What The Actors' Center does

The Actors' Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization founded in 1981 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., serving actors across the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. Its core offering is a free-to-join, self-serve web platform that aggregates regional casting notices, curates training and workshop resources, and acts as a community hub for DMV-area actors. The platform is built on a Supabase backend with Vercel hosting, passwordless email magic-link authentication and optional Google OAuth sign-in, and Stripe processing for tax-deductible donations. Content and engagement channels include a resources page with member-voted topic requests, a Discord community channel, and in-person workshops held at partner venues such as the Universalist National Memorial Church.

The organization is governed by a 7-member volunteer board of directors led by President John Judy, with no disclosed paid employees beyond the 1-10 range and no parent company or institutional investors. Its commercial footprint is intentionally minimal: membership is free, no tiered subscription plans exist, and the only disclosed revenue stream is individual donations via Stripe. Employer-side users posting casting notices — such as Hoptod LLC, MacKenzie Galloway LLC, and Bowie Center for the Performing Arts — are SMBs and small nonprofits using the board as a recruiting channel rather than paying customers.

Strategic posture is defensive-modernizing rather than expansionary: an in-progress website and systems rebuild, a free Firearms Safety on the Set workshop (June 27, 2026), and a cross-promotional training partnership with Studio Acting Conservatory (AC10 discount) suggest incremental platform and community investment rather than geographic or vertical scaling. Geographic scope remains confined to the domestic U.S. DMV region, with no disclosed international or adjacent-market ambitions.

Name

The Actors' Center

Legal name

The Actors' Center DC

Website

https://actorscenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Actors' Center is a Washington, D.C.–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1981, that provides a free membership platform aggregating regional casting notices, workshops, and community resources for actors in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: 501(c)(3) nonprofit sustained primarily by tax-deductible donations from members and supporters. Stripe is referenced as the donation processing platform via a /donate flow. All core member services (membership, casting notices, certain workshops) are provided at no cost.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Actors' Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free membership to actors in the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) region, granting access to a centralized casting notice board aggregating 36 active regional listings, in-person workshops (such as Firearms Safety on the Set), curated training resources, and a peer community via Discord. It functions as a regional hub connecting actors with casting opportunities, training providers, and each other, sustained entirely by tax-deductible donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Free Actor Membership Free membership program for actors in the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) area, providing access to casting notices, in-person workshops, training resources, and community via passwordless email magic-link sign-in or Google OAuth. No application, fee, or password required.
• Casting Notice Board Centralized online board aggregating 36 active casting notices from regional producers, casting directors, and theater companies (e.g., Hoptod LLC, MacKenzie Galloway LLC, Bowie Center for the Performing Arts), allowing actor members to browse, filter by date or submission deadline, and submit for auditions and submissions.
• Firearms Safety on the Set Workshop Free in-person workshop on firearms safety for actors, taught by instructor Rick Kain at Universalist National Memorial Church, First Floor Parlor (1810 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009). Scheduled for June 27, 2026, Noon – 3:00 PM, open to members and the broader community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Free membership removes financial barriers for actors in the DMV region
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Studio Acting ConservatoryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStudio Acting Conservatory offers summer classes to Actors' Center members, who receive a 10% discount using the code AC10. The Actors' Center promotes these classes to its membership, and the Conservatory offers member pricing in return — a mutual cross-promotional arrangement.
• SupabasecoreTechnology or IntegrationSupabase provides backend data storage and authentication services for The Actors' Center's web platform, including the user database for free memberships.
• VercelcoreTechnology or IntegrationVercel hosts The Actors' Center's public website and web application.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationStripe processes online donations to The Actors' Center 501(c)(3), referenced via the /donate flow on the website.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Stage 32: Online community and networking platform for actors, writers, and filmmakers. Comparable as an emerging community/network hub for entertainment professionals, with a broader national footprint than AC's DMV-only focus.

Regional players

• New York Theatre Guide: Theater news, reviews, and casting/job aggregation site serving the New York metro acting community. Comparable as a regional casting/community resource hub, though operating as a commercial media property rather than a nonprofit.
• TheatreWashington: DC-area theater service organization supporting professional theater in the region. Comparable as a DMV regional nonprofit ecosystem player, though oriented toward theater companies and awards rather than individual actors.
• DC Metro Theater Arts: Regional arts publication and community resource covering theater in the Washington, D.C. area. Directly comparable in geography and DMV actor-community focus, though operating as a media outlet rather than a 501(c)(3) membership nonprofit.

Others

• National New Play Network: National alliance of professional theaters supporting new play production. Comparable as an adjacent nonprofit ecosystem serving the U.S. theater community, though focused on producing organizations rather than individual actors.
• Playbill: Theater industry media brand covering Broadway, off-Broadway, and regional theater with casting and job opportunities. Comparable as an adjacent ecosystem player serving working actors, though focused on editorial content rather than nonprofit casting aggregation.

Direct peers

• Studio Acting Conservatory: DC-area acting school offering conservatory-style training and summer classes, with a partnership (AC10 discount) for AC members. Comparable as a DMV-region training provider for actors, and an existing AC partner.
• Actors Access: Online casting platform owned by Breakdown Services that connects actors with casting directors for film, TV, and theater. Directly comparable as a casting notice hub, though it operates nationally with subscription fees rather than free nonprofit access.

Broad incumbents

• Backstage: The largest U.S. casting notice and auditions platform serving actors nationwide with both free and paid tiers. Directly comparable to AC's casting notice board, but at far greater scale and with commercial monetization rather than donation funding.
• Casting Networks: Major casting and talent management platform used by casting directors across the U.S. Comparable to AC's casting notice board function, with broader geographic reach and an industry-standard subscription model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-actors-centre

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 The Actors' Center