BoHo Theatre

What BoHo Theatre does

BoHo Theatre is a privately held, Chicago-based theater ensemble school and live production company operating under the legal name Bohotheatre. Its educational arm comprises four departments — Theater, Choreographic, Music, and Television — plus add-on modules in Acting Skills and Vocal Lessons, serving both children and adults seeking talent development. The production arm stages live theatrical performances (including 'Cyrano', 'Big River', '110 in the Shade', 'Next to Normal', 'Pygmalion', and others) at three Chicago storefront venues: Theater Wit on West Belmont Avenue, Greenhouse Theater Center on North Lincoln Avenue, and Heartland Studio on North Glenwood Avenue. The company has earned multiple Jeff Awards and nominations between 2010 and 2018 across acting, direction, choreography, and design categories, establishing credibility within the Chicago regional theater industry.

The revenue model is a hybrid of tuition-based arts education (classes and workshops across multiple disciplines, classified as professional services revenue) and ticketed live performance revenue (classified as one-time license/event revenue). Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer: families and individual students enroll directly in classes, and audiences purchase tickets to specific productions at Chicago venues. Distribution is concentrated in the Chicago metropolitan area with no apparent geographic expansion beyond the Midwest. Marketing relies on content publishing via a website blog (authored primarily by Corlew Karla) and organic social channels, with no paid acquisition infrastructure described.

Ownership is founder-led and independent, with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or external funding. Named leadership includes Artistic Director Peter Marston Sullivan, Associate Artistic Director Peter Robel, and Producer Meg Love. The company has executed one documented strategic alliance with Stage Left Theatre for a co-production of 'Pygmalion'. No technology platform, proprietary software, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed, and the operational model is fundamentally in-person and craft-driven.

Name

BoHo Theatre

Legal name

Bohotheatre

Website

https://bohotheatre.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BoHo Theatre is a privately held Chicago-based theater ensemble school and production company offering classes across Theater, Choreographic, Music, and Television departments plus live theatrical performances at three Chicago venues for children, adults, and theater audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Education

NAICS

Performing Arts Companies (7111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)

akta.pro primary industry

Theatre Education, Training & Conservatories (MPAGABAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater & Drama Education (Acting, Improvisation, Musical Theater) (EDAMAAAG), Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB), Broadway & Commercial Theatre Productions (MPAGABAA), Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB)

Keywords

• Theater education programs
• Performing arts training
• Live theatrical productions
• Acting skills classes
• Vocal lessons

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Theater Classes and Workshops: The company offers educational programs in acting skills, vocal lessons, and specialized departments for theater, choreographic arts, music, and television for children and adults.
2. Live Theatrical Performances: BoHo Theatre produces and presents live theatrical performances and musical productions at Chicago venues, generating revenue through ticket sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

BoHo Theatre is a Theater Ensemble School offering performing arts education across four departments (Theater, Choreographic, Music, Television) plus supplemental acting skills and vocal lessons for children and adults. The company also produces and presents live theatrical performances and musicals at Chicago venues, generating revenue through class enrollment and ticket sales.

Product overview

BoHo Theatre is a School of Contemporary Theater Ensembles offering a comprehensive suite of performing arts training programs and live theatrical productions. The core educational offerings include four specialized departments: Theater, Choreographic, Music, and Television, complemented by supplemental training modules in Acting Skills and Vocal Lessons. The institution produces seasonal theatrical productions and shows, creating a unified platform where students and performers develop talent across multiple disciplines while participating in staged performances.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Theater Department
• Choreographic Department The Choreographic Department provides dance and movement training, exploring various dance styles from classical to contemporary, as part of BoHo Theatre's performing arts education.
• Music Department The Music Department offers comprehensive musical training, covering music theory, performance, and appreciation of various musical genres.
• Television Department The Television Department provides training in broadcast journalism and television production skills.
• Acting Skills Classes Acting skills training focusing on stage presence, emotional expression, character development, and audience engagement techniques.
• Vocal Lessons Vocal training covering pop vocal courses and professional singing techniques for stage performance.
• Theater Productions and Shows Live theatrical performances including plays and musicals produced by the ensemble, such as 'Cyrano', 'The River', 'The Spitfire Grill', 'Big River', '110 in the Shade', 'Next to Normal', 'Marie Christine', and other classic and contemporary works, presented at Chicago venues such as Theater Wit, Greenhouse Theater Center, and Heartland Studio.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Stage Left TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership for Pygmalion production, marking the first collaborative production between BoHo Theatre and Stage Left Theatre. Stage Left Theatre's Artistic Director Vance Smith served as primary director while BoHo's Associate Artistic Director Peter Robel was Associate Director.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Goodman Theatre: One of Chicago's largest regional theaters producing plays and musicals, with education and outreach programming. Comparable to BoHo in producing live theatrical performances in Chicago, but operates at a much larger institutional scale with permanent venue ownership.
• The Second City: Chicago-based comedy theater and training center producing live performances and running a famous improvisational acting school. Comparable to BoHo as a Chicago performing arts institution combining live shows with structured training programs, though focused on comedy/improv rather than theatrical productions.
• Marriott Theatre: Lincolnshire, IL-based theater producing Broadway-style musicals with associated education and youth programs. Comparable to BoHo in producing live musicals in the Chicago metro area and offering performing arts education, though at a larger scale with a fixed venue.
• Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Major Chicago-based theater company producing plays and musicals with an associated education and ensemble program. Comparable to BoHo because it operates both a professional production model and a training/ensemble program, but at significantly larger scale and with an established donor base.

Direct peers

• Lifeline Theatre: Chicago-based theater company producing literary adaptations and family-focused productions, with education programs. Comparable to BoHo because it operates both a production season and educational programming in the Chicago regional market at a similar small/mid scale.
• Lookingglass Theatre Company: Chicago-based ensemble theater company producing original works and adaptations, with an education program serving youth and adults. Closely comparable to BoHo as a Chicago ensemble theater combining professional production with a structured educational/training program, though at a more established scale.
• Chicago Children's Theatre: Chicago-focused theater company dedicated to producing productions for young audiences and offering year-round theater education classes. Directly comparable to BoHo's children-focused education and production model, though with a more dedicated child-audience specialization.
• The Hypocrites: Chicago-based theater ensemble producing innovative interpretations of classic works and operating training programs. Comparable to BoHo due to its ensemble production model and small but recognized Chicago theater footprint, similar artistic profile to BoHo's Jeff Award-recognized work.
• Provision Theater: Chicago-based theater company producing plays and musicals with educational programming. Comparable to BoHo as a small-to-mid-scale Chicago theater producing seasonal productions and offering training programs for youth and adults.

Regional players

• Northlight Theatre: Chicago-area (Evanston) regional theater producing plays and musicals with associated education and outreach programs. Comparable to BoHo in producing live theatrical productions and offering youth/adult education, but serves a broader suburban Chicago audience from a single venue.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bohotheatre
• Facebookfacebook.com/bohotheatre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/boho-theatre-bohemian-theatre-ensemble

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 BoHo Theatre