Magic Theatre

Name

Magic Theatre

Legal name

Magic Theatre

Website

https://magictheatre.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts — Theater

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Fringe & Experimental Performing Arts (MPAGABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB), Media Arts & Performance (Film, Stagecraft, Lighting, Sound) (EDAMAAAJ)

Keywords

• Live theatrical productions
• World premiere theater
• Nonprofit performing arts
• Stage play development
• Season subscriptions

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from single tickets and performance passes for world premieres, readings, and special events. Tickets are sold through the Magic Theatre website using Salesforce ticketing platform.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Revenue from individual donations, gala events, and fundraising campaigns including silent auctions. The theatre maintains donor programs and receives support through its 'Support the Magic' initiative.
3. Grants and Institutional Giving: Support from institutional donors and foundation grants, as evidenced by the Director of Institutional Giving position on staff.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Magic Theatre is a nonprofit performing arts company that produces world premiere theatrical productions at its Fort Mason Center venue in San Francisco. The organization develops new plays, supports playwrights and theater artists through the production process, and presents original staged works to Bay Area audiences. It sells individual tickets, season subscriptions, and accepts donations and grants to fund its artistic programming.

Product overview

Magic Theatre is a performing arts organization presenting theatrical productions, primarily focused on world premiere plays. The company operates as a single unified theater program rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Core offerings include World Premier Productions (the mainstage theatrical season featuring new plays by contemporary playwrights) and supporting programs including the Rainbow Zebra Reading Series (staged readings of Magic classics), Making Magic: Masterclass (BIPOC-focused education workshops), and the Magic Archive (historical documentation). The 2025-2026 seasons feature productions such as Aztlán by Luis Alfaro, the boiling by Sunhui Chang, and a Rashomon by Ashley Smiley.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• World Premiere Theatrical Productions
• Single Tickets
• Season Subscription Memberships
• Donation and Contribution Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Produced 500+ world premiere productions since 1967
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• Campo SantocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampo Santo is Magic Theatre's home resident company partner. They co-conceive and produce world premieres together, including 'a Rashomon' conceived by Joan Osato and created with writer Ashley Smiley. The partnership is a central pillar of Magic Theatre's co-production model.
• Crowded Fire TheatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrowded Fire Theater partnered with Magic Theatre for 'Shipping & Handling' by Star Finch, recipient of Theatre Bay Area's 2024-25 Rella Lossy Award. The production was presented as a co-production at Magic Theatre's venue.
• Play On ShakespearecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlay On Shakespeare partnered with Magic Theatre for 'Richard II', a new version by Naomi Iizuka. This was a co-production matching Play On's translations with Magic's POC cast. The partnership enables productions using Play On's library of Shakespeare adaptations.
• Lorraine Hansberry TheatresecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerLorraine Hansberry Theatre presented 'The Black Feminist Guide to the Human Body' by Lisa B. Thompson at Magic Theatre as a co-production/venue partner. Also collaborated on 'Come Thru: A Cultural Celebration with LHT'.
• Rainbow Zebra ProductionssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerRainbow Zebra Productions partners with Magic Theatre on the Reading Series: Magic Classics, reviving world premieres from Magic's archive with new stellar casts. Series runs weekly on Mondays throughout June 2025.
• Bar LorettaminorOthersBar Loretta in Menlo Park hosted Grateful Friday event, an off-site performance venue. This represents a venue partnership for special events beyond the main Magic Theatre space.
• El Teatro CampesinosecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerEl Teatro Campesino directed by Kinan Valdez partnered with Magic Theatre for 'Aztlán' by Luis Alfaro. Kinan Valdez of El Teatro Campesino directed the production, bringing the company's theatrical tradition to Magic's stage.
• 111 Minna GalleryminorGTM or Marketing Partner111 Minna Gallery co-sponsored the Oscar Watch Party event with Magic Theatre, providing the venue for the celebration of Colman Domingo's nomination and Sean San José's attendance at the Oscars.
• Clio's BookstoreminorGTM or Marketing PartnerClio's Bookstore in Oakland partnered with Magic Theatre for 'Books! Birds! And Blackness!' panel discussion that influenced themes for 'the boiling' premiere, combining literature and theatrical programming.
• Creative CapitalsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerCreative Capital provided support for the pre-opening discussion 'an elephant in a family of lambs' and 'the boiling' production, contributing to the theatre's educational and community programming.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Chicago-based theater renowned for premiering new American plays with ensemble-driven development. Larger and more established than Magic but highly comparable in mission to develop and produce bold new work; useful as an aspirational model for ensemble-driven new work development.
• The Public Theater: New York-based nonprofit theater and producer of new plays and musicals. Operates at much larger scale but shares Magic's mission of developing and premiering new American work, including work by diverse playwrights.

Regional players

• Berkeley Repertory Theatre: Tony Award-winning Bay Area theater known for new works and premieres. Berkeley Rep's Tony-winning new play development and Tony-nominated programming make it a relevant East Bay peer for Magic, particularly for co-production pipelines and audience overlap.
• Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Major regional theater in Ashland, Oregon producing Shakespeare and new works. Larger scale than Magic but a relevant West Coast peer for new work development and the broader regional theater ecosystem.
• American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.): San Francisco's largest resident theater company with a multi-venue operation and conservatory training program. A.C.T. is a direct Bay Area peer but operates at significantly larger scale than Magic; useful as a benchmark for venue operation, programming scale, and audience development in the same geography.

Direct peers

• Campo Santo: Magic Theatre's home resident company, co-conceiving and co-producing world premieres like 'a Rashomon'. Although organizationally nested within Magic, Campo Santo functions as an independent ensemble whose work is structurally indistinguishable from Magic's mainstage output.
• Crowded Fire Theater: Bay Area theater company producing new plays and a co-production partner with Magic Theatre. Most comparable as a same-geography, same-mission new-work producer; their partnership on the Rella Lossy Award-winning 'Shipping & Handling' demonstrates a direct operational peer relationship.
• Lorraine Hansberry Theatre: San Francisco theater company with a mission of African American cultural expression, co-producing 'The Black Feminist Guide to the Human Body' with Magic. Direct peer in BIPOC-focused new work production and venue partnership.
• El Teatro Campesino: California-based Chicanx theater company directed by Kinan Valdez, who directed Magic's production of 'Aztlán'. Direct peer in mission-driven, culturally rooted new work; useful comparison for regional identity-driven theater operations.
• Play On Shakespeare: Shakespeare translation and adaptation organization that partnered with Magic on 'Richard II' (new version by Naomi Iizuka). Direct peer in new-work development and a partner in producing Shakespeare with diverse casts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/magictheatre
• Facebookfacebook.com/MagicTheatreSF
• Instagraminstagram.com/magictheatresf
• YouTubeyoutube.com/magictheatresf

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 Magic Theatre