Raven Theatre
Raven Theatre is a Chicago nonprofit founded in 1983 that operates two small proscenium stages and a youth arts education program (Take Flight). It produces mainstage seasons, hosts visiting companies, rents venue space, and serves hundreds to thousands of students and theater patrons annually.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1983
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Raven Theatre does
Raven Theatre Company is a Chicago-based nonprofit performing arts organization founded in 1983, operating Season 44 from a single campus at 6157 N. Clark Street in the Edgewater neighborhood. It runs two purpose-built proscenium venues — the 85-105 seat Johnson Stage and the 54-56 seat Schwartz Stage — producing a season of modern drama revivals and new works under Executive Artistic Director Jonathan Berry, alongside a visiting companies program featuring The Story Theatre as the 25/26 Resident Company.
Its business model is a hybrid of earned and contributed revenue. Earned revenue streams include single tickets ($15-$45 with industry, student, preview, and sliding-scale access tiers), three season subscriptions ($120 Base, $160 Flex 4, $220 Flex 6), space and lobby rentals (Johnson from $850/event, Schwartz from $450/event), summer and day-off youth camps ($775/session and $80/day), and fee-based school residency programs. Contributed revenue includes donations across a multi-tier structure from Catalyst ($50) to Luminary ($20,000+), as well as foundation and corporate grants. Tickets are sold direct via box office (phone/email) and the AudienceView/OvationTix online platform, with select inventory distributed through Hot Tix.
The Take Flight education program is the company's second strategic pillar alongside mainstage production, reaching 800-3,000 students annually through in-school residencies, field trips, summer camps, and day-off camps served by a small teaching-artist roster. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and operates with a lean core staff covering Development & Communications, Venue & Special Events, Education, Production, and Front of House, supplemented by contracted teaching artists. No proprietary technology, AI capabilities, mobile application, or public funding rounds are disclosed; technology is limited to standard ticketing, email marketing, and venue management systems.
Raven Theatre firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Raven Theatre
- Legal name
- Raven Theatre Company
- Website
- https://raventheatre.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1983
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Raven Theatre is a Chicago nonprofit founded in 1983 that operates two small proscenium stages and a youth arts education program (Take Flight). It produces mainstage seasons, hosts visiting companies, rents venue space, and serves hundreds to thousands of students and theater patrons annually.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Raven Theatre industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Performing Arts
- NAICS
- Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Fine Arts Schools (611610)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Children’s & Youth Theatre (MPAGABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Theater & Drama Education (Acting, Improvisation, Musical Theater) (EDAMAAAG), Performing Arts Camps (Theater, Musical Theater, Dance) (EDAMALAI)
Keywords
Where Raven Theatre is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Raven Theatre business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Single tickets sold for mainstage productions at regular price ($45), preview price ($30), student ($15), and industry night ($20). Revenue from individual performance admissions.
- Season Subscriptions: Three subscription tiers: Base ($120 for 3 tickets), Flex 4 ($160 for 4 tickets), Flex 6 ($220 for 6 tickets). Subscribers receive perks including early access, priority seating, 10% off concessions, and discounts.
- Space Rentals: Two performance spaces available for rental: Johnson Stage (85-105 seats, $850 single/$2,500 weekly) and Schwartz Stage (54-56 seats, $450 single/$1,500 weekly). Lobby rental $400 single. Parking lot rental $75/hr. Includes box office, front of house, ushers, concessions, and limited marketing inclusion.
- Summer Camp Fees: Take Flight summer camps charged at $775 per session for standard program, $100 for aftercare. Day off camps at $80/day. Early bird discount of $75 available through February 16, 2026.
- Education Residencies: Fee-based theatre education residencies provided to neighboring schools and community organizations. Partnership types include Adaptation (16-24 classes), Devised & Original Works (24-32 classes), Social Justice (12-32 classes), and Production (24-32 classes) programs.
- Donations & Fundraising: Non-profit theatre relies on community donations. Donor tiers range from Catalyst ($50-$249) to Luminary ($20,000+), with benefits including name in playbills, lobby donor wall, invited dress rehearsals, and production sponsorship recognition.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Regular price tickets for non-preview performances |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | First four performances of each show |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Student tickets with proof of enrollment |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Thursday industry night tickets |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Sliding scale accessibility tickets |
| Subscription | Annual | Base Subscription - 3 tickets to mainstage shows |
| Subscription | Annual | Flex 4 Subscription - 4 flexible tickets |
| Subscription | Annual | Flex 6 Subscription - 6 flexible tickets |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Two-week summer camp session |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Single-day camp on school days off |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Seat naming campaign |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Raven Theatre product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Raven Theatre produces and presents a season of theatrical productions (modern drama revivals and new works) on two purpose-built stages at its Edgewater facility in Chicago. Beyond performances, it delivers the Take Flight arts education program serving schools, families, and children through summer camps, day-off camps, and in-school residencies, and rents its stages, lobby, and parking lot to outside theatre companies and community groups. Revenue is supplemented by season subscriptions, single-ticket sales, and individual donations.
Product overview
Raven Theatre operates as a performing arts organization offering theatrical productions and arts education services. The company manages two performance venues—the 85-105 seat Johnson Stage and the 54-56 seat Schwartz Stage—hosting its seasonal subscription productions, summer and day-off camps through the Take Flight Education Program, and visiting company performances. Space rentals provide additional revenue through venue bookings for outside productions and events. The organization serves the Chicago north side community with a mission to tell stories connecting audiences to their cultural landscape.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Mainstage Theatrical Productions (Season 44)
Quantifiable outcome
- 3,000 students served annually through education programming
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Raven Theatre
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Raven Theatre technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Raven Theatre partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- The Story TheatrecoreThe Story Theatre is Raven Theatre's 25/26 Resident Company, utilizing both stages at Raven Theatre for their productions. This is a primary partnership arrangement where visiting artists perform in Raven's spaces.
- Parson's Chicken & FishminorDining partner offering 'Dinner for 2 for $45' deal to patrons with same-day ticket proof. Located 0.6 mi south of Raven Theatre. Provides cross-promotional opportunity for pre-show dining.
- UVAE Kitchen & Wine BarminorDining partner offering complimentary welcome Cava and 15% off total bill to patrons with same-day ticket proof. Located 0.8 mi east of Raven Theatre. Drives pre-show dining revenue for both parties.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Raven Theatre competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Northlight Theatre: Chicago-area nonprofit theater in Evanston offering subscription series and education programming. Comparable in scale and programming model to Raven, serving a similar north-Chicago metro audience with mainstream and new-work productions.
- Chicago Children's Theatre: Chicago's leading nonprofit dedicated to children's theater productions and education. Directly competes with Raven's Take Flight program, summer camps, and school residencies for the same K-12 audience and school-district partnerships.
- Lifeline Theatre: Chicago-based nonprofit theater specializing in literary adaptations, with a strong ensemble and education programming. Comparable in size, mission, and operational model to Raven Theatre, sharing audience and donor pools in the north-side Chicago market.
- Lookingglass Theatre Company: Mid-size Chicago nonprofit theater with similar ensemble model, educational outreach, and touring production work. Teaching artist Katy Boza works at both Raven and Lookingglass, evidencing close operational and programming overlap.
- Remy Bumppo Theatre Company: Small Chicago nonprofit theater with a subscription-driven model and similar production cadence. Operates in a comparable size and resource footprint to Raven Theatre, competing for subscribers and donors in the Chicago theater market.
- Griffin Theatre Company: Chicago-based small-to-mid nonprofit theater with similar production scale, subscription model, and ensemble structure. Jonathan Berry is an ensemble member and Mechelle Moe is an associate artist, evidencing deep artistic overlap with Raven Theatre.
- TimeLine Theatre Company: Chicago-based nonprofit theater with a similar mid-sized footprint and subscription-driven model. Director of Education Mechelle Moe is a company member at TimeLine, evidencing direct artistic and managerial overlap. Operates in adjacent Chicago neighborhoods with overlapping subscriber base.
Broad incumbents
- Goodman Theatre: One of Chicago's largest and most established nonprofit theaters, located in the Loop. Recently co-presented Raven Theatre's production of Octet, demonstrating direct artistic overlap. Serves as a broad incumbent against which Raven competes for audiences and donors citywide.
- Steppenwolf Theatre Company: National-scale Chicago theater with extensive ensemble and education programs. Newly hired Executive Artistic Director Jonathan Berry was formerly an Artistic Producer at Steppenwolf, creating direct talent and pipeline overlap. Competes for the same donor and subscriber pool in Chicago.
Regional players
- Penobscot Theatre Company: Maine-based regional nonprofit theater where Jonathan Berry previously served as Artistic Director. Comparable in programming model (mainstage productions + education + community engagement) but operates in a different geography, illustrating the type of organization leadership experience Raven has now brought in.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Raven Theatre social profiles
Digital presenceRaven Theatre financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Raven Theatre leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Raven Theatre funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Raven 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 Raven Theatre
What does Raven Theatre do?
Raven Theatre produces and presents a season of theatrical productions (modern drama revivals and new works) on two purpose-built stages at its Edgewater facility in Chicago. Beyond performances, it delivers the Take Flight arts education program serving schools, families, and children through summer camps, day-off camps, and in-school residencies, and rents its stages, lobby, and parking lot to outside theatre companies and community groups. Revenue is supplemented by season subscriptions, single-ticket sales, and individual donations.
Is Raven Theatre a public or private company?
Raven Theatre is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Raven Theatre founded?
Raven Theatre was founded in 1983. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Raven Theatre based?
Raven Theatre is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Raven Theatre make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are season Subscriptions, space Rentals, summer Camp Fees, education Residencies and donations & Fundraising.
Who are Raven Theatre's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Northlight Theatre, Chicago Children's Theatre, Lifeline Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, Griffin Theatre Company and TimeLine Theatre Company. Broad incumbents are Goodman Theatre and Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Penobscot Theatre Company is listed as a regional player.
Does Raven Theatre have an API?
No public API is recorded for Raven Theatre.
What industry is Raven Theatre in?
Raven Theatre's product category is Performing Arts. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGABAE, Children’s & Youth Theatre, with a secondary code of EDAMAAAG, Theater & Drama Education (Acting, Improvisation, Musical Theater). Its NAICS code is 71111 and its SIC code is 7990.