Name

CO_LAB Theater Group

Legal name

CO_LAB Theater Group Inc

Website

https://colabtheatergroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters through online donation portal. Monthly giving program available. Donors can dedicate gifts in honor or memory of someone.
2. Foundation and Corporate Grants: Funding from foundations including The Common Sense Fund, The Shapiro Family Foundation, The Drueding Foundation, Impact 100 NYC, The JE & ZB Butler Foundation, The Laura B. Vogler Foundation, Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation, The Slomo and Cindy Silvian Foundation, Lily Auchincloss Foundation, New York Community Trust, Stavros Niarchos Foundation, TD Charitable Foundation, and Louchheim Foundation.
3. Government Grants: Public funding from New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
4. Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate sponsorships for events and programs. Current 2025/26 Encore Sponsor is Ascent Physical Therapy.
5. Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Contributions: Donors can recommend grants directly through the donation portal using their existing DAF accounts, supporting one-time or monthly contributions.
6. Program Fees (Minimal): CO_LAB Core classes are free or low-cost. Weekly classes require a $100 refundable deposit. Spotlight Workshops and Preview Classes have small fees ($10). Summer Snapshot Series is a flat $10 fee. Fee waivers available for financial hardship.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CO_LAB Theater Group delivers weekly theater arts classes and performance programs for individuals with developmental disabilities in New York City. Its core offerings include CO_LAB Core classes (Act One, Act Two, Act Three ensemble tracks), CO_LAB Tours (school touring performances), CO_LAB Connect (off-site programming at partner facilities), CO_LAB Leaders (artistic leadership development), and CO_LAB Encore (Off-Broadway show partnerships), supplemented by Preview Classes, Spotlight Workshops, and the Summer Snapshot Series.

Product overview

CO_LAB Theater Group is a non-profit theater organization (not a software company) providing creative opportunities through theater arts for individuals with developmental disabilities. The organization operates a multi-tiered program architecture centered on CO_LAB Core weekly classes, which include Act One (introductory), Act Two (skill-deepening), and Act Three (advanced year-long production) tracks. Additional programs include CO_LAB Tours (school touring initiative), CO_LAB Leaders (leadership development), CO_LAB Connect (off-site programming), and CO_LAB Encore (Off-Broadway partnerships). Single-session offerings include Preview Classes, Spotlight Workshops, and the Summer Snapshot Series. The organization produces original theatrical works including puppetry productions and musical theater productions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CO_LAB Core CO_LAB's flagship weekly theater class program for individuals with developmental disabilities, offering ensemble-focused curriculum (Act One introductory, Act Two skill-deepening, Act Three year-long advanced production) for youth ages 10-17 and adults 18+. Each class is staffed with two Teaching Artists and 4-6 Supporting Artists creating a 2:1 participant-to-artist ratio.
• CO_LAB Tours Professional touring initiative bringing original theater created and performed by adult artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities directly into NYC schools serving students with I/DD. Includes a 30-minute live assembly-style performance with pre-show materials and cast talkback/touch tour, plus optional add-on workshops. Priced at $1,500 per performance with subsidies being sought for the 2026/27 school year.
• CO_LAB Connect Off-site programming that brings CO_LAB Teaching and Supporting Artists directly to partner facilities including day habilitation programs, residence homes, schools, cultural organizations, and community centers across all five boroughs of New York City.
• CO_LAB Leaders Leadership program that prepares CO_LAB actors to be artistic mentors, model positive leadership, and serve as ambassadors and advisors to the organization's leadership team. Leaders also participate in community programs such as Camp BlueLAB in partnership with Bluelaces Theater Company.
• CO_LAB Encore Exclusive workshops and show outings that bring theater magic to life through partnerships with Off-Broadway venues, offering participants special behind-the-scenes and show-going experiences.
• Preview Classes 90-minute introductory workshops for new actors to familiarize them with CO_LAB tools and methodology before joining semester classes. Priced at $10 per person.
• Spotlight Workshops Single-session workshops offered periodically throughout each semester covering specific theater or performance styles such as Improv, On-Camera Acting, and Hip-Hop. Priced at $10 per workshop.
• Summer Snapshot Series Drop-in summer classes with theater games and activities for both returning CO_LAB actors and newcomers to try the program. Four 2-hour sessions on Wednesdays in July at 520 8th Ave. Flat $10 fee regardless of how many classes attended, with fee waivers available.
• The Fabulist: Tales from The Hearth CO_LAB's 2025-26 puppetry production featuring rod puppets, shadows, and hand puppets devised by the Act III Puppetry ensemble, performed at wild project.
• There Used To Be a Forest Here Original musical theater production about an ancient forest with talking trees and woodland creatures, featuring book, music, and lyrics by David Lancelle and Patrick Thompson, performed at A.R.T./NY Theatres.
• CO_LABaret Benefit Signature annual benefit event featuring performances by CO_LAB actors and Teaching Artists, headlined by professional performers, held at the Laurie Beechman Theater to drive awareness and fundraising for the organization.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 individuals with developmental disabilities reached since 2011
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Bluelaces Theater CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered to develop Camp BlueLAB, a two-week summer program for young actors. CO_LAB Leaders served as camp counselors for youth actors with disabilities, creating meaningful mentorship opportunities.
• ART/NY StudioscoreOthersMain venue partner providing classroom and performance spaces at 520 8th Avenue (Midtown) and 138 S. Oxford St (Fort Greene, Brooklyn). Hosts CO_LAB Core classes and various performances.
• wild projectcoreOthersPerformance venue partner for CO_LAB puppetry productions including 'The Sensational Senses' and 'The Fabulist: Tales from The Hearth'. Fully wheelchair accessible venue.
• The Laurie Beechman TheatermajorOthersPerformance venue hosting the annual CO_LABaret benefit. Located at 407 West 42nd Street, NYC.
• A.R.T./NY TheatresmajorOthersPerformance venue for musical theater productions and benefit events including the Mezzanine Theatre at 502 West 53rd Street.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Mind's Eye Poetry & Productions: Community arts organization working with people with developmental disabilities through poetry, performance, and storytelling; comparable as a developmentally-disabled-focused arts nonprofit but with a different artistic modality.

Direct peers

• National Disability Theatre: Disability-led theater network producing work featuring disabled artists; comparable in mission and in running training/development pathways, but operates nationally rather than NYC-only.
• Axis Dance Company: Oakland-based integrated dance company creating work with disabled and non-disabled performers; comparable as a professional performing-arts company centered on disabled artists, but in dance rather than theater.
• Theater Breaking Through Barriers (TBTB): NYC-based Off-Broadway theater company led by artists with disabilities producing work that challenges stereotypes; directly comparable in being a professional disability-led producing organization in the same city.
• The Miracle Project: Inclusive theater and expressive arts program serving individuals with and without disabilities including autism; comparable in mission (theater as vehicle for self-expression for people with disabilities) but operates in Los Angeles rather than NYC.
• Bluelaces Theater Company: NYC-based theater company creating original, multisensory work for and with performers with and without disabilities; an explicit CO_LAB partner (Camp BlueLAB) and the most directly comparable peer in mission, programming model, and geography.
• Phamaly (formerly Physically Handicapped Actors & Musical Artists League): Denver-based disability theater company producing professional theatrical work with actors with disabilities; comparable as a disability-led professional theater organization, though geographically separate.
• EPIC Players: NYC nonprofit theater company producing inclusive work with artists with and without disabilities; directly comparable as a peer NYC organization creating original disability-inclusive productions.

Others

• Creative Arts Team (CAT) at NYU: NYU-based theater-in-education program that partners with schools and community organizations to deliver participatory drama to underserved NYC youth; comparable as a NYC theater-arts-education nonprofit serving marginalized communities, though focused on general youth rather than I/DD.

Broad incumbents

• TDF (Theatre Development Fund): NYC-based nonprofit dedicated to accessibility in theater, including programs for audiences and artists with disabilities; overlapping mission of accessibility in the arts but a much larger, broader organization rather than a producing company.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/colabtheatergroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/colabtheatergroup
• Instagraminstagram.com/colabtheatergroup

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 CO_LAB Theater Group