Vermont Stage

What Vermont Stage does

Vermont Stage is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional theatre company founded in 1994 and based in Burlington, Vermont. It operates as Northern Vermont's only resident professional theatre company, producing four mainstage productions per season plus recurring special events (Winter Tales holiday production and The Bake Off experimental theatre event). The company has produced more than 200 productions since its founding, drawing on a curated mix of contemporary works, world premieres by Vermont playwrights, and provocative classics. Since December 2018, performance operations have been anchored at the Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center (60 Lake Street, Burlington) — an intimate black-box theatre with panoramic Lake Champlain views — while administrative functions operate out of the McClure MultiGenerational Center at 241 N. Winooski Ave.

The company's business model is a hybrid earned-contribution structure typical of mid-sized regional professional theatre. Earned revenue comes from three streams: (1) mainstage ticket sales and season subscriptions, structured around a "Pick Your Price" three-tier subscription model (Applause $129, Bravo $159, Encore $219 for four shows) plus pay-as-you-go single tickets priced $34-$59 with processing fees eliminated; (2) education program fees ranging $1,000-$1,650 per school engagement for Suitcase Stage (K-5 touring productions), Public Square Plays (grades 6-12 civic-themed touring), and Vermont Young Playwrights (classroom residencies culminating in an annual festival); and (3) ancillary adult summer classes in playwriting, acting, and directing. Contribution revenue — foundation grants (Shubert Foundation, NEA, Vermont Arts Council, multiple local foundations), corporate sponsorships (National Life Group, Phoenix Books, JMMCPA, AARP Vermont, PCC, Main Street Landing), and individual donations — covers the substantial gap between ticket revenue and full production costs (estimated at roughly $84 per seat versus Encore subscription per-seat value of ~$54.75). The organization explicitly discloses that ticket sales cover "only a fraction" of production costs and that ticket revenue covers approximately half of education program costs.

Vermont Stage serves a dual audience: 7,000+ adult theatregoers annually in the Burlington/Northern Vermont market, and 2,500+ K-12 students statewide through three touring and residency programs reaching schools across Chittenden, Addison, Franklin, Washington, and Rutland Counties, the Northeast Kingdom, and the Upper Valley. The company engages roughly 10,000 people per year across all programs and has reached nearly 250,000 attendees since founding. Distribution is primarily direct — online via OvationTix, phone (802-862-1497), in-person at the box office, and on-site at schools. The organization carries a stated ~$269,000 annual spillover into the Burlington local economy, with more than 5,000 local artists employed since founding.

Name

Vermont Stage

Legal name

Vermont Stage

Website

https://vermontstage.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vermont Stage is a nonprofit professional theatre company founded in 1994 in Burlington, Vermont, producing four mainstage plays per season plus Winter Tales and The Bake Off. It serves 7,000+ adult theatregoers and 2,500+ K-12 students annually through three statewide education programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Theatre

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM), Children’s & Youth Theatre (MPAGABAE), Touring Theatre Productions (MPAGABAC)

Keywords

• Live theatre production
• Professional performing arts
• Theatre education programs
• School touring performances
• Young playwrights festival

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlington

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from ticket sales for theatrical productions, including main stage performances, Winter Tales holiday show, and The Bake Off experimental theatre event. Ticket sales cover only a fraction of production costs.
2. Season Subscriptions: Season subscriptions offering multiple shows at discounted rates with 'Pick Your Price' flexibility, including Flexipass and Regular Pass options with various pricing tiers.
3. Education Program Fees: Fees from school residencies including Vermont Young Playwrights ($1,100-$1,400), Public Square Plays ($1,250-$1,650), and Suitcase Stage ($1,000-$1,400) programs.
4. Donations and Grants: Charitable contributions and grant funding from foundations and sponsors to support operations and educational programs. Ticket sales cover approximately half of education program costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Vermont Stage is a nonprofit professional theatre company that produces a four-show Mainstage Season each year, plus the annual Winter Tales holiday show and an experimental Bake Off series. It also runs K-12 education programs (Suitcase Stage touring, Public Square Plays, and Vermont Young Playwrights) and adult summer theatre classes, serving both individual ticket-buyers and Vermont schools.

Product overview

Vermont Stage is Northern Vermont's professional theatre company producing bold, thought-provoking mainstage plays. The core offerings include four mainstage productions per season (such as Dakar 2000, Miss Holmes, Furlough's Paradise, and The Da Vinci Code), the annual Winter Tales holiday production, and The Bake Off theatrical experiment. Supporting these are three education programs: Suitcase Stage (elementary K-5 touring productions), Public Square Plays (middle/high school touring theatre with civic themes), and Vermont Young Playwrights (youth playwriting program with annual festival). The organization also offers Summer Theatre Classes for adults in playwriting, acting, and directing. Together, these form a unified theatre company with mainstage productions as the centerpiece and education programs extending outreach to students statewide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vermont Young Playwrights: Education program bringing professional teaching playwrights into middle and high school classrooms to help students write their first plays, culminating in an annual festival.
• Public Square Plays
• Suitcase Stage
• The Bake Off
• Winter Tales

Products and services

• Mainstage Season

Quantifiable outcome

• 200+ productions since 1994, serving nearly 250,000 attendees
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Vermont Arts CouncilflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerSeason sponsor providing funding and recognition. Logo displayed prominently on Vermont Stage website as a key supporter of the arts in Vermont.
• Main Street Landing Performing Arts CenterflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerVermont Stage's permanent home since December 2018. Located at 60 Lake Street on Burlington waterfront. Provides black box theatre space and lobby with panoramic Lake Champlain views.
• The Media FactorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation program partner collaborating with Vermont Stage on Vermont Young Playwrights festival, providing livestreaming services for the annual VYP Festival.
• National Life GroupcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEducation program sponsor supporting arts education initiatives at Vermont Stage.
• Phoenix BooksminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSeason sponsor, local Vermont bookstore.
• AARP VermontminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSeason sponsor offering 10% discount to members on single tickets. Code provided through member account managers.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Barrington Stage Company: Professional regional theatre in Pittsfield, MA producing a mainstage season including musicals and new works. Comparable in scale, mission, and small-city New England positioning with overlapping subscriber and sponsor profiles.
• Northern Stage: Regional professional theatre in White River Junction, VT producing a multi-show mainstage season and educational programming. Directly comparable as a Vermont-based LORT-equivalent regional theatre serving a similar New England audience with similar subscription and education models.
• Weston Theater Company: Vermont-based professional regional theatre producing a summer season and educational programs. Comparable in scale, mission, and rural-Vermont market positioning with overlapping subscriber demographics and sponsor networks.
• Dorset Theatre Festival: Summer professional theatre festival in Dorset, VT producing plays and new works. Comparable as a small Vermont professional theatre producing mainstage productions with education and new-play development components.
• Portland Stage: LORT-D professional regional theatre in Portland, Maine producing a multi-show mainstage season with education programs. Comparable in scale, mission, and small-city New England market dynamics.
• Merrimack Repertory Theatre: Professional regional theatre in Lowell, MA producing a mainstage season and education/youth programs. Comparable as a small-city New England LORT theatre with similar revenue mix (tickets, subscriptions, donations, education fees).

Regional players

• Lost Nation Theater: Montpelier-based professional theatre serving Central Vermont. Comparable as a smaller Vermont regional theatre, though with a more limited mainstage season and a different geographic catchment.
• Burlington Players: Community theatre company in Burlington, VT producing several productions per year. Comparable as a Burlington-based theatre competitor for local audiences and amateur talent, though smaller and not professional.

Broad incumbents

• Flynn Center for the Performing Arts: Burlington's primary performing arts presenting venue and Vermont Stage's former resident host. Overlaps in audience, sponsors, and Burlington patrons, but operates as a presenter rather than a producing theatre company.

Others

• New England Theatre Conference: Regional theatre support organization that awarded Vermont Stage its 2004 outstanding achievement award. Adjacent peer as a network and convening body that connects Vermont Stage to peer theatres across New England.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vermontstage
• Facebookfacebook.com/VermontStage
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vermont-stage-co

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Vermont Stage