ACT Theatre
ACT Theatre is a Seattle-based 501c3 nonprofit performing arts organization founded in 1965 that merged with Seattle Shakespeare Company in 2025 to form Union Arts Center, serving Seattle-area theatergoers, students, and community members through seasonal productions, educational programs, and donor-supported operations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1965
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What ACT Theatre does
ACT Theatre is a Seattle-based 501c3 nonprofit performing arts organization founded in 1965, operating from a single venue at 700 Union Street. In 2025, ACT Theatre merged with Seattle Shakespeare Company to form Union Arts Center, a combined entity that produces both contemporary work and classical Shakespeare. The organization runs seasonal mainstage programming (including the 2025/26 season featuring Frida…A Self-Portrait and the 2026/27 season featuring Hamlet, Table 17, Meteor Shower, Much Ado About Nothing, and The River Bride), a Wooden O outdoor Shakespeare series, and an education department offering residencies, Shakespeare school tours, student matinees, observerships, a youth company, and educator resources.
The company generates revenue through five streams: one-time individual ticket sales via an owned online box office and physical box office; recurring annual season subscriptions; donations and fundraising through donor circles, institutional partnerships, a legacy society, and fundraising events; group sales with volume discounts; and venue rentals for external events. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and varies by production, seat location, and customer category. Distribution is direct-to-consumer with no third-party ticketing intermediation. Customer segments include individual theatergoers, K-12 and higher education students and educators, and Seattle-area community members.
The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer and event-driven, supported by email marketing, organic social media across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and TikTok, press/media relations, and on-site content marketing. As a 501c3 nonprofit (Tax ID #91-0787792), the organization has no parent company, no disclosed funding rounds, and no technology product surface beyond its ticketing website. Strategic priorities evidenced in the data center on merger integration, programming diversification, educational outreach, and donor development within the Seattle regional market.
ACT Theatre firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ACT Theatre
- Legal name
- Union Arts Center
- Website
- https://acttheatre.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1965
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- ACT Theatre is a Seattle-based 501c3 nonprofit performing arts organization founded in 1965 that merged with Seattle Shakespeare Company in 2025 to form Union Arts Center, serving Seattle-area theatergoers, students, and community members through seasonal productions, educational programs, and donor-supported operations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ACT Theatre industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Live Performing Arts Theater
- NAICS
- Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Performing Arts Companies (7111)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH), Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM), Theatre Education, Training & Conservatories (MPAGABAN)
Keywords
Where ACT Theatre is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
ACT Theatre business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Individual performance tickets sold directly to theatergoers through box office and online ordering system.
- Season Subscriptions: Recurring subscription revenue from season ticket packages offering access to multiple productions at discounted rates.
- Donations and Fundraising: Charitable contributions through donor circles, legacy society, institutional partnerships, and fundraising events. Organization is a 501c3 nonprofit.
- Group Sales: Bulk ticket purchases for groups with potential for volume discounts.
- Venue Rentals: Performance space rentals for external events and productions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual performance tickets with standard pricing |
| Subscription | Annual | Season subscription packages |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Group sales for organizations and parties |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Gift certificates available |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
ACT Theatre product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ACT Theatre produces and presents live theatrical performances, primarily contemporary works with promising playwrights and local performing artists, alongside a season subscription series and educational programming such as residencies, school tours, student matinees, observerships, and a youth company. Following the 2025 merger with Seattle Shakespeare Company under the Union Arts Center umbrella, the organization also presents Shakespearean productions and rents its performance venues to external clients.
Product overview
Union Arts Center operates as a performing arts theater offering a unified portfolio of theatrical productions and educational services. The core product consists of season programming featuring multiple theatrical productions across the 2025/26 and 2026/27 seasons, including Shakespeare plays and contemporary works. Supporting services include educational programs (residencies, school tours, student matinees, youth company, observerships), community engagement events, and venue/facility rentals. The organization functions as a 501c3 nonprofit presenting theater rather than a technology product company.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- 2026/27 Season Productions Subscription-access season lineup of five theatrical productions presented at Union Arts Center, available to individual ticket buyers and season subscribers.
- 2025/26 Season Productions Season lineup of theatrical productions for 2025/26, headlined by the production Frida…A Self-Portrait, presented at Union Arts Center.
- Wooden O – Macbeth An outdoor Shakespeare production of Macbeth presented as part of the Wooden O series at Union Arts Center.
- Season Subscription Packages Recurring annual subscription providing access to multiple theatrical productions across a season at a discounted subscriber rate.
- Residencies Educational residency programs providing immersive theater-learning experiences to schools and educators through the education department.
- Shakespeare Educational Tours Touring Shakespeare productions delivered to schools to support classroom-based arts and literature education.
- Student Matinees and School Events Matinee performances and school event programming designed for K-12 and higher education student audiences.
- Observerships Observership programs allowing students and educators to gain behind-the-scenes exposure to professional theater productions.
- Youth Company Youth theater company program providing performance and training opportunities for young performers.
- Educator Resources Curriculum-supporting resources and materials provided to teachers integrating theater into classroom instruction.
- Community Events Public community-focused events and engagement programming intended to broaden access to the arts.
- Venue Rentals Rental of Union Arts Center's performance spaces for external events, productions, and private functions.
- Gift Certificates Gift certificates redeemable toward live theater tickets and subscriptions.
Companies that use ACT Theatre
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
ACT Theatre technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
ACT Theatre partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Restaurant PartnersminorLocal restaurant partnerships providing dining options for theatergoers attending performances. Restaurant partners page listed under Visit section.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
ACT Theatre competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.): San Francisco-based nonprofit regional repertory theater and conservatory producing a season of plays alongside actor training. Comparable in mission, scale, and educational programming to ACT Theatre.
- Seattle Repertory Theatre: Seattle-based nonprofit regional theater producing classic and contemporary plays on its own stages. Closest geographic and business-model peer to ACT/Union Arts Center.
- Portland Center Stage: Pacific Northwest regional theater producing a season of plays and education programs from a mainstage venue. Direct functional peer in category, geography, and operating model.
- Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Ashland, OR-based nonprofit producing a season built around Shakespeare alongside other works. Highly comparable to the Seattle Shakespeare Company half of Union Arts Center.
- Taproot Theatre Company: Shoreline/Seattle-area nonprofit producing a season of plays alongside touring educational and family productions. Operates a comparable producing theater model with education and outreach programs.
- Book-It Repertory Theatre: Seattle nonprofit theater company producing literary adaptations as staged productions. Overlaps with ACT's contemporary and classical programming mission in the same metro area.
- Intiman Theatre: Seattle-based nonprofit theater company producing a season of plays and community programs. Competes directly for the same Seattle theater audience and donor base.
Broad incumbents
- Guthrie Theater: Large nonprofit regional repertory theater in Minneapolis with three stages, a broad production slate, and significant education programs. Similar business model at a larger scale.
- Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Chicago-based nonprofit regional theater producing contemporary plays, with a strong ensemble and national profile. Similar in mission and operating structure but at a larger scale.
Regional players
- Seattle Children's Theatre: Seattle-based nonprofit producing theater specifically for young audiences, with strong school-partnership and matinee programming. Compares on the education/outreach and group-sales segments.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ACT Theatre social profiles
Digital presenceACT Theatre financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ACT Theatre leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
ACT Theatre funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ACT Theatre 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 ACT Theatre
What does ACT Theatre do?
ACT Theatre produces and presents live theatrical performances, primarily contemporary works with promising playwrights and local performing artists, alongside a season subscription series and educational programming such as residencies, school tours, student matinees, observerships, and a youth company. Following the 2025 merger with Seattle Shakespeare Company under the Union Arts Center umbrella, the organization also presents Shakespearean productions and rents its performance venues to external clients.
Is ACT Theatre a public or private company?
ACT Theatre is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was ACT Theatre founded?
ACT Theatre was founded in 1965. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is ACT Theatre based?
ACT Theatre is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does ACT Theatre make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are season Subscriptions, donations and Fundraising, group Sales and venue Rentals.
Who are ACT Theatre's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.), Seattle Repertory Theatre, Portland Center Stage, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Taproot Theatre Company, Book-It Repertory Theatre and Intiman Theatre. Broad incumbents are Guthrie Theater and Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Seattle Children's Theatre is listed as a regional player.
Does ACT Theatre have an API?
No public API is recorded for ACT Theatre.
What industry is ACT Theatre in?
ACT Theatre's product category is Live Performing Arts Theater. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGABAB, Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies, with a secondary code of MPAGABAH, Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama). Its NAICS code is 711110 and its SIC code is 7900.