What Marriott Theatre does

Marriott Theatre is a regional musical theatre venue operating in Lincolnshire, Illinois, founded in 1975 and currently celebrating its 50th anniversary season. Owned by The Bricton Group, with Edward Doherty as President and Michael Yaneck as COO, the theatre runs a traditional three-line programming model: an 800-seat mainstage for adult musical productions (including Broadway titles such as Disney's Frozen and Come From Away), an intimate Children's Theatre line for youth and family audiences, and a Special Events series that includes the StagePass concert subscription with tributes and holiday specials. Across 50 years the venue has staged more than 250 productions for an estimated 12 million audience members, employed over 6,000 artists, and earned a record 350 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations, positioning it as Chicagoland's longest-running musical theatre.

The business model is a hybrid of ticket-driven revenue and ancillary services. Core revenue derives from one-time ticket purchases, season subscriptions with priority seating, group sales for parties of ten or more, and concert subscriptions. Supplementary streams include theatre rental for external productions and events, costume and prop rental, merchandise sales through a Threadless storefront, and a ticket donation program serving qualifying nonprofits. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through the owned box office and an AudienceView-based online ticketing platform, supplemented by authorized resellers (Hot Tix, Goldstar, TodayTix). Pricing is not publicly disclosed; the company explicitly guarantees ticket authenticity only when purchased through these authorized channels.

The theatre is led since 2022 by Artistic Director Peter Marston Sullivan and Executive Producer Peter Blair, both long-time internal appointees succeeding Aaron Thielen (27 years) and Terry James (40 years). The venue is co-located with the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort, providing adjacent lodging for patrons, and runs musical theatre training classes for grades 1–8 in partnership with Stomp and Shout Chicago. Accessibility features include a Hearing Loop System and Marriott Auracast audio broadcasting technology. Headcount is in the 11–50 range, consistent with a core staff backed by contracted artists per production.

Name

Marriott Theatre

Legal name

Marriott Theatre

Website

https://marriotttheatre.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Marriott Theatre is a 50-year-old regional musical theatre in Lincolnshire, Illinois, owned by The Bricton Group, presenting mainstage musicals, children's productions, and concert events to Chicago-area audiences through direct ticketing, subscriptions, and group sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Musical Theatre

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Touring Theatre Productions (MPAGABAC)

Keywords

• Live musical theatre
• Mainstage productions
• Children's theatre
• Theatre venue rental
• Concert events

Headquarters

HQ city

Lincolnshire

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: One-time ticket purchases for individual show performances through box office and online platforms
2. Subscriptions: Season subscription packages offering multiple shows at discounted rates
3. Group Sales: Bulk ticket sales for organizations, companies, and groups attending performances together
4. Theatre Rental: Rental of theatre space for external productions, events, and rehearsals with rates varying based on technical requirements and duration
5. Donation Requests: Ticket certificate donations to qualifying organizations (requests must be on letterhead and received at least 6 weeks prior to events)
6. Merchandise and Apparel: Sale of theatre merchandise, apparel, and memorabilia through online storefront

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Marriott Theatre is a single-venue live musical theatre in Lincolnshire, Illinois that produces and presents professional Mainstage musical productions in an 800-seat theatre, family-oriented Children's Theatre productions, and Special Events/StagePass concert series. It also rents its venue and costumes/props to external productions and offers musical theatre classes for children in partnership with Stomp and Shout Chicago. Tickets are sold through its own box office, online ticketing platform, season subscriptions, group sales, and authorized third-party resellers.

Product overview

Marriott Theatre is a regional musical theatre venue in Lincolnshire, IL, operating as a single-intent venue rather than a platform. The core offering consists of Mainstage Productions (traditional 800-seat musical theatre presenting classic and contemporary works), Children's Theatre (family-friendly productions for young audiences), and Special Events (concert performances including the StagePass series). Supporting services include Theatre Rental (venue space for external productions), Costume and Prop Rental (equipment lending program), Classes and Training (musical theatre education for children), Ticket Donations (nonprofit support program), Subscriptions (season ticket packages), Group Sales (bulk ticket packages), and the StagePass concert subscription. The theatre is part of The Bricton Group ownership and has staged more than 250 productions since 1975.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mainstage Productions Professional-cast mainstage musical theatre productions featuring both classic and contemporary musicals in the theatre's 800-seat venue, presented as seasonal runs with multiple performance dates.
• Children's Theatre Family-friendly musical productions designed for children and young audiences, performed in an intimate setting as part of the seasonal schedule.
• Special Events and StagePass Concert Series Concert performances including tribute shows, artist spotlights, holiday specials, and the StagePass concert series subscription featuring artists such as Chester Gregory, Michelle Lauto, and Brandon Bennett, produced with Artists Lounge Live.
• Theatre Rental Rental of the theatre venue space to external organizations for productions, events, and rehearsals; rates vary based on technical requirements and rental duration.
• Costume and Prop Rental Rental program for theatrical costumes and props available to external productions and organizations.
• Classes and Training Musical theatre training classes for children in grades 1 through 8, hosted in partnership with Stomp and Shout Chicago.
• Season Subscriptions Multi-show season subscription packages providing patrons with discounted tickets and priority seating across the year's productions.
• Group Sales Bulk ticket packages with special pricing for organizations, schools, and parties of 10 or more attending performances together.
• StagePass Concert Series Subscription Subscription offering exclusive access to special concert event performances and artist showcases as part of the StagePass series.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Lincolnshire Marriott ResortminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdjacent hotel property providing lodging accommodations for theatre patrons. The Marriott Theatre location includes direct access to hotel lodging services for visitors traveling from outside the area.
• Artists Lounge LivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConcert production partnership hosting special concert events and series at Marriott Theatre. Artists Lounge Live produces concert events including performances by Chester Gregory, Michelle Lauto, and Brandon Bennett.
• Broadway Across BordersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit arts education organization co-founded by former Artistic Director Aaron Thielen and Ryan Nelson, focused on international arts educational programs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, Germany, and Serbia.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Goodman Theatre: Chicago's oldest and largest not-for-profit resident theatre, producing plays, musicals, and new works across two stages. Comparable as a Chicago-land not-for-profit producing theatre competing for subscribers, donors, and audience share.
• Chicago Shakespeare Theater: A major Chicago lakefront not-for-profit producing Shakespeare, musicals, and family programming on multiple stages. Comparable as a Chicago regional producing theatre with education/family programming, subscription model, and group-sales focus.
• Paramount Theatre (Aurora): A 1,800-seat historic regional theatre in Aurora, IL producing large-scale Broadway musicals, concerts, and comedy. Directly comparable as a Chicago-area resident musical theatre competing for the same regional subscriber base and presenting similar Broadway-licensed titles.
• Music Theater Works (formerly Light Opera Works): An Evanston, IL-based not-for-profit producing musical theatre, operetta, and family productions. Comparable as a Chicago-north-suburban resident musical theatre targeting similar family and adult subscriber demographics.
• Drury Lane Theatre: A long-running suburban Chicago dinner/musical theatre in Oakbrook Terrace producing resident Broadway-style musicals, comedies, and children's programming. Closely comparable to Marriott Theatre in suburban Chicago location, resident musical-theatre model, dinner/audience experience, and target demographics.
• North Shore Center for the Performing Arts: A Skokie, IL-based two-stage performing arts center presenting touring concerts, family shows, and resident productions. Comparable as a Chicago-north-suburban venue competing for the same family and group-sales audiences.
• Mercury Theater Chicago: A Chicago North Side resident musical theatre producing original and reimagined musicals in an intimate venue. Comparable to Marriott Theatre for its focus on developing and re-staging musicals and its subscription/donation-driven not-for-profit model.

Broad incumbents

• Broadway In Chicago: The dominant Chicago presenter of touring Broadway productions across multiple downtown venues (Cadillac Palace, CIBC, James M. Nederlander). Comparable as the primary competing live-musical supplier in the Chicago market, drawing the same discretionary entertainment dollars.

Regional players

• Fireside Theatre: A Fort Atkinson, WI resident musical theatre and dinner playhouse producing Broadway-licensed musicals. Comparable as a Midwestern suburban resident musical theatre with subscription and group-sales programming, though it competes in a different geography.
• Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse: A Rock Island, IL dinner theatre producing Broadway-style musicals with buffet service. Comparable business model (resident musical theatre with dinner/audience experience) but serves the Quad Cities region rather than the Chicago market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/marriotttheatre
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/MarriottTheatre
• Facebookfacebook.com/MarriottTheatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/marriotttheatre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-marriott-theatre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Marriott Theatre