The Barn Players Community Theatre

What The Barn Players Community Theatre does

The Barn Players Community Theatre is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community theatre founded in 1955 in the Kansas City area, currently based at the Black Box Theatre inside the Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center at 8788 Metcalf Ave, Overland Park, KS. The organization produces a six-production annual season spanning plays, musicals, and special programming such as the 6x10 Ten Minute Play Festival, alongside youth programs (Barn Kids and Barn Junior) and the annual Barney Awards. It also runs ancillary commercial events such as Trivia Night to drive attendance and community engagement.

Operations are volunteer-driven across performing, technical, and administrative roles; no audition experience is required and all roles are unpaid. The core technology stack is minimal: the Ludus SaaS ticketing platform for online ticket sales, flex passes, and gift certificates, plus conventional theatre production equipment for lighting, sound, set, and costumes. The organization maintains an archived production history spanning 70+ years and uses standard content, email, and social media channels (with social operations handled via Social Pulse Management) for marketing.

The revenue model combines four streams: individual and subscription ticket sales, tiered tax-deductible donations (Fan $25–49 up to Benefactor $1,000+), business show/season sponsorships ($1,000–$3,000), and program advertising ($160–$320). The Barn Players serves a regional Kansas City metro audience, youth performers, local volunteers and theatre artists, and Johnson County-area businesses seeking community marketing channels. The organization is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors including a President, Artistic Director, Vice President, and Treasurer, with no parent company, subsidiaries, or external equity backing.

Name

The Barn Players Community Theatre

Legal name

The Barn Players

Website

https://thebarnplayers.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Barn Players Community Theatre is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community theatre in the Kansas City area, producing six annual mainstage productions, youth programs, and the 6x10 Ten Minute Play Festival, funded by ticket sales, donations, sponsorships, and volunteer labor.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Theatre / Live Performing Arts

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Community & Amateur Theatre (MPAGABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB), Children’s & Youth Theatre (MPAGABAE), Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG)

Keywords

• Community theatre productions
• Youth theatre programs
• Live theatrical performances
• Performing arts education
• Volunteer theatre company

Headquarters

HQ city

Mission

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from individual show tickets, season subscriptions, and flex passes for multiple shows
2. Donations: Tax-deductible donations through six friend categories: Benefactor ($1,000+), Angel ($700-999), Patron ($400-699), Starring Role ($150-399), Chorus ($50-149), and Fan ($25-49). Donors are listed in show programs.
3. Show/Season Sponsorship: Business sponsors pay $1,000 for a play or $1,500 for a musical, or $3,000 for season sponsorship. Sponsors receive logo placement, full-page ads, website links, and recognition at curtain speeches.
4. Program Advertising: Full page ads ($320 for 8 shows), half page ads ($240 for 8 shows), and quarter page ads ($160 for 5 shows) in show programs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Barn Players Community Theatre produces live theatrical performances — including plays, musicals, and short-play festivals — for the Kansas City community. It also runs youth theatre programs (Barn Kids and Barn Jr.), hosts the annual Barney Awards, and sells tickets, flex passes, and sponsorships directly to patrons and local businesses.

Product overview

The Barn Players Community Theatre is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization producing community theatre in the Kansas City area since 1955. Their core offerings include mainstage theatrical productions (plays and musicals), the Barn Kids youth program, the annual 6x10 Ten Minute Play Festival featuring original works by regional playwrights, and The Barney Awards recognizing production excellence. Additional offerings include tickets, flex passes, gift certificates, and various donation and sponsorship opportunities to support operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Barn Kids: Youth theater program for children featuring full productions such as Disney's Aladdin, The Lion King, and other family-friendly shows.
• Barn Junior
• 6x10 Ten Minute Play Festival
• The Barney Awards

Products and services

• Mainstage Productions Full-length plays and musicals produced and performed live by the Barn Players for general audiences in the Kansas City community.
• Barn Kids Youth Theatre Program Performing arts education program for children focused on building skills and staging youth performances.
• Barn Jr. Youth Theatre Program Intermediate-level youth theatre program offering performance and training opportunities for pre-teen participants.
• 6x10 Ten Minute Play Festival Annual festival of short ten-minute plays, offering audiences quick-form theatrical works and giving local writers and performers a showcase.
• The Barney Awards Annual awards ceremony celebrating achievement and contribution within the local community theatre community.
• Flex Pass Ticket Subscription Multi-show ticket subscription that lets patrons attend several productions at a bundled price.
• Corporate Sponsorship Program Sponsorship packages through which local businesses financially support productions, programs, or seasons in exchange for visibility and tax-deductible contributions.

Named customers1 record

Segments4 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.

• Johnson County Arts & Heritage CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Since December 2021, The Barn Players performs at the Black Box Theatre in the Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center. This partnership provides their primary performance venue after the Arts Asylum closed downtown. The center is operated by Johnson County.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Quality Hill Playhouse: KC-based theatre producing musicals and cabaret-style shows with a mix of professional and community performers. Directly comparable in ticket-and-donation funding model and Kansas City audience, though slightly more upscale production values.
• Shawnee Mission Theatre in the Park: Long-running community theatre serving the Johnson County / Kansas City metro with seasonal outdoor productions. Directly comparable to The Barn Players in volunteer-driven model, community focus, and geographic catchment. Multiple Barn Players board members (e.g., Eric Magnus, Daniel Vazquez) have directed at this theatre.
• Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre: Kansas City community theatre producing mainstage plays and musicals with a mix of volunteer and emerging-professional talent. Closely comparable in scale, programming breadth, and Kansas City metro audience focus.
• Unicorn Theatre: Kansas City regional theatre producing contemporary plays and musicals across multiple seasons. Comparable in mainstage programming, ticketing model, and KC metro audience; Daniel Vazquez of Barn Players' board has directed productions there.
• The White Theatre at The J: Community-based theatre programming in Overland Park, KS, also part of the Johnson County cultural fabric. Directly comparable venue scale, audience profile, and production model; Daniel Vazquez of Barn Players' board has directed here.
• Olathe Civic Theatre Association: Community theatre in Olathe, KS — adjacent Johnson County — producing mainstage plays and musicals with volunteer performers. Same volunteer/amateur production model, similar audience base, and explicitly referenced in Barn Players leadership bios (Amy Sander).

Others

• Kansas City Young Audiences: KC-based nonprofit providing arts education programming for young people, including theatre. Overlaps with Barn Players' youth programming mission and DEI focus; board member Stephanie Laaker has worked with this organization as a teaching artist.
• Heartland Men's Chorus: Kansas City performing arts nonprofit producing ticketed live performances. Comparable non-profit performing-arts funding model (tickets, donations, sponsorships) and KC metro audience, though specializes in choral rather than theatrical productions. Barn Players board member Lynn Reddick previously chaired its board.

Broad incumbents

• Kansas City Repertory Theatre: KC's largest professional regional theatre operating at the UMKC campus. Overlaps with Barn Players in live theatrical programming for KC audiences but at significantly greater scale, professional casts, and institutional capacity — a broader incumbent in the same market.
• The Coterie: KC's nationally recognized professional theatre for young audiences. Overlapping with Barn Players' Barn Kids / Barn Jr. youth programming mission, but operates as an established professional institution with paid staff, larger budget, and broader touring scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/thebarnplayers
• Facebookfacebook.com/thebarnplayers
• Instagraminstagram.com/thebarnplayers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The Barn Players Community Theatre