Crowded Fire Theater Company
Crowded Fire Theater Company is a San Francisco nonprofit theater that develops and presents contemporary new plays at its Potrero Stage venue and supports playwrights, designers, and performers through programs including the R&D Lab, Matchbox Reading Series, Audition Intensive, and Ignite Fund.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Crowded Fire Theater Company does
Crowded Fire Theater Company is a nonprofit theater organization founded operationally in 1997 (officially incorporated in 2002) and headquartered at the Potrero Stage venue, 1695 18th St, San Francisco, CA. The company develops and presents new plays that center diverse voices, and supports playwrights, designers, technicians, and performers through a portfolio of artist development programs including the Resilience & Development (R&D) Lab (a 4-playwright, 2-year cohort incubator first envisioned in 2017 and currently in its fourth cohort), the Matchbox Reading Series, the Audition Intensive, the Solo Performance Intensive, and the Ignite Fund for designers and technicians. Core productions run at the dedicated Potrero Stage venue, with co-productions such as A Festival of Palestinian Art with Golden Thread Productions (April 9-19, 2026) and a 2026 season including In Tandem: Two New Works on Transfuturist Visions and Manning.
The organization operates under a shared leadership / Co-Executive Director model, with three co-directors as of 2025 — Riley Alyson (Production & Management), Nailah Harper-Malveaux (Artistic & Connectivity), and Julie McCormick (Finance & Fundraising) — supported by a small staff of approximately 10-15 plus resident artists. Distribution combines box office direct sales at the Potrero Stage physical venue with a video-on-demand streaming storefront on AnyWhereSeat for global virtual access, plus accessibility-led services (ASL interpretation via Velvet Hands, audio description and haptic tours via Gravity Access Services, and NOTAFLOF ticketing). Marketing and audience development are handled through email newsletter, Facebook, Instagram, and the crowdedfire.org website, with consistent press coverage from Bay Area outlets including the SF Chronicle, SF Examiner, SF Weekly, and Theater Dogs.
The revenue model is a mix of earned and contributed income typical of US mid-sized regional theaters: sliding-scale ticket sales ranging from $25 (Community Ticket Price) to $100 (True Cost), Pay What You Can preview tickets starting at $1, individual donations and fundraising campaigns, and artist and workshop fees (with a disclosed $21/hour minimum for contracted performers and $70,304 annual floor for Co-Executive Directors). Crowded Fire serves four primary customer segments — Bay Area theater audiences (primary), playwrights and theater makers (primary), BIPOC artists and theatermakers (secondary), and accessibility-focused patrons (secondary) — within an overwhelmingly regional San Francisco Bay Area footprint, with virtual distribution extending potential reach nationally and globally.
Crowded Fire Theater Company firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Crowded Fire Theater Company
- Legal name
- Crowded Fire Theater Company
- Website
- https://crowdedfire.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Crowded Fire Theater Company is a San Francisco nonprofit theater that develops and presents contemporary new plays at its Potrero Stage venue and supports playwrights, designers, and performers through programs including the R&D Lab, Matchbox Reading Series, Audition Intensive, and Ignite Fund.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Crowded Fire Theater Company industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Performing Arts / Theater
- NAICS
- Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Performing Arts Companies (7111)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB)
Keywords
Where Crowded Fire Theater Company is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Crowded Fire Theater Company business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Sliding scale ticket sales from $25 (Community Ticket Price) to $100 (True Cost), with Pay What You Can options for previews.
- Donations and Fundraising: Accepts donations to support the creation of new theatrical works and artist programs.
- Artist Fees and Workshop Fees: Minimum artist compensation of $21 per hour for contracted performers and creators.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Community Ticket Price |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | True Cost Ticket |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Pay What You Can Preview |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Artist Compensation Minimum |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Part-time Staff Compensation |
| Unit Pricing | Annual | Co-Executive Director Salary |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Crowded Fire Theater Company product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Crowded Fire Theater Company produces and stages live theatrical works, with a stated emphasis on new and contemporary plays. In parallel, it runs artist development programs that support playwrights, directors, and other theater makers through residencies, workshops, and developmental readings. Its primary deliverable is the in-person theatrical experience paired with structured support for emerging and established theater artists.
Product overview
Crowded Fire Theater Company is a nonprofit theater organization offering a portfolio of theatrical products and artist development programs. Core offerings include mainstage productions at Potrero Stage in San Francisco, the annual Matchbox Reading Series for new play development, and co-produced festivals like the Festival of Palestinian Art. The company supports artists through several programs: the Resilience & Development (R&D) Lab playwrighting incubator, Audition Intensive, Solo Performance Intensive, and the Ignite Fund grants for designers and technicians. Accessibility services include video-on-demand streaming, ASL interpretation, audio description, and haptic tours.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Resilience & Development (R&D) Lab: Playwright-centered artistic incubator focusing on development of new plays and cultivating playwrights as holistic and interdisciplinary artists
- Matchbox Reading Series
- Ignite Fund
- Audition Intensive
- Solo Performance Intensive
Products and services
- Live theatrical productions Staged live theatrical performances — primarily new and contemporary plays — produced and presented by the company for Bay Area audiences in its San Francisco venue(s).
- Artist development and residency programs Structured programming — including residencies, workshops, and readings — that supports playwrights, directors, and theater makers in developing new work. Targeted at emerging and established theater artists, particularly those based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Quantifiable outcome
- 25+ years of operation developing new plays and supporting artists
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Crowded Fire Theater Company
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Crowded Fire Theater Company technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Crowded Fire Theater Company partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Golden Thread ProductionscoreCo-produced 'A Festival of Palestinian Art' (April 9-19, 2026) featuring Palestinian voices and stories in theater, film, and stand-up comedy, presented at Potrero Stage.
- Gravity Access ServicescorePartnership for live Audio Description and Haptic Access Tours for visually impaired audience members attending performances.
- Velvet HandscoreASL-interpreted performances partnership providing American Sign Language theatrical interpretation for Deaf and Hard of Hearing audiences.
- Magic TheatreminorPartner in anti-racist train-the-trainer program to support equity initiatives across Bay Area theaters.
- Playwrights FoundationcoreLiterary partner receiving script submissions and new play development referrals, contributing to playwright pipeline.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Crowded Fire Theater Company competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Berkeley Repertory Theatre: One of the largest regional theaters in the Bay Area, operating the Peet's Theatre and Roda Theatre. Comparable in mission around new work but with substantially larger scale, multiple venues, and broader programming mix including classics and musicals.
- TheatreWorks Silicon Valley: Silicon Valley-based LORT theater producing new works and musicals with a larger budget and broader subscriber base. Comparable mission around new play development but at substantially greater scale and geographic reach within Northern California.
- American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.): Long-established San Francisco theater company with a mainstage season and MFA training program. Operates at significantly larger scale than Crowded Fire but serves overlapping Bay Area theater audiences with a mix of classical and contemporary work.
Direct peers
- Golden Thread Productions: San Francisco-based nonprofit theater company focused on Middle Eastern voices and stories. Direct co-production partner with Crowded Fire on Festival of Palestinian Art (April 2026), and operates from the same Potrero Stage venue.
- San Francisco Playhouse: San Francisco mid-size nonprofit theater producing a mix of new works, classics, and musicals. Comparable scale and Bay Area audience overlap, though with a more commercially oriented programming mix than Crowded Fire's new-play focus.
- Magic Theatre: San Francisco-based nonprofit theater company focused on developing and producing new plays, often featuring diverse voices and experimental work. Already a direct partner of Crowded Fire in anti-racist training, both serve the same Bay Area new-play ecosystem with similar artistic missions.
- Custom Made Theatre Company: San Francisco mid-size nonprofit theater producing new works, classics, and musicals. Operates from a similar intimate venue scale and serves the same Bay Area audience base as Crowded Fire.
- Lorraine Hansberry Theatre: San Francisco nonprofit theater focused on work by and about Black artists. Comparable in mission to amplify underrepresented voices in theater, with overlapping Bay Area audience and similar small-to-mid scale operations.
Emerging players
- Playwrights Foundation: Bay Area nonprofit literary organization supporting new play development through programs like the Resident Playwright and Launch Award (recently given to Crowded Fire's Star Finch). Direct literary partner feeding Crowded Fire's R&D Lab pipeline.
Regional players
- Center Repertory Company: Walnut Creek-based East Bay regional theater with comparable scale and new-work programming focus. Operates in a different sub-region of the Bay Area than Crowded Fire's San Francisco base but serves overlapping audiences from the broader East Bay community.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Crowded Fire Theater Company social profiles
Digital presenceCrowded Fire Theater Company financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Crowded Fire Theater Company leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Crowded Fire Theater Company funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Crowded Fire Theater Company M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Crowded Fire Theater Company
What does Crowded Fire Theater Company do?
Crowded Fire Theater Company produces and stages live theatrical works, with a stated emphasis on new and contemporary plays. In parallel, it runs artist development programs that support playwrights, directors, and other theater makers through residencies, workshops, and developmental readings. Its primary deliverable is the in-person theatrical experience paired with structured support for emerging and established theater artists.
Is Crowded Fire Theater Company a public or private company?
Crowded Fire Theater Company is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Crowded Fire Theater Company founded?
Crowded Fire Theater Company was founded in 2002. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Crowded Fire Theater Company based?
Crowded Fire Theater Company is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Crowded Fire Theater Company make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are donations and Fundraising and artist Fees and Workshop Fees.
Who are Crowded Fire Theater Company's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Berkeley Repertory Theatre, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley and American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.). Direct peers are Golden Thread Productions, San Francisco Playhouse, Magic Theatre, Custom Made Theatre Company and Lorraine Hansberry Theatre. Playwrights Foundation is listed as an emerging player. Center Repertory Company is listed as a regional player.
Does Crowded Fire Theater Company have an API?
No public API is recorded for Crowded Fire Theater Company.
What industry is Crowded Fire Theater Company in?
Crowded Fire Theater Company's product category is Performing Arts / Theater. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJAFAB, Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts, with a secondary code of MPAGALAB, Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses). Its NAICS code is 71111 and its SIC code is 7900.