New Ohio Theatre

What New Ohio Theatre does

New Ohio Theatre (legal entity: Soho Think Tank, Inc.) was a two-time OBIE Award-winning nonprofit performance venue located at 154 Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, New York City, founded in 1994 by playwright and director Robert Lyons. The organization served as both a presenting venue and a development platform for the independent downtown theatre community, programming the OBIE-winning Ice Factory summer festival (28 editions, launched ~2003) that showcased seven companies per season, alongside a portfolio of supporting programs including Archive Residency (joint two-year residency with IRT Theater), Theatre for Young Minds, NYC Indie Theatre Film Festival, New Ohio Hosts (space rentals), and New Ohio Presents (co-presentations including international works).

The organization operated a hybrid nonprofit revenue model combining earned income (ticket sales at $17-$25 per seat through OvationTix, space rentals, membership fees), contributed income (individual donations, foundation grants), and co-production partnerships. Its primary customer base spanned 500+ independent theatre companies seeking development and presentation platforms, plus individual audience members seeking experimental and boundary-pushing work. The organization concluded physical operations at 154 Christopher Street in 2023 and now maintains its website as an archival record of 30+ years of programming, with founder Robert Lyons continuing select artistic projects independently.

Name

New Ohio Theatre

Legal name

Soho Think Tank, Inc.

Website

https://newohiotheatre.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

New Ohio Theatre was a two-time OBIE Award-winning nonprofit performance venue in Greenwich Village, NYC, that served as a presenting platform and development incubator for 500+ independent downtown theatre companies through its flagship Ice Factory festival and supporting residency, rental, and co-presentation programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG), Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB), Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB)

Keywords

• Independent theatre venue
• Performing arts festival
• Theatre residency programs
• Off-broadway presenting
• Theatre space rental

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from ticket sales for productions at the venue, including Ice Factory festival performances, main season shows, and co-presentations. Tickets range from $17-$25 with Pay What You Will options available.
2. Donations and Fundraising: As a 501(c)(3) non-profit, New Ohio Theatre receives tax-deductible donations from individual donors, foundation grants, and corporate sponsors.
3. Membership Program: New Ohio Local membership program offering discounted tickets, free drinks, and exclusive event invitations in exchange for annual membership.
4. Space Rentals: Revenue from renting theatre space to independent companies through the New Ohio Hosts program, a curated hosting initiative providing discounted rates for not-for-profit companies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

New Ohio Theatre operated as a presenting venue and festival organizer for independent theatre, anchored by its OBIE Award-winning Ice Factory annual summer festival that showcases seven downtown companies per season. It also produced its own programming, hosted co-presentations with partner organizations, ran the Archive Residency partnership with IRT Theater for two-year development commitments, and rented theatre space to independent companies through the New Ohio Hosts program.

Product overview

New Ohio Theatre is a two-time OBIE Award-winning performance venue that operates as a unified platform serving the independent theatre community of New York City. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected programs centered around its flagship Ice Factory annual summer festival, which showcases new works from downtown theatre companies. Supporting programs include the Archive Residency (a two-year development program with IRT Theater), Theatre for Young Minds (family programming), NYC Indie Theatre Film Festival (digital media strand), New Ohio Hosts (space rental program), New Ohio Presents (co-presentations including international works), New Ohio Locals (membership program), and Now In Process (works-in-progress platform). The venue serves as both a presenter and developer of innovative theatre, providing space, artistic support, and institutional continuity to the independent theatre community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Works from Ice Factory have gone on to receive Drama Desk nominations and OBIE Awards
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• IRT TheatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint Archive Residency program offering two select independent theatre companies a two-year commitment of space, artistic support, and institutional continuity. Includes engagements in IRT's 3B Development Series and presentation in New Ohio's Ice Factory festival, culminating in a four-week main season run.
• Compagnie du KaïroscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench theatre company whose production DOUGH was co-presented by New Ohio Theatre, Villa Albertine, and Cultural Services of the French Embassy in May 2022.
• Villa AlbertinemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerFrench cultural institution co-presenting international productions at New Ohio Theatre, including DOUGH by David Lescot in partnership with Cultural Services of the French Embassy.
• Cultural Services of the French EmbassymajorGTM or Marketing PartnerGovernment cultural arm co-presenting French theatre productions in partnership with FACE Foundation and New Ohio Theatre.
• The Cherry Arts Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presented Hotel Good Luck by Alejandro Ricaño in February 2021. The Cherry Arts expands possibilities of live performance bringing artists and audiences together across language and artistic discipline boundaries.
• IRT Theater 3B Development SeriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of Archive Residency program, providing development platform for companies before their Ice Factory presentation and main season run.
• La Mama ETCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational theatre partner hosting IRIZARRY/ LYONS production My Onliness as part of bringing best of NYC downtown theatre to Hudson Valley.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Theater for the New City: East Village nonprofit presenting experimental, community-engaged, and emerging-voice work with year-round programming — comparable scale and indie-curatorial profile.
• The Flea Theater: Downtown NYC experimental theatre operating its own resident company (the Bats) and producing new work in intimate Tribeca/Wooster spaces — directly comparable indie producing-and-presenting model.
• Soho Rep: Downtown NYC nonprofit theatre focused on bold new work, similarly OBIE-recognized, and part of the same downtown indie ecosystem that New Ohio curates through Ice Factory.
• HERE Arts Center: Hudson Square/SoHo nonprofit presenting experimental performance in multi-space venue; comparable model of curating cross-disciplinary indie work for adventurous downtown audiences.
• The New Group: Off-Broadway NYC nonprofit producing new plays and musicals with emerging and established artists; comparable scale, OBIE-recognized, and serving the indie-new-work ecosystem.
• La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club: Legendary East Village experimental theatre and a current presenting partner of New Ohio founder Robert Lyons. Both operate as incubators of bold new work with strong international artist networks.
• Target Margin Theater: Brooklyn-based indie nonprofit producing original and adapted experimental works in intimate settings; comparable small-staff, artist-run, new-work-focused operating model.
• IRT Theater: Co-tenant of the Archive Building at 154 Christopher Street and joint operator of the Archive Residency program with New Ohio. Both serve the NYC indie theatre community with new-work development and presentation in intimate West Village / downtown settings.
• Clubbed Thumb: NYC nonprofit dedicated to developing and producing funny, strange, and provocative new plays; comparable curator-of-new-indie-work role in the same downtown community New Ohio served.

Broad incumbents

• The Public Theater: Larger downtown NYC institution producing new work, Shakespeare in the Park, and a broad programming portfolio; overlaps with New Ohio's mission but at much greater scale, funding, and audience reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/newohiotheatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/newohiotheatre
• Xx.com/NewOhioTheatre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-ohio-theatre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 New Ohio Theatre