Prior Lake Players

What Prior Lake Players does

Prior Lake Players is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) community theatre organization founded in 1972 and based in Prior Lake, Minnesota. It produces and performs live theatrical entertainment for Scott County and the south-metro Twin Cities, traditionally staging one straight play in the fall and one musical in the spring at Twin Oaks Middle School, with periodic additional children's shows. The organization has historically delivered approximately 75 productions involving 1,382 cast members.

The core product is live theatrical production, supported by a tiered membership program (General at $15/year through Producer at $500/year), volunteer programs spanning set construction, technical, and front-of-house roles, season ticket packages, and a Nick Sotis Memorial Scholarship for high-school seniors. Adjacent programs include the Penguin Project inclusive-theatre partnership (1 of 2 in Minnesota, launched 2025 with Annie Jr.) and the Shrek KIDS Summer Camp (July 2026) delivered through Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools Community Ed. Revenue is generated through ticket sales via the Vanco Events online platform plus at-door sales, PayPal and mail-in memberships, program advertising and local business sponsorships, donations (tax-deductible under 501(c)(3) status), and grants including Arc Minnesota's Minnesota Inclusion Initiative award.

Operationally, Prior Lake Players is entirely volunteer-led under a Board of Directors, with no paid staff and roughly $50,000 in cash reserves as of fiscal year 2023/2024. The technology footprint is minimal: a WordPress website (plplayers.org), Vanco Events ticketing (previously EventBrite, switched to retain 6% more of online ticket revenue), PayPal for membership dues, Google Forms for applications, YouTube for show trailers, and Google Drive for hosting programs. Marketing runs through a Marketing Director managing Facebook and Instagram (@priorlakeplayers), email campaigns, press releases, and printed flyers at schools and local businesses. The organization's competitive positioning rests on community integration with local schools, chambers of commerce, and state theatre alliances, together with exclusive access to the Penguin Project methodology in the region.

Name

Prior Lake Players

Legal name

Prior Lake Players

Website

https://plplayers.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Prior Lake Players is a 100% volunteer, 501(c)(3) community theatre organization in Prior Lake, Minnesota that produces two mainstage shows per season plus inclusive theatre (Penguin Project) and youth summer camps for the Scott County and south-metro Twin Cities community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Theatre / Live Performing Arts

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Community & Amateur Theatre (MPAGABAD)

Keywords

• Community theater productions
• Live theatrical entertainment
• Theater membership programs
• Inclusive theater programs
• Youth theater camps

Headquarters

HQ city

Prior Lake

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues at multiple tiers ($15-$500) providing early ticket access, discounts, and free tickets as benefits.
2. Ticket Sales: Online ticket sales through Vanco Events platform with fees, plus at-door sales. Revenue from performances held at Twin Oaks Middle School.
3. Program Advertising and Sponsorships: Local businesses advertise in show programs. Offers benefits including show shout-outs and online promotion to sponsors.
4. Donations: Donations help fund shows and the Nick Sotis Memorial Scholarship. Tax-deductible as a 501(c)(3) organization.
5. Grants: Awarded grant from The Arc Minnesota as part of Minnesota Inclusion Initiative to cover royalties, rights, and stipends for Penguin Project productions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Prior Lake Players produces and performs live theatrical entertainments, including both established and original scripts, and provides training and experience to members in artistic and technical aspects of live theatre. The organization traditionally runs two mainstage productions per season (a fall straight play and a spring musical) at Twin Oaks Middle School in Prior Lake, Minnesota, supplemented by inclusive theater programs, summer camps, and scholarship offerings.

Product overview

Prior Lake Players is a volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit community theatre organization that operates primarily through live theatrical productions. The core offering consists of two mainstage productions per season—a straight play in fall and a musical in spring—held at Twin Oaks Middle School. The organization supports its productions through membership programs (General through Producer tiers providing early ticket access and free tickets), volunteer opportunities spanning set construction, technical roles, and front-of-house positions, and sponsorship/advertising sales. Supplementary programs include the Penguin Project (inclusive theatre for performers with disabilities), Shrek KIDS Summer Camp for children ages 9-14, the Nick Sotis Memorial Scholarship for graduating seniors, and various committee involvement opportunities. The organization serves the Scott County, Minnesota area and maintains affiliations with the Prior Lake Chamber of Commerce, Savage Chamber of Commerce, Minnesota Theater Alliance, and Minnesota Association of Community Theatres.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Penguin Project: Inclusive theatre program in partnership with The Penguin Project that empowers children and young adults with disabilities to star in fully staged musical productions

Products and services

• Live Theatrical Productions

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Penguin ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025National inclusive theater program that empowers children, teens, and young adults with disabilities to star in fully staged musical productions. PLP is 1 of only 2 theater companies in Minnesota with this partnership. Each Artist is paired with a Peer Mentor for rehearsal and performance support.
• Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools Community EdcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with community education program to deliver Shrek KIDS summer theatre camp for children ages 9-14. Registration and sign-up managed through their platform.
• Prior Lake Chamber of CommerceminorOthersLocal chamber affiliation supporting community business engagement and networking.
• Savage Chamber of CommerceminorOthersLocal chamber affiliation supporting community business engagement and networking.
• Minnesota Theater AllianceminorOthersStatewide theatre industry alliance providing resources and networking for Minnesota theatres.
• Minnesota Association of Community Theatres (MACT)minorOthersRegional association connecting community theatres across Minnesota with resources and shared opportunities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Minnesota Association of Community Theatres (MACT): Statewide association connecting Minnesota community theaters with shared resources, festivals, and networking. Prior Lake Players is a member, making MACT member companies (e.g., multiple suburban community theaters across the Twin Cities metro) an indirect peer set for benchmarking scale and programming.
• The Penguin Project: National inclusive theater program that empowers performers with disabilities through peer-mentored productions. Prior Lake Players is a licensee/partner, so it is comparable not as a competitor but as an ecosystem participant; other Penguin Project theaters across the U.S. represent the most relevant peer cohort for the inclusive programming line.

Broad incumbents

• Old Log Theatre: Minnesota's oldest professional theater, located in Greenwood, MN, producing a full season of musicals, comedies, and dramas. Comparable to Prior Lake Players in serving the south-metro area with live theatrical entertainment, but operates with paid professional staff and a dedicated venue.
• Chanhassen Dinner Theatre: Long-established professional dinner theater in Chanhassen, MN that produces full-season musical and theatrical productions serving the south-metro Twin Cities market. While much larger and paid-staff, it competes for the same discretionary entertainment spend from Prior Lake-area audiences and sets quality expectations in the region.

Direct peers

• Eden Prairie Players: Community theater in Eden Prairie, MN producing live theatrical productions with volunteer participation. Closely comparable in scale, volunteer-driven model, and south-metro Twin Cities audience base overlapping with Prior Lake Players' service area.
• Burnsville Community Theatre: Volunteer-based community theater in Burnsville, MN producing multiple shows per season with cast and crew drawn from the local community. Direct peer to Prior Lake Players in model (volunteer-driven, community-cast, regional reach) and adjacent geography in the south-metro Twin Cities.
• Apple Valley Community Theatre: Volunteer community theater in Apple Valley, MN producing multiple shows each season. Operates with a similar volunteer-driven, non-profit model serving Dakota County, geographically adjacent to Prior Lake Players' Scott County footprint.

Regional players

• Savage Onstage (or similar Savage-area community theater): Community theater based in Savage, MN, sharing chamber-of-commerce affiliation with Prior Lake Players and serving the immediate adjacent market. Most directly comparable at the hyper-local community theater tier.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/priorlakeplayers
• Instagraminstagram.com/priorlakeplayers

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 Prior Lake Players