Broken Box Mime Theater (BKBX)

What Broken Box Mime Theater (BKBX) does

Broken Box Mime Theater (BKBX) is a New York City-based contemporary physical theater company founded in 2011 that reimagine traditional French pantomime for modern American audiences through wordless, movement-based storytelling. The company fields a 20-member performing ensemble drawn from roughly 10+ countries, and produces a portfolio of mainstage productions (Topography 2014, Above Below 2015, See Reverse 2017, SKIN 2019, Take Shape 2022, with the upcoming MYTH in 2026), touring works (including DOUBLE TAKE), family programming under the BKBX Kids! sub-brand, and an education division (BKBX Education / BKBXEd) that delivers K-12 movement workshops, SEL curricula, and teaching artist training. The company emphasizes accessibility, having introduced Relaxed Performances in 2017 and applying Universal Design for Learning frameworks in its pedagogy, with ASL interpretation and captioned digital content supporting d/Deaf and non-verbal audiences.

BKBX operates from a Brooklyn base at 144 Boerum Street (BCC Pig Pen Theater) and distributes its work through established NYC venues (HERE Arts Center, A.R.T./New York Theatres, La Mama, PAC NYC, NY Public Library), international fringe festivals (Edinburgh, Adelaide), and fee-for-service residencies in schools and community organizations. Revenue is generated across five streams: ticket sales ($15 adults / $10 students), workshop and class fees ($300 for 5-week classes, $100/hour for private lessons, $300 weekend intensives), foundation and government grants (NEA, NYSCA, NYC DCA, Shubert Foundation, Puffin Foundation, Hyde & Watson, Brooklyn Arts Council, Emma Sheafer Fund, Lower Manhattan Community Council), individual donations and peer-to-peer fundraising (the Make 2026 A Reality campaign and annual Black and White Ball), and education partnerships (NYC Department of Education, Boys & Girls Club of Harlem, The Heschel School, Bank Street Head Start). Corporate team-building workshops represent an additional but smaller business line.

The organization is structured as a non-profit governed by a Board of Directors and led by founder Becky Baumwoll as Executive and Artistic Director, with Tasha Milkman as Associate Artistic Director and Nick Abeel as Digital Resource Manager / Chief of Staff. Following 13 years of continuous operation, BKBX presents a durable, niche arts brand with diversified funding, episodic international touring, and a deeper institutional presence in NYC K-12 education rather than rapid scaling.

Name

Broken Box Mime Theater (BKBX)

Legal name

Broken Box Mime Theater

Website

https://brokenboxmime.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Broken Box Mime Theater is a NYC-based non-profit contemporary physical theater company founded in 2011 that produces wordless mime performances, K-12 movement and SEL education programs, and touring shows for arts audiences, families, schools, and corporate clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from mainstage productions, touring shows at fringe festivals, and family performances. Tickets sold through the company's NeonCRM event system and third-party platforms like EdFringe and Adelaide Fringe.
2. Workshop and Class Fees: 5-week physical storytelling workshops at $300 per student, private lessons at $100/hour, weekend intensives at $300, and teaching artist training sessions. Classes held at Brooklyn Comedy Collective and other venues.
3. Foundation and Government Grants: Supported by A.R.T./New York, The Puffin Foundation, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Hyde & Watson Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Brooklyn Arts Council, NYSCA, Lower Manhattan Community Council, Emma Sheafer Fund, and Shubert Foundation. Includes Access A.R.T./New York funding for accessibility programming.
4. Donations and Fundraising: Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns (Make 2026 A Reality), annual Black and White Ball event, and general donations through their NeonCRM platform.
5. Education Program Partnerships: Fee-for-service educational residencies and workshops for NYC Department of Education schools, Boys & Girls Club of Harlem, and other institutional partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Broken Box Mime Theater (BKBX) produces and performs contemporary physical theater productions featuring wordless, movement-based storytelling, and delivers associated educational programming for general audiences, K-12 schools, and corporate clients. Its portfolio includes mainstage narrative productions, touring fringe festival shows, multi-week physical storytelling workshops, weekend intensives, K-12 social-emotional learning residencies, and family programming under the BKBX Kids! sub-brand. The company also licenses its modern mime technique through teaching artist training and corporate team-building workshops.

Product overview

Broken Box Mime Theater (BKBX) is a contemporary physical theater company that offers a portfolio of live performance productions and educational programming. Their main offerings include Mainstage Productions (Take Shape, SKIN, See Reverse, Above Below, Topography, and the upcoming MYTH), touring productions like DOUBLE TAKE, and family programming including BKBX Kids!. Education offerings are delivered through the BKBX Education division and include Physical Storytelling 101 (5-week workshops), All-Levels Weekend Intensives, K-12 workshops, Teaching Artist Training, and Team-Building Professional Development. The company also collaborates with musicians to score productions and offers workshops at Brooklyn Comedy Collective. All offerings center on nonverbal, movement-based storytelling that activates audience imagination without language barriers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BKBX Kids!: Program aims to inspire unplugged creativity in children and families with joyful, movement-based storytelling
• Broken Box Education (BKBXEd)

Products and services

• Physical Storytelling 101 (5-Week Workshop) A 5-week workshop teaching mime technique, physical storytelling, body language, staging metaphor, and devised process. Classes run 3 hours per session and culminate in a class show. Priced at $300 per student, limited to 14 students, with need-based scholarships available. Hosted at Brooklyn Comedy Collective in Brooklyn, NYC, and targeted at adult learners and aspiring performers.
• All-Levels Weekend Intensive A two-day intensive workshop covering technique foundations, invisible object work, physical precision, ensemble stage picture, and transformations. Includes sessions 10a-12:30p and 1:30p-4p daily with a 1-hour lunch break. Priced at $300, with need-based scholarships available. Targeted at adult artists seeking accelerated physical storytelling training.
• BKBX Kids! Family Programming Movement-based storytelling programming for children and families, featuring unplugged creativity and joyful imaginative experiences through shows such as 'Destination: Everywhere' and 'Asks Why.' Includes live family performances, the BKBX Kids YouTube channel with captioned content, and programming at cultural venues such as PAC NYC. Targeted at families with young children seeking screen-free creative entertainment.
• BKBX Education (BKBXEd) Institutional Programs An education division delivering K-12 movement-based storytelling workshops, teaching artist training, and team-building professional development. Programs are designed using Universal Design for Learning, with ASL interpretation, captioning, and tailored resources. Active institutional programs include NYC Department of Education's Big Feelings SEL curriculum, Arthur Miller Foundation Physical Storytelling & Teacher Mentorship, and afterschool mime clubs at Boys & Girls Club of Harlem. Delivered via fee-for-service arrangements to schools and community organizations.
• Take Shape (2022) A mainstage contemporary physical theater production exploring ten stories of emergence and transformation through wordless, movement-based storytelling, accompanied live by resident music collaborator Jack McGuire with rich lighting and textured soundtrack. Targeted at general theatergoing audiences.
• SKIN (2019) A 90-minute mainstage production of all-new original short stories exploring themes of skin, color, consent, border, identity, and transformation through nonverbal storytelling with original music. Targeted at general theatergoing audiences.
• See Reverse (2017) An original mainstage set of short plays ranging from film noir to political protest, featuring dynamic lighting design, original soundtrack, and a designated sensory-friendly Relaxed Performance. Targeted at general and accessible theater audiences.
• Above Below (2015) A mainstage contemporary theater production exploring what is above, what is below, and how we find ourselves in the here and now, set to DJ Christopher Ross's musical stylings. Targeted at general theatergoing audiences.
• Topography (2014) BKBX's first major mainstage production, a living collage exploring the individual in an ever-expanding context and the physical topography of our lives, performed by a 10-person ensemble with quirky humor and heartfelt storytelling. Targeted at general NYC theatergoing audiences.
• MYTH (2026) A forthcoming mainstage longform narrative performance using speculative fiction to explore what we inherit—trauma, wisdom, and the mystery of what lies ahead. Features one show with eight mimes in a single-run format. Targeted at general theatergoing audiences and dedicated BKBX patrons.
• DOUBLE TAKE A wordless touring two-person performance weaving eight short stories exploring what it means to take a closer look, taking audiences on an epic journey from a bus stop to the big bang. Performed internationally at Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Playground 1 at ZOO) and Adelaide Fringe Festival in partnership with Dutch Kills Theater. Targeted at international fringe festival audiences.
• My Little Eye A 40-minute family program designed for children ages 3-9, mixing silent mime stories and spoken narration guided by the character Poppy the Caterpillar. Features three silent stories including tree-climbing, a baking adventure, and an enormous snail. Targeted at families with young children.
• Private Lessons and Custom Workshops Private one-on-one mime and physical storytelling lessons starting at $100 per hour, plus custom corporate team-building workshops (Out of the Box innovation, Communication, Many Voices One Story) arranged via email. Custom-priced under multi-year contracts for corporate clients. Targeted at individual learners and corporate/organizational clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• First Relaxed Performance in 2017 - setting industry standard for accessible mime theater
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• A.R.T./New YorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor supporting organization and producer. BKBX has presented productions at A.R.T./New York Theatres (inaugural season 53rd Street). Access A.R.T./New York provides funding for accessibility programming including ASL interpretation.
• Brooklyn Comedy CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for ongoing BKBX Physical Storytelling 101 classes and advanced workshops. Classes listed in 'Clown' section of their offerings.
• Dutch Kills TheatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for touring DOUBLE TAKE to Adelaide Fringe Festival. Dutch Kills Theater presents the show in Australia.
• Classical Theatre of HarlemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for afterschool mime club at Boys & Girls Club of Harlem, combining BKBX programming with Classical Theatre of Harlem resources.
• White Pines ProductionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSummer residency provider that supported TOPOGRAPHY (2014) development before its run at Wild Project.
• University of Colorado BoulderminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic institution collaboration mentioned in past collaborations list.
• Cambridge UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic institution collaboration mentioned in past collaborations list.
• New York Deaf TheaterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with d/Deaf theater company, supporting accessibility and cross-disability programming.
• BRICminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrooklyn media arts center collaboration mentioned in past collaborations.
• Edinburgh Fringe FestivalcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBKBX performing DOUBLE TAKE at Playground 1 at ZOO for the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
• Adelaide Fringe FestivalcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBKBX performing DOUBLE TAKE at Adelaide Fringe Festival in partnership with Dutch Kills Theater.
• Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPAC Family Day programming featuring BKBX Kids performances and community engagement activities.
• The Tonight Show with Stephen ColbertminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor media appearance providing national exposure for BKBX.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• STREB Extreme Action: NYC-based physical performance company founded by Elizabeth Streb pushing boundaries of human movement, acrobatics, and action. Comparable as a NYC-based experimental physical performance ensemble with educational and family programming.
• Pilobolus: Connecticut-based shadow-dance and physical theater company creating original devised works through collaborative process and touring internationally. Highly comparable: similar ensemble-driven devised creation, wordless/physical storytelling emphasis, and educational outreach programming.
• The Wooster Group: NYC-based experimental theater ensemble creating original devised performances. Comparable as a long-running NYC ensemble pushing theatrical form, though with a spoken-word tradition rather than mime focus.
• Tectonic Theater Project: NYC-based theater company known for devised documentary theater (The Laramie Project). Comparable in devised-process ensemble work and educational programming, though rooted in documentary rather than mime.
• Third Rail Projects: NYC-based immersive and physical theater company (Then She Fell). Comparable as a NYC experimental physical-performance ensemble with devised work and audience-experience-led programming.
• Pig Iron Theatre Company: Philadelphia-based devised physical theater company creating original ensemble works. Comparable in ensemble-driven physical/devised theater practice and education/outreach programming.
• Synetic Theater: Washington DC-based company known for wordless Shakespeare adaptations and physical theater. Direct peer in the niche of wordless/physical storytelling for contemporary audiences with comparable ensemble and education programming.
• Mummenschanz: Swiss mime/mask theater company using object theater and physical storytelling with no spoken language. Closest direct analog to BKBX in mime-theater roots, wordless format, and international touring pedigree.

Broad incumbents

• Cirque du Soleil: Global entertainment company built on wordless physical performance, acrobatics, and theatrical spectacle. Operates at vastly larger scale but shares the wordless/physical storytelling DNA and international touring model.
• Theatre Row / New York Theatre Workshop: Established NYC off-Broadway venues and producers presenting contemporary experimental work. Comparable as a presenter/partner channel rather than a competing ensemble, sharing NYC experimental-theater audience and grant ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCPJrj8MBFW8lYbbS8bhsBvA
• Instagraminstagram.com/wet__hands
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/broken-box-mime-theater

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Broken Box Mime Theater (BKBX)