The Builders Association
The Builders Association is a Brooklyn-based, non-profit cross-media performance company founded in 1994 that produces original theatrical works integrating video, sound, lighting, augmented reality, and smart-device audience participation for presenting arts venues and festivals globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Builders Association does
The Builders Association is a Brooklyn-based, non-profit cross-media performance company founded in 1994 by Artistic Director Marianne Weems. It produces original theatrical works that integrate video, sound, lighting, augmented reality, multi-screen interaction, and audience participation via personal smart devices, and has been recognized with an Obie Award and coverage from The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Sun-Times, Le Monde, and The Times (London). Its core product is original productions, with a recent portfolio spanning ÉMILIE (2011), ELEMENTS OF OZ (2015, AR-enabled), STRANGE WINDOW: The Turn of the Screw (2017-2018), TEN STORIES (2020, Twitch), I Agree To The Terms (2022, online multi-screen), and ATLAS DRUGGED (2024, smart-device interactive). A core group of long-tenured collaborators (Moe Angelos, Dan Dobson, James Gibbs, David Pence, Lawrence Shea, Austin Switser, Jennifer Tipton) plus hundreds of project-based creative collaborators execute these works, which have toured to over 90 venues globally including BAM, Lincoln Center, NYU Skirball, the Barbican, Melbourne Festival, and Singapore Arts Festival. The company is currently developing MEMORY LANE (The Remix).
The business model is a hybrid of non-profit grant funding, co-production and commissioning fees, and ticket-driven performance fees routed through presenting venues. Recurring institutional support comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The New York Community Trust, Curtis McGraw Foundation, Good Works Foundation, and the Onassis Foundation. Major productions are co-commissioned and co-produced with institutional partners such as BAM, Peak Performances @ Montclair State University, Krannert Center at University of Illinois, UC Santa Cruz, NYU Skirball, and 3LD Art & Technology Center. Individual donations are solicited through the website. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Leadership includes Marianne Weems (Artistic Director and founder) and Shannon Sindelar (Producing Director), with governance by a Board of Directors. The company is not backed by venture capital or private equity and has no disclosed parent company or acquisition activity.
The Builders Association firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Builders Association
- Legal name
- The Builders Association Inc.
- Website
- https://thebuildersassociation.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Builders Association is a Brooklyn-based, non-profit cross-media performance company founded in 1994 that produces original theatrical works integrating video, sound, lighting, augmented reality, and smart-device audience participation for presenting arts venues and festivals globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Builders Association industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Performing Arts / Cross-Media Theater Productions
- NAICS
- Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Other Performing Arts Companies (71119)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Event Technical Production Management & Crew (MPAGAKAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Media Arts & Performance (Film, Stagecraft, Lighting, Sound) (EDAMAAAJ)
Keywords
Where The Builders Association is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Builders Association business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales and Performance Fees: The company generates revenue through ticket sales at venues such as NYU Skirball, and through performance fees paid by presenting venues and festivals for productions.
- Foundation and Government Grants: The Builders Association receives support from National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Curtis McGraw Foundation, Good Works Foundation, and Onassis Foundation.
- Individual Donations: The company accepts individual donor contributions through its website donation page.
- Co-Production and Commissioning Fees: Productions are co-produced and co-commissioned by partner institutions such as BAM, Peak Performances @ Montclair State University, Krannert Center, and UC Santa Cruz, providing commissioning revenue.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
The Builders Association product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Builders Association creates and tours original cross-media theatrical productions that fuse live performance with video design, sound design, lighting, augmented reality, and interactive smart-device audience participation. The company produces works such as ATLAS DRUGGED, I Agree To The Terms, TEN STORIES, STRANGE WINDOW, ELEMENTS OF OZ, and ÉMILIE, and presents them at performing arts venues and festivals in New York City and internationally. Its work is supported by co-commissioning fees, grants, and donations from arts funders and individual donors.
Product overview
The Builders Association is an NYC-based Obie Award-winning cross-media performance company that creates theatrical productions integrating video, audio, performance, and emerging technologies. The portfolio includes productions like ATLAS DRUGGED (interactive AI-themed political theater), I Agree To The Terms (online performance with MTurk workers), TEN STORIES (digital streaming theater), STRANGE WINDOW (Henry James adaptation), ELEMENTS OF OZ (AR-enhanced theater), and ÉMILIE (multi-media opera). The company extends traditional theater boundaries by incorporating live smart device interaction, augmented reality, and multi-screen experiences into their productions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ATLAS DRUGGED (Tools for Tomorrow) A theatrical production that playfully analyzes AI-generated 'evidence' influencing political perception and speculates about a near future of engineered political candidates. Audiences use smart devices to tune a fictional candidate, navigate political messaging, and compete in a game determining the show's end. Premiered at NYU Skirball in October 2024. Directed by Marianne Weems.
- I Agree To The Terms An interactive online multi-screen performance developed with MTurk microworkers, exploring how crowdsourced labor trains algorithms. Audiences enter the 'Builders Marketplace,' train with MTurk workers, and compete for virtual jobs while being timed, rated, and paid in virtual 'Builders Coin.'
- TEN STORIES A Decameron-style digital performance created during the COVID-19 pandemic. Five work-in-progress performances streamed live on Twitch, featuring stories of Builders past and present told across multiple screens with live streaming and second-screen interaction.
- STRANGE WINDOW: The Turn of the Screw A theatrical interpretation of Henry James's gothic ghost story that uses media wizardry and performance to create the world of a governess's memory, exploring questions of reality, truth, and psychological ambiguity.
- ELEMENTS OF OZ A theatrical production using live music, video, performance, and augmented reality (AR) to bring the iconic Wizard of Oz story to life. Audiences download a smartphone app to participate in the AR-enhanced theatrical experience.
- ÉMILIE A multi-media one-woman opera about French Enlightenment thinker Émilie du Châtelet, with music by Kaija Saariaho. Blends live music with electronic effects and elevated speech to convey the heroine's intellectual journey.
Companies that use The Builders Association
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Builders Association technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability5 records
Feature3 records
The Builders Association partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.
- NYU Skirball Center for the Performing ArtscorePresenting partner and venue for Atlas Drugged (2024) premiere and I Agree To The Terms (2022).
- MITU580 / Theater MitucoreVenue where Atlas Drugged was built and I Agree To The Terms was broadcast live. Theater Mitu's Artists-At-Home Program supported Atlas Drugged development.
- Target Margin TheaterminorGowanus, Brooklyn venue where Atlas Drugged was built.
- BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music)coreCo-commissioner of I Agree To The Terms; presented five New York premieres. Co-commissioned Strange Window for 2018 Next Wave Festival.
- Peak Performances @ Montclair State UniversitymajorCo-producer of ELEMENTS OF OZ; provided venue support at Alexander Kasser Theater.
- Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignmajorCo-commissioner of Strange Window: The Turn of the Screw.
- UC Santa Cruz Arts DivisionmajorCo-commissioner and supporter of Strange Window and I Agree To The Terms.
- 3LD Art & Technology CenterminorVenue support and co-producer of Strange Window and ELEMENTS OF OZ.
- BRICminorVenue support provided for ELEMENTS OF OZ development.
- Diller + ScofidiominorArchitects who have collaborated with The Builders Association.
- motirotiminorSouth Asian collective that has collaborated with The Builders Association.
- National Center for Supercomputing ApplicationsminorSupercomputing center that has collaborated with The Builders Association.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Builders Association competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Complicité (Complicite): Internationally touring experimental theater company founded in 1983. Comparable as a globally touring, critically acclaimed company producing original, visually innovative theatrical productions.
- The TEAM: Brooklyn-based experimental theater ensemble producing original, touring work that engages with contemporary cultural and political themes. Comparable as a small NYC ensemble producing devised cross-media performance.
- The Wooster Group: NYC-based experimental theater company founded in 1975, known for integrating video, technology, and live performance. Both companies operate in the same downtown NYC experimental theater ecosystem and collaborate with similar institutional presenters.
- Mabou Mines: Long-running NYC experimental theater company founded in 1970. Both are Obie-winning ensembles producing original work that integrates performance with technology and visual design for downtown audiences.
- Robert Wilson / The Watermill Center: Robert Wilson's experimental theater practice and Watermill Center arts lab. Comparable as a creator of technically sophisticated, visually driven theater that has toured internationally and partnered with major cultural institutions.
- Elevator Repair Service (ERS): NYC-based experimental theater ensemble known for literary adaptations and multimedia staging. Comparable to The Builders Association as a small, critically acclaimed ensemble producing original cross-media work for major NYC venues.
- Nature Theater of Oklahoma: NYC-based experimental theater company known for multimedia and original devised work. Comparable as a small ensemble producing innovative, critically engaged theater for downtown and international presenters.
Emerging players
- Pig Iron Theatre Company: Philadelphia-based experimental ensemble producing original devised theater. Comparable as a small company producing physically and visually innovative original work with institutional touring support.
- Third Rail Projects: NYC-based creator of immersive and interactive theater (Then She Fell, Sleep No More-adjacent). Comparable in audience interaction and immersive technology direction, though more commercial in positioning.
Broad incumbents
- New York Theatre Workshop: Major NYC off-Broadway theater that has presented Builders Association productions. Comparable as a presenting/development partner in the experimental theater ecosystem, though NYTW operates as a venue/producer rather than a creator ensemble.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Builders Association social profiles
Digital presenceThe Builders Association financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Builders Association leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
The Builders Association funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Builders Association 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 The Builders Association
What does The Builders Association do?
The Builders Association creates and tours original cross-media theatrical productions that fuse live performance with video design, sound design, lighting, augmented reality, and interactive smart-device audience participation. The company produces works such as ATLAS DRUGGED, I Agree To The Terms, TEN STORIES, STRANGE WINDOW, ELEMENTS OF OZ, and ÉMILIE, and presents them at performing arts venues and festivals in New York City and internationally. Its work is supported by co-commissioning fees, grants, and donations from arts funders and individual donors.
Is The Builders Association a public or private company?
The Builders Association is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Builders Association founded?
The Builders Association was founded in 1994. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Builders Association based?
The Builders Association is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Builders Association make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales and Performance Fees are the primary driver. The others are foundation and Government Grants, individual Donations and co-Production and Commissioning Fees.
Who are The Builders Association's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Complicité (Complicite), The TEAM, The Wooster Group, Mabou Mines, Robert Wilson / The Watermill Center, Elevator Repair Service (ERS) and Nature Theater of Oklahoma. Emerging players are Pig Iron Theatre Company and Third Rail Projects. New York Theatre Workshop is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does The Builders Association have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Builders Association.
What industry is The Builders Association in?
The Builders Association's product category is Performing Arts / Cross-Media Theater Productions. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAKAH, Event Technical Production Management & Crew, with a secondary code of EDAMAAAJ, Media Arts & Performance (Film, Stagecraft, Lighting, Sound). Its NAICS code is 71111 and its SIC code is 7812.