College Light Opera Company

What College Light Opera Company does

College Light Opera Company (CLOC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit summer stock theatre founded in 1969 and based in Falmouth, Massachusetts, where it produces nine fully staged musicals and operettas each season at the 1876 Historic Highfield Theatre. The organization operates an 11-week summer residency from late June through late August, with each production running six performances across Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday evenings plus midweek matinees, totaling 54 performances per season. Each summer CLOC brings in approximately 75 company members in residence, comprising a 32-member vocal company, an 18-piece orchestra, and a 12-member technical and costume crew, alongside a small permanent administrative team led by Executive & Co-Artistic Director Mark A. Pearson and Co-Artistic Director Beth Burrier.

The company's product surface centers on live theatrical performance, with educational training as a parallel value driver: company members learn a new show each week in a weekly-rep format, working alongside Broadway professionals in performance, design, and production roles. Youth-facing extensions include a high school internship program (Footlights, ages 15-18), a Youth Usher Program (ages 10-18), a Youth Artist Program (ages 8-14), and a Young Critics Circle. CLOC owns its West Falmouth campus and rehearsal facilities outright (acquired 1979), removing landlord exposure. Operations run on a standard non-profit SaaS stack — Salesforce Sites, Patron Manager for ticketing, QuickBooks for accounting, Constant Contact for email, and Google Suite for internal workflows — with no proprietary technology or AI components disclosed.

Revenue is generated through a mix of ticketing tiers (Season Subscription at $342 for all 9 titles, Flex Subscription at $200 for 5 of 9, single tickets at $44), group sales, gift certificates, and tax-deductible charitable contributions. The organization participates in the Mass Cultural Council Card to Culture Program, offering 50% off to EBT(DTA), WIC, and ConnectorCare cardholders to broaden accessibility. CLOC is governed by a Board of Trustees (President B. Deborah Cohen, Vice President Scott Pinkney, Treasurer David Cantor) with no outside equity ownership, parent company, or disclosed funding rounds; it operates as an independent mission-driven non-profit with 58 consecutive seasons of operation.

Name

College Light Opera Company

Legal name

College Light Opera Company

Website

https://collegelightoperacompany.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

College Light Opera Company is a 501(c)(3) non-profit summer stock theatre in Falmouth, Massachusetts, producing nine musical theatre and operetta productions per 11-week season at the Historic Highfield Theatre while training 75 college-age artists annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Theatre / Performing Arts

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Musical Theatre (Non-Broadway/Fringe) (MPAGABAG), Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB), Theater & Drama Education (Acting, Improvisation, Musical Theater) (EDAMAAAG)

Keywords

• Summer stock theatre
• Musical theatre productions
• Operetta performances
• Performing arts training
• Live theatre season

Headquarters

HQ city

Falmouth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales - Season Subscriptions: Full season subscriptions offering all 9 shows at a discounted rate with priority seating. Also offers flex subscriptions for 5 of 9 shows with best available seating.
2. Single Ticket Sales: Individual performance tickets sold online, over the phone, and in person at the Highfield Theatre Box Office.
3. Donations and Gifts: As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, CLOC accepts charitable donations. Donations can be made via check, online, stock transfers, and wire transfers.
4. Group Sales: Group sales inquiries handled through a form and box office contact for parties interested in bulk ticket purchases.
5. Gift Certificates: Digital gift certificates available for purchase for single tickets, pairs, flex subscriptions, or full season subscriptions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

College Light Opera Company produces 9 fully staged musical theatre and operetta productions each summer at the historic Highfield Theatre in Falmouth, Massachusetts, across an 11-week season. Each summer, 75 emerging theatre artists (a 32-member vocal company, 18-piece orchestra, and 12-member technical/costume crew) are in residence to perform and rehearse a new production each week. The organization also offers educational programs including a high school internship (Footlights), youth outreach programs, and trains the next generation of musical theatre professionals.

Product overview

College Light Opera Company operates as a single-entity summer stock theatre producing 9 fully staged musical theatre and operetta productions per season. The core product is live theatrical performances at the Highfield Theatre, supported by ticketing tiers (season subscriptions, flex subscriptions, single tickets, gift certificates). Educational programs include a 24-member Vocal Company with intensive training, an 18-piece professional orchestra, and a Design & Production team. Youth outreach encompasses an internship program for high school students, youth usher and artist programs. The organization also accepts donations as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. All offerings are delivered through the company's West Falmouth Campus and Historic Highfield Theatre facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Season Subscription All-inclusive season pass offering access to all 9 productions of the summer season with guaranteed same seat on the same day each week, priority seating over all other ticket holders, and exchange flexibility. Priced at $342 for all 9 titles.
• Flex Subscription Flexible subscription pass allowing selection of 5 of 9 productions with best available seating and priority over single ticket holders. Priced at $200.
• Single Tickets Individual performance tickets priced at $44 each, available for purchase online, by phone, or in person at the Highfield Theatre Box Office. Non-exchangeable and non-refundable.
• Gift Certificates Digital gift certificates available for purchase in denominations for single tickets, pairs, 5-show flex subscriptions, or full season subscriptions.
• Season 58 Productions Nine fully produced musical theatre and operetta productions performed at the Highfield Theatre during the 58th season, including The Sorcerer, 1776, Disney's Frozen, The Secret Garden, The Student Prince, Pippin, The Light in the Piazza, The Drowsy Chaperone, and My Fair Lady.
• High School Internship Program (Footlights) Summer internship program for high school students ages 15-18 offering Performance or Design & Production tracks with hands-on theatre training and mentorship from CLOC company members and staff.
• Donations & Fundraising Tax-deductible charitable contributions to support CLOC as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, including online giving, stock transfers, wire transfers, and ACH options.
• Orchestra Program 18-piece professional orchestra including strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, piano, synthesizer, and harp providing live musical accompaniment for all productions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 75 company members trained annually with hands-on professional experience
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Integration9 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Mass Cultural CouncilminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCLOC participates in the Mass Cultural Council's Card to Culture Program, which enables the organization to offer 50% off discounts to EBT (DTA), WIC, and ConnectorCare cardholders. This partnership increases arts accessibility for low-income Massachusetts residents.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Barrington Stage Company: Pittsfield, MA-based nonprofit regional theatre producing a subscription season of musicals and plays; comparable as a New England regional producing organization with similar educational programming and donor-supported model.
• Pittsburgh CLO: Pittsburgh's nonprofit musical theatre organization combining a summer Broadway-series subscription season with one of the country's oldest pre-professional training programs — the most structurally similar peer to CLOC's "training company + production" hybrid model.
• Cape Rep Theatre: Brewster, MA-based regional theatre producing a summer season of musicals and plays for Cape Cod audiences, with comparable scale, pricing, and seasonal operating pattern to CLOC.
• Williamstown Theatre Festival: Prestigious Berkshire-based summer theatre producing a season of plays and musicals with emerging and Broadway talent — a leading New England summer stock and direct competitive peer for both audiences and audition talent.
• The Fulton Theatre: Lancaster, PA-based producing theatre specializing in large-scale musical productions — comparable as a regional musical-theatre-producing nonprofit with a subscription-driven business model.
• Music Theatre Wichita: Nonprofit regional theatre producing a summer season of four large-scale Broadway musicals with a parallel apprenticeship program — directly comparable as a summer-stock-and-training nonprofit with a similar educational-mission structure.
• Goodspeed Musicals: Connecticut-based nonprofit musical theatre producing new and classic works at the Goodspeed Opera House; comparable as a regional musical-theatre producing nonprofit with similar mission and ticket-based revenue model.
• Glimmerglass Festival: Cooperstown, NY summer opera/musical festival producing four fully staged productions each season with an emerging-artist training program — comparable as a summer-season, training-integrated performing arts nonprofit with a similar repertory cadence.
• Cape Playhouse: Cape Cod's oldest professional summer theatre (Dennis, MA), operating a seasonal professional stock producing musicals and plays with Broadway-caliber casts — the closest geographic and operational peer to CLOC.
• Paper Mill Playhouse: New Jersey-based regional theatre producing a season of musicals with strong educational programming — a comparable mid-sized nonprofit musical theatre with subscriptions, group sales, and donor-supported operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/college-light-opera-company

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 College Light Opera Company