The Kent Stage
The Kent Stage is a historic 642-seat nonprofit concert venue in Kent, Ohio, operated by Western Reserve Folk Arts Association since 2002. It hosts approximately 150 concerts yearly across multiple genres and festivals, with revenue from tickets, bar service, membership, and gift cards.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1927
- HeadquartersKent, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Kent Stage does
The Kent Stage is a 642-capacity live entertainment venue located at 175 E. Main Street in Kent, Ohio, housed in a historic 1927 theater originally constructed for silent films and vaudeville. Since 2002, it has been operated by the Western Reserve Folk Arts Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and is the sole surviving downtown theater in Portage County. The venue programs approximately 150 concerts per year spanning folk, blues, rock, jazz, bluegrass, soul, and related genres, alongside a portfolio of dedicated festivals (Kent Folk Festival, Kent Blues Fest, Kent Reggae Fest, Kent State Around Town Music Festival) and film festivals.
The business operates a multi-stream revenue model. Tickets are processed exclusively through Etix (third-party platform), supplemented by box office (by appointment) and phone sales, with prices ranging from $10.50 for lower-tier shows to over $176 for VIP experiences. A full-service on-site bar called All Folked Up allows patrons to take drinks into the theater, generating a secondary spend stream. Additional revenue comes from the Friends of the Kent Stage membership program (priority access and preservation benefits) and gift cards sold in denominations of $28.46–$108.93. Customer acquisition relies on the kentstage.org website, Facebook/Twitter/Instagram channels, a Hive-based email newsletter, and cross-promotion with local media sponsors.
Its competitive positioning rests on intangible heritage assets — the nearly century-old theater building and recognition as Best Acoustic Venue in Northeast Ohio by The Plain Dealer — combined with a nonprofit, volunteer-supported operating model and presenting-partner relationships with TKS Productions, the Western Reserve Folk Arts Association, and Night Owl Shows (producer of award-winning tribute acts). The customer base is broadly horizontal, comprising individual music enthusiasts, superfans, and touring artists' management across Northeast Ohio.
The Kent Stage firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Kent Stage
- Legal name
- The Kent Stage
- Website
- https://kentstage.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1927
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Kent Stage is a historic 642-seat nonprofit concert venue in Kent, Ohio, operated by Western Reserve Folk Arts Association since 2002. It hosts approximately 150 concerts yearly across multiple genres and festivals, with revenue from tickets, bar service, membership, and gift cards.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Kent Stage industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Live Entertainment Venue
- NAICS
- Performing Arts Companies (7111)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Concert Venue Operators (Arenas, Amphitheaters, Clubs) (MPAGAAAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Nightclub & Small Live Venue Operations (Clubs, Bars with Stages) (MPAGALAF), Live Music Venues & Concert Bars (THAFAEAD)
Keywords
Where The Kent Stage is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kent
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Kent Stage business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from ticket sales for approximately 150 annual concerts. Tickets range from $10.50 to over $176 depending on the artist and seating. Sales conducted online, at box office, and via phone.
- Bar and Concessions: The Kent Stage operates All Folked Up, a full-service bar within the venue. Patrons can take drinks into the theater during performances.
- Membership Program: Friends of the Kent Stage membership program offering priority access, potential discounts, and preservation benefits. Memberships are managed through Etix platform.
- Gift Cards: Gift cards sold in denominations from $28.46 to $108.93 that can be used towards ticket purchases. Cards cannot be used for concessions or merchandise.
- Venue Rental and Event Hosting: The venue hosts various festivals including Kent Folk Festival, Kent Blues Fest, Kent Reggae Fest, Kent State Around Town Music Festival, and film festivals. These events generate revenue through ticket sales and may include partnerships with presenting organizations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | General Admission tickets ranging from $10.50 to $35.86 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard reserved seating from $37 to $55 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Premium reserved seating from $52 to $95 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | VIP Experience packages for premium events |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | VIP Meet & Greet packages |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Soundcheck VIP Experience |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
The Kent Stage product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Kent Stage operates a historic 1927 silent movie and vaudevillian theater converted into a 642-capacity concert venue in downtown Kent, Ohio. It hosts approximately 150 concerts per year across genres including folk, blues, rock, jazz, bluegrass, and soul, complemented by an on-site full-service bar (All Folked Up), gift cards, and a preservation membership program. Revenue is driven primarily by ticket sales through the Etix platform plus bar concessions and memberships.
Product overview
The Kent Stage is a single-location concert venue and bar offering live music performances, ticket sales, and hospitality services. The core offering is the 642-capacity historic theater hosting approximately 150 concerts annually, supplemented by the All Folked Up bar service. Additional offerings include gift cards for ticket purchases and Friends of the Kent Stage membership program for preservation support with priority access benefits. All ticketing is managed through the Etix third-party platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- All Folked Up: A full service bar equipped to satisfy desire for adult beverages, located within The Kent Stage venue. Patrons can take their drinks into the theater.
Products and services
- The Kent Stage Concert Venue 642-capacity live music performance venue hosting approximately 150 concerts annually across folk, blues, rock, jazz, bluegrass, and soul genres, open to general audiences of all ages with select 18+ and 21+ events.
- All Folked Up Bar Full-service on-site bar offering alcoholic beverages, with patrons permitted to take drinks into the theater during performances.
- Gift Cards Stored-value cards redeemable toward ticket purchases for Kent Stage events, available in denominations from $28.46 to $108.93, sold via mail delivery only.
- Friends of the Kent Stage Membership Subscription-based preservation membership offering priority ticket access, potential discounts, and exclusive experiences for repeat concert attendees.
- Music Festival Hosting Multi-day festival programming including Kent Folk Festival, Kent Blues Fest, Kent Reggae Fest, Kent State Around Town Music Festival, and film festivals.
Companies that use The Kent Stage
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Kent Stage technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
The Kent Stage partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Western Reserve Folk Arts AssociationcoreThe Western Reserve Folk Arts Association, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has managed The Kent Stage since 2002. They present multiple annual festivals at the venue including the Kent Folk Festival, Kent Blues Fest, Kent Reggae Fest, and Kent State Around Town Music Festival.
- TKS ProductionsmajorTKS Productions presents multiple shows at The Kent Stage including Béla Fleck My Bluegrass Heart, Taj Farrant, and others. They serve as the presenting producer for various concert events.
- EtixcoreThird-party ticketing technology provider for online ticket sales, membership programs, and gift cards. The Kent Stage uses Etix exclusively for online ticket transactions with a partnership ID system.
- Kent Ghost WalkminorPresents Ghosts In The Garden events at Wolcott Lilac Gardens, a separate touring attraction that brings visitors to the Kent area.
- Night Owl ShowsminorAward-winning production company that produces tribute shows including California Dreams and Back To Black – Amy Winehouse tribute. Has garnered 26 awards at international festivals including Edinburgh Fringe, Perth Fringe, Brighton Fringe, Adelaide Fringe, and Bear Valley Music Festival.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Kent Stage competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Sinclair: Intimate ~525-capacity music venue in Cambridge, MA presenting national touring folk, rock, jazz and indie acts in a restored historic setting. Highly comparable to The Kent Stage on capacity, genre mix, historic-venue positioning, and ticketing/presented-show model.
- The Ark: Nonprofit ~400-seat listening room in Ann Arbor, MI known for acoustic folk and Americana programming. Directly comparable to The Kent Stage on nonprofit structure, intimate acoustic venue positioning, similar genre mix, and member/supporter revenue model.
- Cafe Lena: Nonprofit ~100-seat folk and acoustic listening room in Saratoga Springs, NY, founded 1960. Comparable on nonprofit governance, intimate acoustic venue identity, folk/roots programming, and membership-driven preservation mission.
- Eddie's Attic: Small listening-room venue in Decatur, GA hosting singer-songwriters and acoustic acts with a nonprofit-adjacent community programming model. Comparable on intimate capacity, acoustic-music focus, and grassroots community festivals.
- Neighborhood Theatre: Historic ~960-capacity neighborhood music venue in Charlotte, NC presenting touring folk, blues, Americana and tribute acts. Comparable on historic-theater conversion, mid-small capacity, and broad genre programming of established artists.
- Largo at the Coronet: Intimate ~300–400-seat music venue in Los Angeles known for artist residencies and curated acoustic/indie programming. Comparable on intimate listening-room experience and strong emphasis on artist-fan connection.
Broad incumbents
- House of Blues: Multi-location national chain of music venues with full bar service and touring-act programming. Comparable on in-venue bar + concert model and broad genre programming, but operates at corporate-chain scale rather than a single nonprofit site.
- 9:30 Club: ~1,200–2,000-capacity flagship music venue in Washington, DC operated by I.M.P. Comparable on iconic mid-size music-club status, broad genre mix, and touring-artist programming model, but at materially higher scale.
- Beacon Theatre: Historic ~2,800-seat Upper West Side theater operated by MSG Entertainment. Comparable on converted-historic-theater positioning and broad touring-artist programming, but at materially larger scale and with corporate rather than nonprofit ownership.
Others
- Etix: Ticketing platform and The Kent Stage's core technology partner. Not a peer in the sense of competing for ticket buyers, but a directly comparable ecosystem enabler for similarly sized independent venues using the same SaaS stack.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Kent Stage social profiles
Digital presenceThe Kent Stage financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Kent Stage leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Kent Stage subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
The Kent Stage funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Kent Stage M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Kent Stage
What does The Kent Stage do?
The Kent Stage operates a historic 1927 silent movie and vaudevillian theater converted into a 642-capacity concert venue in downtown Kent, Ohio. It hosts approximately 150 concerts per year across genres including folk, blues, rock, jazz, bluegrass, and soul, complemented by an on-site full-service bar (All Folked Up), gift cards, and a preservation membership program. Revenue is driven primarily by ticket sales through the Etix platform plus bar concessions and memberships.
Is The Kent Stage a public or private company?
The Kent Stage is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Kent Stage founded?
The Kent Stage was founded in 1927. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Kent Stage based?
The Kent Stage is headquartered in Kent, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Kent Stage make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are bar and Concessions, membership Program, gift Cards and venue Rental and Event Hosting.
Who are The Kent Stage's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Sinclair, The Ark, Cafe Lena, Eddie's Attic, Neighborhood Theatre and Largo at the Coronet. Broad incumbents are House of Blues, 9:30 Club and Beacon Theatre. Etix is listed as an others.
Does The Kent Stage have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Kent Stage.
What industry is The Kent Stage in?
The Kent Stage's product category is Live Entertainment Venue. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAAAC, Concert Venue Operators (Arenas, Amphitheaters, Clubs), with a secondary code of MPAGALAF, Nightclub & Small Live Venue Operations (Clubs, Bars with Stages). Its NAICS code is 7111 and its SIC code is 7990.