Red Bull Theater
Red Bull Theater is a New York City nonprofit Off-Broadway company, founded in 2003, that produces rarely performed classical plays and runs education programs, funded by ticket sales, individual donations, and institutional arts grants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Red Bull Theater does
Red Bull Theater is a nonprofit Off-Broadway theater company headquartered in New York City and founded in 2003 by Artistic Director Jesse Berger. The organization specializes in the production and presentation of rarely performed classical plays, with a primary focus on Shakespeare and Jacobean-era drama. Its core programming is organized around three pillars: full Off-Broadway productions staged at multiple partner venues including the Lucille Lortel Theatre and the Duke on 42nd Street; the Revelation Readings series of script-in-hand performances, which has received an Obie Award; and the annual Short New Play Festival, now in its sixteenth year.
Beyond performance work, Red Bull Theater operates an education and training portfolio that includes Shakespeare in Schools, Acting Intensives, and a touring Macbeth school production aimed at younger audiences. Over its 20-year operating history, the company reports reaching more than 200,000 audience members and engaging over 5,000 artists, reflecting steady institutional scale for a mid-sized Off-Broadway nonprofit.
Revenue is generated through a combination of ticket sales, individual donations structured around tiered membership programs (Friends benefits and the Heroes Circle major-donor tier), and institutional funding from government arts agencies — including the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts — and from private foundations such as the Noël Coward Foundation. In response to the 2020 pandemic shutdown, the company expanded into digital programming, launching livestreamed readings and the 'Podversations' podcast, and has since added initiatives such as Hispanic Golden Age Classics and the Early Modern Scene Work Collaborative, alongside a publishing partnership with Stage Rights for a five-volume RED BULL SHORTS collection.
Red Bull Theater firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Red Bull Theater
- Legal name
- Red Bull Theater
- Website
- https://redbulltheater.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Red Bull Theater is a New York City nonprofit Off-Broadway company, founded in 2003, that produces rarely performed classical plays and runs education programs, funded by ticket sales, individual donations, and institutional arts grants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Red Bull Theater industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Off-Broadway Theater Productions
- NAICS
- Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB), Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB)
Keywords
Where Red Bull Theater is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Red Bull Theater business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Revenue from Off-Broadway productions and live event tickets sold through Ovatix platform
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: Individual donations, membership programs (Friend benefits, Heroes Circle), and annual gala benefit (Running of the Red Bulls)
- Institutional Funding: Support from foundations and public funds including New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and New York State Council on the Arts
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Friend Membership - Priority access and discounted tickets |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Red Bull Theater product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Red Bull Theater is a nonprofit Off-Broadway theater company that produces fully staged productions of rarely performed classic plays of Shakespeare, Jacobean, and world drama, along with the Obie Award-winning Revelation Readings series of one-night readings and an annual Short New Play Festival. It also offers acting intensives, educational outreach (Shakespeare in Schools, Macbeth School Tour), and digital programming (podcast, Podversations, Bull Sessions).
Product overview
Red Bull Theater is New York City's Off-Broadway home for rarely produced plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. The organization operates as a single unified theater company offering three core products: Off-Broadway Productions (fully staged theatrical performances), Revelation Readings (Obie Award-winning one-night readings), and the Short New Play Festival (annual new play development program). These are supplemented by educational outreach including Shakespeare in Schools, Acting Intensives, and touring productions. Additional programming includes the Red Bull Theater Podcast, Bull Sessions & Seminars, the Matador Awards, Hispanic Golden Age Classics series, and the Early Modern Scene Work Collaborative. The company was founded in 2003 and has produced 24 Off-Broadway productions and over 200 Revelation Readings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Revelation Readings: Obie Award-winning series of one-night readings of rarely performed classics, from Molière and Racine to Strindberg, Schiller, and Gogol, as well as modern plays.
- Short New Play Festival
- Shakespeare in Schools
- Bull Sessions & Seminars
- RemarkaBULL Podversations
- Red Bull Theater Podcast
- Matador Awards
Products and services
- Off-Broadway Productions Fully staged theatrical productions of rarely performed classic plays including Shakespeare, Jacobean dramas, and contemporary works in conversation with classical themes, performed at New York Off-Broadway venues for theatergoing audiences.
- Revelation Readings Obie Award-winning series of one-night readings of rarely seen classics from Shakespeare, Jacobean, and world drama repertoire, performed by notable actors in a single day for theatergoing audiences.
- Short New Play Festival Annual festival featuring ten-minute plays of heightened language and classical themes, including commissions from established playwrights and open-submission winning entries, presented to theater audiences.
- Acting Intensives
- Friend Membership
Quantifiable outcome
- Reached over 200,000 audience members and served over 5,000 artists in 20 years
Companies that use Red Bull Theater
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Red Bull Theater technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Red Bull Theater partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Stage RightscoreStage Rights published a 5-volume collection of plays from the first 10 years of Red Bull Theater's annual Short New Play Festival as RED BULL SHORTS, making the works available for broader theatrical distribution.
- The Noël Coward FoundationmajorThe Noël Coward Foundation provides leadership support for the 16th Annual Short New Play Festival, enabling the annual new play development initiative.
- Public TheatermajorCo-presented 'How Shakespeare Saved My Life' with the Public Theater, with tickets available through publictheater.org
- Symposium at Symphony Spaceminor16th Annual Short New Play Festival held at Symphony Space venue, 2537 Broadway, New York
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Red Bull Theater competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Dramatists Play Service: Licensing and publishing organization for play scripts and theatrical rights. Adjacent to Red Bull as a publishing/licensing counterpart for the RED BULL SHORTS collection marketed through Stage Rights.
- Drama League: Industry service organization supporting NYC theater artists and productions, including the Drama League Awards that have recognized Red Bull productions. Ecosystem participant rather than a producing peer.
Direct peers
- Classic Stage Company (CSC): Off-Broadway company dedicated to producing classical and contemporary works with classical roots, operating its own venue in NYC. Most direct comparable to Red Bull's mission of staging rarely produced classics and Shakespeare-era drama.
- Theatre for a New Audience: Brooklyn-based Off-Broadway company with a deep Shakespeare and classical repertory focus and its own dedicated venue. Comparable in mission to Red Bull's specialization in Shakespeare and his contemporaries, with shared funding and audience profile.
- Mint Theater Company: NYC nonprofit producing 'neglected classics and forgotten plays' of the 17th–19th centuries. Direct comparable to Red Bull's niche of rarely produced period drama and similar small-team production model.
- Irish Repertory Theatre: Off-Broadway nonprofit specializing in Irish and classical repertoire with its own Chelsea venue. Comparable to Red Bull in producing classic/period work with a curated identity and subscription support model.
- Bedlam Theatre Company: NYC company known for classical repertory with a small-team, repertory-focused production model. Comparable to Red Bull in producing rarely revived classics with lean resources.
Broad incumbents
- Atlantic Theater Company: Off-Broadway nonprofit producing new and classical work in NYC. Comparable in nonprofit funding model and production scale, though with broader new-work emphasis than Red Bull.
- The Public Theater: Large Off-Broadway institution producing Shakespeare in the Park plus contemporary and classical work. Co-presentation partner of Red Bull and an upstream operator in the same NYC classical ecosystem.
- New York Theatre Workshop: Established Off-Broadway nonprofit producing new work and classics with an Off-Broadway Tony-honored venue. Shares Red Bull's nonprofit funding mix and NYC classical programming space.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Red Bull Theater social profiles
Digital presenceRed Bull Theater financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Red Bull Theater leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Red Bull Theater funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Red Bull Theater 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 Red Bull Theater
What does Red Bull Theater do?
Red Bull Theater is a nonprofit Off-Broadway theater company that produces fully staged productions of rarely performed classic plays of Shakespeare, Jacobean, and world drama, along with the Obie Award-winning Revelation Readings series of one-night readings and an annual Short New Play Festival. It also offers acting intensives, educational outreach (Shakespeare in Schools, Macbeth School Tour), and digital programming (podcast, Podversations, Bull Sessions).
Is Red Bull Theater a public or private company?
Red Bull Theater is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Red Bull Theater founded?
Red Bull Theater was founded in 2003. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Red Bull Theater based?
Red Bull Theater is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Red Bull Theater make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are donations and Charitable Contributions and institutional Funding.
Who are Red Bull Theater's main competitors?
Others on record are Dramatists Play Service and Drama League. Direct peers are Classic Stage Company (CSC), Theatre for a New Audience, Mint Theater Company, Irish Repertory Theatre and Bedlam Theatre Company. Broad incumbents are Atlantic Theater Company, The Public Theater and New York Theatre Workshop.
Does Red Bull Theater have an API?
No public API is recorded for Red Bull Theater.
What industry is Red Bull Theater in?
Red Bull Theater's product category is Off-Broadway Theater Productions. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGABAH, Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama), with a secondary code of MPAGABAB, Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies. Its NAICS code is 711110 and its SIC code is 7990.