Clarence Brown Theatre

Name

Clarence Brown Theatre

Legal name

Clarence Brown Theatre

Website

https://clarencebrowntheatre.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts / Live Theatre

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH), Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB), Theater & Drama Education (Acting, Improvisation, Musical Theater) (EDAMAAAG)

Keywords

• Live theatre productions
• Professional performing arts
• Season membership programs
• Venue rental services
• Theatre arts education

Headquarters

HQ city

Knoxville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Ticket Sales: Single tickets sold through Ticketmaster and box office for mainstage productions, Lab Theatre productions, and special performances. Ticket prices vary by production type and performance (preview vs. mainstage).
2. Season Memberships: Classic and Flexible season membership packages offering priority seating, discounted rates, and exclusive member benefits including early access to single tickets and member-only events.
3. CBT Society Membership: Annual membership program at multiple levels ($250-$2,500+) providing VIP benefits including season opening celebrations, NYC theatre trips, first read-throughs, and complimentary tickets/vouchers depending on tier.
4. Marian Brown's Circle: $125 annual membership including personal scripts, literary lunches with artistic team, Marian Brown's Circle tote, website listing, and invitations to Page2Stage events.
5. Corporate Sponsorships: Production sponsorships at various levels linking companies with CBT talent and productions, demonstrating civic leadership and arts support in the Knoxville community.
6. Playbill Advertising: Print and digital advertising in playbills for Clarence Brown Theatre, Jenny Boyd Carousel Theatre, and Lab Theatre productions reaching thousands of patrons.
7. Donations and Fundraising: Donations supporting Jenny Boyd Theatre capital projects, CBT Artists Endowment, Theatre Enrichment Fund, CBTS Scholarship Fund, and in-kind gifts of antique/vintage items.
8. Venue Rentals: Rental of Clarence Brown Theatre and Lab Theatre to outside organizations for dances, lectures, concerts, comedians, coffee houses, receptions, conferences, and other events. Over 40 rental events annually.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Clarence Brown Theatre is a nonprofit professional theatre operating as a department of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, producing live theatrical performances across three venues (Clarence Brown Theatre mainstage, Jenny Boyd Theatre, and Lab Theatre). It offers a seasonal lineup of productions including classics, contemporary works, and musicals, with ticket sales through Ticketmaster and box office, season memberships, educational programs for K-12 schools, venue rentals, and donor membership programs (CBT Society and Marian Brown's Circle).

Product overview

Clarence Brown Theatre is a professional LORT (League of Regional Theatres) company and academic department at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, offering live theatre productions through three venues: the Clarence Brown Theatre main stage (464-550 seats), The Jenny Boyd Theatre (flexible configuration), and The Lab Theatre (125-seat black box). The theatre operates on a seasonal subscription model with Flexible and Classic membership tiers, supplemented by CBT Society and Marian Brown's Circle donor programs. Educational offerings include Season for Youth student matinees and CBT Experiences workshops. Ticket sales are managed exclusively through Ticketmaster, with accessibility programs including Pay What You Can performances and open captioning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Jenny Boyd Theatre: A state-of-the-art, intimate venue with cutting-edge technology. Designed to be reconfigurable into multiple seating styles including in the round, thrust, and traditional proscenium.
• The Lab Theatre
• CBT Society
• Marian Brown's Circle

Products and services

• Clarence Brown Theatre (Main Stage) The primary 464-550 seat proscenium theatre venue on UT campus, hosting mainstage productions including classics, contemporary dramas, and musicals. Productions feature professional actors working with students. Designed for professional-level live theatrical performances.
• The Jenny Boyd Theatre State-of-the-art intimate venue that can be reconfigured into multiple seating styles (in the round, thrust, traditional proscenium). Replaced the Carousel Theatre and serves as the secondary mainstage with cutting-edge technology.
• The Lab Theatre An intimate 125-seat black box theatre serving as the primary space for undergraduate and MFA student productions and smaller-scale works. Functions as both a theatre and classroom space.
• Flexible Membership Season membership offering with flex tickets that can be redeemed for any performance throughout the season. 4-Flex Tickets priced at $168 with optional add-ons for A Christmas Carol and Lab Theatre shows. Includes 10% discount on tickets and exclusive member benefits.
• Classic Membership Traditional 5-Show Package season membership priced at $210 with same seats and performance dates throughout the season. Offers priority seating and lowest rates. No longer available for 2026-2027 season.
• CBT Society Membership Annual donor membership program with tiered benefits at $250-$2,500+ levels including VIP access, behind-the-scenes events, NYC theatre trips, complimentary tickets/vouchers, VIP parking, and Tech-Week Dinner with the Artistic Director.
• Marian Brown's Circle Literary-focused annual membership at $125 including personal scripts of four productions, Marian Brown's Circle tote, website listing, reserved spot at four Literary Lunches with the artistic team, and one guest pass.
• Individual Ticket Sales Single tickets sold through Ticketmaster and box office for mainstage productions, Lab Theatre productions, and special performances. Includes Pay What You Can accessibility performances and UT student/faculty discounted tickets.
• Group Tickets Discounted tickets for groups of 15 or more, with tiered pricing for preview performances ($27 each), mainstage performances ($41 each), and A Christmas Carol ($50 each). Payment in one transaction.
• Season for Youth Student Matinees Daytime performances for K-12 school groups at $6 per student, including study guides and post-performance discussions. One complimentary ticket per 10 student tickets. Tennessee Arts Commission subsidies available for qualifying schools.
• CBT Experiences Educational outreach including virtual and in-person backstage tours, workshops for ELA and drama teachers, facility tours, and acting workshops for young actors.
• Venue Rentals Rental of Clarence Brown Theatre ($525-$750/day) and Lab Theatre ($175-$250/day) to outside organizations for dances, lectures, concerts, comedians, coffee houses, receptions, conferences, and other events. Over 40 rental events annually.
• Corporate Sponsorships Production sponsorships at various levels linking companies with CBT talent and productions, demonstrating civic leadership and arts support in the Knoxville community.
• Playbill Advertising Print and digital advertising in playbills for Clarence Brown Theatre, Jenny Boyd Carousel Theatre, and Lab Theatre productions reaching thousands of patrons. Full page $2,500, Half page $1,500, Quarter page $500, Company Logo $250.
• 2026-2027 Season Productions Eight productions for the 2026-2027 season including Dial M for Murder, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Clyde's, A Christmas Carol, Appropriate, Indoor Cats, What the Constitution Means to Me, and She Loves Me.

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

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Arts and Culture Alliance of Greater KnoxvillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBT participates in the ACA's Penny 4 Arts program, enabling every child in Knox County to attend productions for a penny when accompanied by an adult. The ACA offers various programs supporting the local arts community.
• Tennessee Arts CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides Student Ticket Subsidy (STS) grants for schools to enable students to attend productions. 90% of all arts plate purchases go directly to the Tennessee Arts Commission, which funds programs including STS.
• WBIRminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal NBC affiliate serving as media sponsor providing promotional coverage of productions and community arts reporting.
• Knox NewsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal newspaper providing media sponsorship and arts coverage for CBT productions.
• East Tennessee PBSminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPublic broadcasting station serving as media sponsor for CBT productions.
• WUOTminorGTM or Marketing PartnerUT public radio station (FM 91.9) serving as community partner and media sponsor.
• WUTKminorGTM or Marketing PartnerUniversity of Tennessee student-run radio station (FM 90.3) serving as community partner.
• WDVXminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity radio station (FM 89.9) serving as community arts partner.
• B97.5minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal radio station serving as community partner and media sponsor.
• Pilot Flying JminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor for Dial M for Murder production.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Actors Theatre of Louisville: A LORT professional regional theatre with a multi-venue campus, subscription model, and strong education/outreach programming; directly comparable on LORT scale and audience-development programs.
• Alliance Theatre: A LORT regional theatre located at a university (formerly Georgia Tech) in the Southeast producing a season of plays and musicals; one of the closest direct comps to CBT on geography and university-affiliated LORT structure.
• Steppenwolf Theatre Company: A leading LORT-affiliated professional theatre producing a season of plays and new works with broad donor and subscription support; comparable in mission and operating model to CBT.
• People's Light: A LORT professional theatre with multiple venues, a strong education/outreach arm, and tiered memberships; closely comparable to CBT in operating model and patron-development programs.
• McCarter Theatre Center: A professional LORT theatre at Princeton University with a mainstage season, education programs, and rentals; comparable as a university-affiliated professional theatre in a college-town setting.
• Guthrie Theater: A LORT professional regional theatre with a multi-venue campus serving the Upper Midwest; comparable in scale, LORT membership, multi-tier membership model, and integration with a major producing organization.
• Indiana Repertory Theatre: A LORT regional theatre producing a season of plays and musicals with subscription, donor, and education programming; comparable on size, regional market, and revenue model to CBT.
• Cincinnati Playhouse: A LORT regional theatre with two venues (mainstage and smaller), full subscription and education programming; comparable in LORT scale and Midwest/Southeast regional market dynamics.

Regional players

• Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC): A presenting venue in Nashville that brings touring Broadway and other live productions to Tennessee audiences; comparable regional live-performance programming but as a presenting house rather than a producing LORT theatre.

Others

• Knoxville Symphony Orchestra: A Knoxville-based performing-arts nonprofit sharing the same donor, audience, and corporate-sponsor pool as CBT; not a competitor for programming but competes for ticket, donation, and sponsorship dollars in the East Tennessee market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ClarenceBrownTheatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/clarencebrowntheatre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clarence-brown-theatre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Clarence Brown Theatre