The Fitzgerald Theater

What The Fitzgerald Theater does

The Fitzgerald Theater is a historic live performance venue located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, founded in 1967 and owned and operated by Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), a non-profit public media organization. As the flagship physical venue for MPR Events, the theater hosts live music, performing arts, and cultural programming aligned with MPR's public media mission, with event listings curated through a digital aggregation platform at mprevents.org. The platform enables event discovery across multiple Minnesota venues and routes ticket purchasing to external vendors (Eventbrite), supplemented by a member hotline (651.290.1200) and an events email channel ([email protected]).

The theater's programming extends beyond its own walls through partnerships with breweries (Surly Brewing Co., Utepils Brewing for "The Current's Happy Hours"), performing arts spaces (Antonello Hall for Performance Today Young Artist in Residence concerts), and opera companies (St. Croix Valley Opera for Opera on the River at Lowell Park South in Stillwater). These co-promotional relationships allow MPR Events to present a diversified, regionally distributed slate without owning each venue. Marketing is conducted through MPR's official social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, with a public donation CTA ("Give Now") supporting the non-profit funding model.

The business model is non-profit and mission-driven, with revenue mechanics inferred from the digital footprint to include ticket sales (routed via Eventbrite), member donations, and likely facility rental income, though no financial disclosures are available in the source data. The legal entity is Minnesota Public Radio, headquartered in St. Paul, with the theater operating under the doing-business-as name "MPR Events." No external parent company, venture funding, or capital structure is disclosed, consistent with the organization's non-profit public media governance.

Name

The Fitzgerald Theater

Legal name

Minnesota Public Radio

Website

https://fitzgeraldtheater.publicradio.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Fitzgerald Theater is a historic Saint Paul performance venue operated by Minnesota Public Radio, curating live music, performing arts, and cultural events across Minnesota through its MPR Events digital platform and partner venues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Event Venue and Performing Arts Programming

NAICS

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

Concert Halls & Music Venue Operations (Symphony Halls, Recital Venues) (MPAGALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Venue Management & Booking Services (Third-Party Operators) (MPAGALAJ), Concert Venue Operators (Arenas, Amphitheaters, Clubs) (MPAGAAAC), Scheduled Live Audio Events & Ticketed Rooms (MPACAEAB)

Keywords

• Live event venue
• Performing arts programming
• Public radio events
• Concert and cultural events
• Event ticketing platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

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

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The Fitzgerald Theater, operated by Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), functions as a performance venue and cultural event programming hub under the MPR Events brand. It curates and lists live music, performing arts, and cultural events across multiple Minnesota venues (including Antonello Hall, Surly Brewing Co., Utepils Brewing, and Lowell Park South), connecting audiences with ticketed performances such as the Performance Today Young Artist in Residence series, The Current's Happy Hours, and Opera on the River. Ticket purchases are facilitated through Eventbrite and partner venue links.

Product overview

MPR Events is a single events listing and discovery platform that aggregates live music, performing arts, and cultural events from Minnesota venues. The platform connects event organizers with audiences through an event calendar interface, directing users to external ticketing platforms for purchases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MPR Events

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Surly Brewing Co.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSurly Brewing Co. hosts The Current's Happy Hours events, a co-promotional partnership featuring live music performances at the brewery venue in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
• Utepils BrewingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUtepils Brewing hosts The Current's Happy Hours events, featuring performances by artists like Michigander at the Minneapolis brewery location.
• Antonello HallminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAntonello Hall serves as a venue partner for Performance Today Young Artist in Residence concerts, featuring performers such as Salvador Flores.
• St. Croix Valley OperaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt. Croix Valley Opera partners with MPR Events to present Opera on the River outdoor performances at Lowell Park South in Stillwater, Minnesota.

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• Town Hall Seattle: Nonprofit civic arts venue in Seattle presenting lectures, concerts, and cultural programming, comparable as a mission-driven, single-venue presenter with an educational and cultural mandate similar to The Fitzgerald Theater's.

Direct peers

• Cedar Cultural Center: Minneapolis nonprofit world-music venue presenting touring and local artists, closely comparable as a mission-driven, single-hall performance operator in the same regional market.
• Ordway Center for the Performing Arts: St. Paul-based performing arts venue and presenter hosting concerts, theater, and cultural programming, directly comparable to The Fitzgerald Theater's mission-driven, single-venue operating model in the same local market.
• First Avenue: Iconic Minneapolis music venue and concert promoter operating multiple rooms; comparable as a Twin Cities live music venue operator curating ticketed performances and special events.
• The O'Shaughnessy: St. Catherine University's concert hall in St. Paul presenting music, dance, and theater performances; comparable as a historic Twin Cities performance venue operating a similar programming calendar.
• Palace Theatre St. Paul: Reopened historic downtown St. Paul concert and event venue, directly comparable as a heritage performance hall operating a ticketed live-events calendar in the same geography.

Broad incumbents

• AEG Presents: One of the largest global live entertainment promoters and venue operators, comparable as a broad incumbent in concert promotion and venue operation that competes for touring acts and audience share.
• Carnegie Hall: Historic nonprofit concert hall in New York presenting classical, jazz, and popular programming, comparable as a heritage, mission-driven performance venue with a multi-format calendar and ticketed audience base.
• Live Nation Entertainment: The world's largest live entertainment company operating venues, promoting tours, and selling tickets; comparable as a broad incumbent shaping competitive dynamics for any local concert venue.

Others

• Minnesota Public Radio (network): The parent ecosystem of The Fitzgerald Theater, comparable as the parent media organization providing audience reach, member-donor base, and cross-promotional infrastructure on which the venue depends.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/mprnews
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheFitzgeraldTheater
• Instagraminstagram.com/mprnews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-public-media

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The Fitzgerald Theater