ACT Theatre

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.

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

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

• Live theater productions
• Performing arts center
• Theatrical season subscriptions
• Shakespeare theater programming
• Arts education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Individual performance tickets sold directly to theatergoers through box office and online ordering system.
2. Season Subscriptions: Recurring subscription revenue from season ticket packages offering access to multiple productions at discounted rates.
3. Donations and Fundraising: Charitable contributions through donor circles, legacy society, institutional partnerships, and fundraising events. Organization is a 501c3 nonprofit.
4. Group Sales: Bulk ticket purchases for groups with potential for volume discounts.
5. Venue Rentals: Performance space rentals for external events and productions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core 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.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Restaurant PartnersminorOthersLocal 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/ACTtheatre
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@unionartscentersea
• Facebookfacebook.com/unionartscenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/act-theatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/unionartscentersea

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 ACT Theatre