Lyric Stage

What Lyric Stage does

Lyric Stage, Inc. is a Dallas-based 501c3 nonprofit professional musical theatre company founded in 1993 by Steven Jones with a stated mission to develop and preserve the musical. Across 32 seasons it has produced 125+ productions, including 21 world premieres and 2 Off-Broadway transfers, and has restored classic scores in partnership with the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, the Jule Styne Estate, and the Jerome Moross family — notably full 39–40 piece orchestral productions of CAROUSEL, THE KING AND I, SHOW BOAT, and GYPSY. Operations span three Dallas venues: the owned Lyric Stage Studios (1170 Quaker St, Dallas Design District, opened 2023), the historic Majestic Theatre (since 2017), and the Moody Performance Hall (partnership since 2024), supported by all-local casts, musicians, and fabricators and a stated 3,000+ jobs created in Dallas County over the company's history.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit revenue stack: ticket sales via tix.com and TicketDFW, charitable contributions processed through Square, season sponsorships from foundations (Stemmons Foundation, Moody Fund for the Arts) and public agencies (National Endowment for the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts, City of Dallas Office of Arts & Culture), and ancillary programming. Supporting products include the Schmidt & Jones Awards (a high-school musical theatre adjudication program across Dallas, Tarrant, and Collin counties since 2010), the 2022-launched Ashley Newman-Schneider Scholarship, dance and performance enrichment classes at the studio, and a back catalog of audio recordings and promotional video content. Leadership includes Founder Steven Jones, Producer Catherine Carpenter Cox (joined 2019), Executive Artistic Director Christopher J. Deaton, and a new co-artistic direction team of Tricia and Scott Guenther installed in 2024; the organization is governed by a small board and operates with a core staff of 1–10.

The technology footprint is minimal and consistent with a performing-arts nonprofit: Square for donations, Tix.com and TicketDFW for ticketing, and YouTube plus a Squarespace-hosted website for marketing and content distribution. There is no disclosed AI/ML capability, no proprietary software, and no app. Strategic differentiators rest on restored theatrical IP, live-orchestra production capability, deep community relationships across three counties, and multi-venue distribution — all of which carry moderate-to-strong intangible-asset, ecosystem, and talent moats but expose the organization to the operating economics of a small nonprofit, including concentration on a handful of foundation sponsors and public funders.

Name

Lyric Stage

Legal name

Lyric Stage, Inc.

Website

https://lyricstage.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lyric Stage is a Dallas-based 501c3 nonprofit professional musical theatre company, founded 1993, producing live shows with full orchestras across three Dallas venues and serving DFW theatre audiences, local artists, and high-school musical theatre programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Musical Theater

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Musical Theatre (Non-Broadway/Fringe) (MPAGABAG)

Keywords

• Musical theater productions
• Live theatrical performances
• Performing arts company
• Theater arts education
• Community musical theater

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

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, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Lyric Stage is a 501c3 nonprofit professional musical theatre company that produces, develops, and preserves musical theatre works for live audiences in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Its core offering is a season of professional musical theatre productions featuring full live orchestras and local casts, supplemented by educational programs such as the Schmidt & Jones Awards for high school theatre and dance enrichment classes.

Product overview

Lyric Stage is a Dallas-based 501c3 professional musical theatre company founded in 1993, dedicated to developing and preserving the musical. The company operates as a single unified offering centered on live musical theatre productions, supplemented by three supporting programs: The Schmidt & Jones Awards (high school musical theatre competition), Dance and Performance Enrichment Classes, and the Ashley Newman-Schneider Scholarship. The company also offers digital content including audio recordings from past productions and production promo videos. Venues include the historic Majestic Theatre (1925 Elm Street), the Moody Performance Hall in the Dallas Arts District, and the Lyric Stage Studio in the Dallas Design District (opened 2023).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Schmidt & Jones Awards: Awards program honoring excellence in high school musical theatre in Dallas-Fort Worth, established in 2010 and named after Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones.
• Lyric Stage Studios

Products and services

• Musical Theatre Season Productions Professional live musical theatre productions featuring local actors, musicians, and creatives. Productions include classic Broadway shows, world premieres, and restored historical musicals performed with full live orchestras at venues including the Majestic Theatre, Moody Performance Hall, and Lyric Stage Studio. Targeted at theatre-goers and musical theatre enthusiasts in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
• Schmidt & Jones Awards Annual high school musical theatre competition and awards ceremony for students in Dallas-Fort Worth counties. Schools submit productions for adjudication by a panel of theatre educators and professional artists, with nominations and awards in performance and design categories. Annual awards ceremony held at Moody Performance Hall.
• Dance and Performance Enrichment Classes Group dance and performance classes including ballet, tap, lyrical, modern, contemporary, jazz, yoga, and stretch/flexibility, held at Lyric Stage Studio with live streaming capability. Open to teens, adults, and seniors.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rodgers & Hammerstein OrganizationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLyric Stage worked with R&H Organization to restore and produce full, orchestral productions of classic musicals including CAROUSEL, THE KING & I, SHOW BOAT, GYPSY, and THE GOLDEN APPLE. In 2009, R&H Organization asked Lyric Stage to produce the world premiere of the newly restored THE KING AND I.
• Jule Styne EstatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLyric Stage worked with the Jule Styne Estate to complete a full restoration of the original Broadway score of GYPSY in 2011. Lyric Stage's production was the first to be performed with a full 39-piece orchestra playing Sid Ramin and Robert Ginzler's original orchestrations since the original 1959 Broadway production.
• Jerome Moross FamilyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorked with the Jerome Moross family to restore and produce classic musical productions.
• PS ClassicsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrammy-nominated record label that released a commercial recording of Lyric Stage's production of THE GOLDEN APPLE in 2015. This is the only complete, full-length recording of this critically acclaimed musical.
• Moody Performance HallcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership venue in Dallas Arts District for larger shows starting in 2024. Lyric Stage began a partnership with The Moody Performance Hall for larger productions.
• Moon Shepard Baker Insurance, Inc.minorOthersCorporate sponsor and partner of Lyric Stage.
• Frost BankminorOthersCorporate sponsor and partner of Lyric Stage.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Uptown Players: Dallas-based nonprofit theater focused on LGBTQ+ themed productions. Comparable as a DFW nonprofit producing a multi-show season in shared/repurposed venues, with a similar fundraising model.
• Stage West: Fort Worth-based professional theater producing a season of contemporary plays and musicals. Comparable as a DFW nonprofit theater but skews more toward plays; serves an adjacent but overlapping audience.

Broad incumbents

• Goodman Theatre: Major Chicago-based nonprofit producing theater with a musical theatre component. Comparable as a nonprofit, season-based producing organization with educational outreach, though at materially larger scale and budget.
• Roundabout Theatre Company: NYC-based nonprofit known for classic musical revivals and new productions. Comparable as a nonprofit producing organization with deep rights-holder relationships (analogous to Lyric Stage's R&H and Styne Estate partnerships), but at a much larger national scale.
• Broadway Dallas (Dallas Summer Musicals): DFW's dominant presenter of touring Broadway productions at the Music Hall at Fair Park. Competes for the same musical-theatre audience but operates a touring-presentation model rather than locally-produced productions.
• AT&T Performing Arts Center: Dallas Arts District venue operator and presenter hosting Broadway tours and resident productions. Overlaps with Lyric Stage's Moody Performance Hall partnership and competes for the same arts-patron donor base.

Direct peers

• Casa Mañana: Fort Worth-based professional musical theatre company with its own venue (Casa Mañana Playhouse). Directly comparable as a regional musical-theatre-focused nonprofit in the DFW metroplex with full seasons and educational programming.
• Dallas Theater Center: Dallas's flagship regional theater and Tony Award-winning LORT company. Directly comparable as a locally-produced, professional theater serving the same DFW audience with a multi-production season, donor-supported model, and educational programming.
• WaterTower Theatre: Addison-based professional theater company producing a season including musical theatre. Comparable as a North Texas regional musical theatre producer with similar audience demographics and venue-partnership model.
• Theatre Three: Long-running Dallas-based professional theater producing a season of plays and musicals. Comparable in regional scale, nonprofit structure, and reliance on local talent and donor support.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@LyricStageDallas
• Xx.com/lyricstageDFW
• Facebookfacebook.com/lyricstage
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lyricstage

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Lyric Stage