LMDA

Name

LMDA

Legal name

Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas

Website

https://lmda.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association / Performing Arts Membership Organization

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Learning & Development (L&D) & Training Management (EDABAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Media, Entertainment & Sports Leadership Search (BPACAAAH), HR Compliance, Policy, EEO & Labor Law (BPACAPAM)

Keywords

• Professional association services
• Membership organization
• Theatre dramaturgy resources
• Literary management community
• Professional development grants

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees across multiple tiers (Investment $200, True Cost $150, Reduced $100, Accessible $15+, Institutional $350). Primary revenue stream supporting organizational operations.
2. Conference Registration: Fees from annual conferences, digital symposiums, and regional events. Members receive significantly discounted registration. In-person conferences alternate locations; digital events expand global reach.
3. Donations and Fundraising: Tax-deductible charitable contributions to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Includes general donations, Radiating Change campaign, Lessing Week/ECD Travel Grants fundraiser, and The Lessing Circle legacy giving program.
4. NEA Grant Funding: National Endowment for the Arts grants, which historically account for approximately 15% of annual budget, supporting annual conference and resources.
5. Institutional Membership Advertising: Institutional membership tier includes advertising access in LMDA's newsletter and social media for theatre companies or departments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

LMDA (Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional membership organization serving dramaturgs, literary managers, and theatre professionals across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the UK. It offers tiered individual and institutional memberships, an annual conference (in-person and digital), the peer-reviewed LMDA Review journal, employment tools, travel grants, professional awards, and regional programming.

Product overview

LMDA (Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas) is a professional membership organization, not a traditional technology product company. The organization operates as a unified membership platform offering programs and services including: a searchable 'Find a Dramaturg' database with 285+ profiles; the peer-reviewed LMDA Review journal; annual conferences and retreats (both in-person and digital); travel grant programs for Early Career and Mid-Career Dramaturgs; prestigious awards (Gotthold Ephraim Lessing Award, Elliott Hayes Award, Leon Katz Award); employment tools including sample contracts and negotiation resources; affinity spaces for community support; the NPX Recommend-a-thon program; and regional branches in Mexico and Canada. LMDA also provides member benefits including discounts through partnerships with New Play Exchange and Theatre Communications Group, and operates fundraising initiatives like the Radiating Change campaign and The Lessing Circle legacy giving program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LMDA Membership
• Annual Conference
• 2026 LMDA Retreat
• 2026 Digital Symposium
• LMDA Review Journal
• Find a Dramaturg Database
• Dramaturgy Listserv
• LMDA Bulletin Newsletter
• Employment Tools
• LMDA Script Exchange
• LMDA Canada Regional Program
• LMDA México Regional Program

Quantifiable outcome

• In 2020, LMDA awarded over $15,000 to Members through grants and awards programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• New Play Exchange (NPX)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerLMDA provides member discounts for New Play Exchange subscriptions and hosts quarterly NPX Recommend-a-thon coworking sessions where dramaturgs convene via Zoom to uplift playwrights' work by writing recommendations. LMDA members can receive coupon codes for NPX subscriptions.
• Theatre Communications Group (TCG)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerLMDA provides member discounts for Theatre Communications Group memberships as part of partnership to support members with access to TCG resources and programming.
• New DramatistscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew Dramatists in NYC generously donated office space and facilities when LMDA was incorporated in March 1985. The organization also hosted the first official annual LMDA conference in August 1986.
• Dramaturgs' Network (UK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK dramaturgs' network established international dialogue with LMDA starting in 2004, studying LMDA's organizational model. Connections have brought visiting theatre practitioners to LMDA conferences and generated collaborations.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• New Dramatists: NYC-based playwright development organization that donated LMDA's original office space and hosted its first annual conference. Closely aligned mission of nurturing new play development and supporting the literary/theatre community LMDA serves.
• Playwrights' Center: National playwright development organization supporting new play creation. Comparable mission in the new-play ecosystem, serving playwrights (the customer base for LMDA members) and operating similar grants, residency, and resources programs.
• Dramaturgs' Network: UK-based professional network for dramaturgs established with cross-reference to LMDA's model in 2004. Closest direct peer — same target profession (dramaturgs), same membership/community function, different geography.

Broad incumbents

• Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE): US professional association for theatre education, which has run joint programming with LMDA (e.g., Employment Tools Panel). Overlapping academic theatre membership base and similar professional development mission.
• Theatre Communications Group (TCG): National service organization for the American theatre and an LMDA partner offering member discounts. Larger and broader in scope, but serves many of the same institutional theatre members LMDA reaches through its Institutional membership tier.
• American Theatre Wing: National arts organization supporting theatre excellence and producing the Tony Awards. Comparable role as a convening/recognition body in American theatre but with substantially broader scope and resources than LMDA's narrow dramaturgy focus.
• Dramatists Guild of America: National professional association serving playwrights, composers, lyricists, and librettists. Overlapping membership base (playwrights use dramaturgs) and similar mission (advocacy, contracts, professional development) but with a broader and more commercially oriented scope than LMDA's narrow dramaturgy/literary management focus.
• Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC): Labor union and professional association for stage directors and choreographers. Comparable structure as a membership organization providing employment tools, advocacy, and professional development for theatre practitioners, though in an adjacent (not overlapping) discipline.

Others

• New Play Exchange (NPX): Online script-discovery platform for the new-play ecosystem and an LMDA partner offering member discounts and quarterly Recommend-a-thon coworking sessions. Adjacent rather than competitive — provides infrastructure LMDA members use rather than duplicating LMDA's services.

Regional players

• Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas — México (LMDA México): Regional chapter of LMDA itself; included as a peer reference point. Functions as a distinct regional community within the LMDA umbrella with its own programming and Spanish-language resources.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lmdamericas
• Instagraminstagram.com/lmdamericas
• Xx.com/lmdamericas
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/literary-managers-and-dramaturgs-of-the-americas

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 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 LMDA