessible from the courtyard serves tacos, burritos, and quesadillas.
3. Gift Cards: Gift cards available for purchase online, by phone, or in person. Redeemable for tickets through the ticketing page or Box Office.
4. Esther's Follies Foundation Donations: Nonprofit foundation accepting donations to support youth education programs, artist training, mentorship opportunities, and archival projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Esther's Follies operates a live variety show entertainment venue on Sixth Street in Austin, Texas, producing 90-minute performances that blend sketch comedy, political satire, Vegas-style magic illusions, and original musical numbers performed by an 11-person resident cast. The company sells tickets to weekly Thursday, Friday, and Saturday performances, plus a separate adults-only late-night show called Skinny Dip, and offers private event hosting for groups of 60 or more. On-site bar service, concessions, and gift cards provide additional revenue alongside the core ticket-based entertainment experience.

Product overview

Esther's Follies is Austin's longest-running comedy venue offering a unified live entertainment experience combining sketch comedy, Vegas-style magic, political satire, and musical numbers in a single weekly variety show format. The core product is the main stage show performed every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at their Sixth Street theater. Supporting offerings include the adult-oriented Skinny Dip late-night show, gift cards, group event hosting services, and the Esther's Follies Foundation nonprofit focused on arts education and performer development. The company does not operate a software platform or sell technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Skinny Dip: A dirtier, darker late-night variety show featuring stand-up, songs, dance, sketch, burlesque, and parody pieces performed by Esther's cast and guest performers, held at 11 PM on select weekends.
• Esther's Follies Foundation

Products and services

• Live Comedy and Variety Shows Weekly 90-minute live performances featuring political satire, sketch comedy, Vegas-style magic illusions, and original musical numbers performed by a cast of 11 entertainers at the Sixth Street theater in Austin, available Thursday through Saturday across five showtimes.
• Skinny Dip An adults-only, late-night variety show featuring stand-up comedy, songs, dance, sketch, burlesque, and parody pieces too racy for the main show, performed by Esther's cast and guest performers select weekends at 11 PM with free admission for 9pm show ticket holders and a sliding-scale donation for others.
• Group and Private Event Hosting Private event hosting services for groups of 60 or more, including pre-show drinks and entertainment packages tailored for corporate events, birthdays, bachelor/bachelorette parties, and wedding weekends at the Sixth Street venue.
• Esther's Follies Foundation Nonprofit organization supporting comedians, actors, and theater artists through education, training, mentorship, and creative opportunities while preserving the legacy of Esther's Follies. Accepts donations to fund youth creative education programs and archival projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hailed as 'Austin's answer to Saturday Night Live' with over 2,000 5-star reviews
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• The TavernminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocated off 12th and Lamar, The Tavern is Austin's favorite neighborhood pub known for cold beer and famous wings & burgers. Listed as a partner on the Esther's Follies about page with cross-promotional relationship.
• Velveeta RoomminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated at 521 E 6th St, the Velveeta Room has been haunting 6th Street since 1988 as a cornerstone of live comedy in Austin. Committed to smart, fearless stand-up and giving the next generation a place to find their voice.
• Taqueria Las ChismosascoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTaqueria accessible from the courtyard serving tacos, burritos, quesadillas and snacks to patrons during showtime hours. Food can be taken into the theater. Located adjacent to the venue.
• The Driskill HotelminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHistoric hotel at 604 Brazos St featured on the pre-show page as a recommended hotel in the vicinity. Historic Romanesque luxury with supposed hauntings.
• CAMBRIA Hotel DowntownminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorModern hotel at 68 East Ave featured on the pre-show page as a recommended hotel in the vicinity. Rooftop pool and central downtown location.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• The Groundlings: A long-running Los Angeles sketch comedy and improv theater with a famous training program. Comparable to Esther's Follies in sketch-comedy format, brand-driven alumni network, and weekend ticketed shows — though operating in a much larger metro.
• Laugh Factory: A multi-city comedy club chain with resident and touring headliners. Comparable to Esther's Follies as a destination live-comedy venue serving tourists and locals on weekend evenings, though it focuses on stand-up rather than sketch/satire/magic.
• Cirque du Soleil: A global producer of large-scale variety shows combining acrobatics, music, costume, and theatrical illusion. Comparable to Esther's Follies in the variety-show format that fuses multiple live-performance disciplines into a single ticketed experience, though operating at vastly different scale and ticket price points.
• iO Theater: A historic improv and sketch comedy theater with a national training brand and touring shows. Comparable in live-comedy-as-destination positioning and ticketed weekend programming, though it does not blend the magic/musical elements that distinguish Esther's Follies.
• The Second City: A national comedy institution producing sketch comedy and improv shows with resident ensembles and touring companies. It is comparable to Esther's Follies in format (topical sketch + variety) and audience (tourists seeking live comedy), but operates at far greater scale and multiple venues.
• The Comedy Store: A landmark stand-up and variety comedy venue on Sunset Boulevard that, like Esther's Follies, combines multiple comedy formats in a single ticketed evening and serves both locals and tourists. Comparable as a destination comedy brand operating from a single iconic venue.

Regional players

• ZACH Theatre: Austin's largest professional producing theater, staging musicals, plays, and family programming. It competes for Austin performing-arts audiences and shares the same local theater talent pool that supplies Esther's Follies' cast (e.g., Jill Blackwood).

Emerging players

• The Magic Castle: A private Hollywood magic performance venue and clubhouse that — like Esther's Follies — features close-up and stage magic, hosts the Magic Castle Hall of Fame (in which Ray Anderson is inducted), and caters to adults seeking curated magic experiences in an intimate venue setting.

Direct peers

• Cap City Comedy Club: A stand-up and sketch comedy club in Austin that hosts regular ticketed shows with a resident cast plus touring headliners. It is referenced directly by Esther's Follies cast members as a regular performance venue and competes for the same Austin comedy-nightlife consumer wallet.
• The Velveeta Room: A long-running live comedy club located adjacent to Esther's Follies on East 6th Street in Austin. Both are independent comedy venues operating in the same Sixth Street corridor, targeting overlapping tourist and local nightlife audiences with ticketed live shows.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/esthersfollies
• Facebookfacebook.com/EsthersFollies
• Instagraminstagram.com/esthersfollies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Esther's Follies