Hip to Hip Theatre Company
Hip to Hip Theatre Company is a non-profit 501(c)(3) founded in 2007 that presents free professional Shakespeare productions and children's theatre workshops in underserved NYC communities, touring two plays to 10-12 outdoor parks annually and serving over 7,000 audience members through public grants, donations, and volunteers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersWoodside, New York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Hip to Hip Theatre Company does
Hip to Hip Theatre Company is a non-profit 501(c)(3) arts organization founded in 2007 by Queens-based actors Jason and Joy Marr, headquartered in Woodside, Queens, New York. It produces and tours free, professional classical theatre — specifically two Shakespeare plays in repertory — to 10-12 outdoor park venues across Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island, Jersey City, and Southampton over a roughly four-week summer season. Its flagship program, "Free Shakespeare in the Parks," draws an annual audience of over 7,000 people. The organization also operates "Kids & the Classics," a free interactive children's workshop offered 30 minutes before each performance for ages 4-12, which has served between 487 and 853 children annually in measured years.
The company's core "technology" is a multi-level modular touring set commissioned in 2013, designed for dynamic outdoor staging across venues with no permanent infrastructure, supplemented by a wireless microphone system acquired in 2012. Operations are supported by four paid key staff (Artistic Director, Managing Director, Associate Artistic Director, Resident Costume Designer) and a volunteer network that assists with acting, sewing, painting, setup, poster distribution, and ushing.
Hip to Hip operates on a grant- and donation-funded revenue model: it receives public funding from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (in partnership with NYC City Council), the NY State Council on the Arts (administered by Queens Council on the Arts, first awarded in 2009), private tax-deductible donations, and corporate sponsorships geared toward production technical elements. All programming is free to the public — no tickets, admission fees, or registration — reflecting the organization's core mission of removing financial barriers to professional theatre in underserved NYC communities. The organization has been recognized by the New York Times as carrying on the legacy of Joseph Papp's free Shakespeare tradition, received a 2016 Citation from the NYC Council for exemplary community service, and is celebrating its 20th anniversary season in 2026.
Hip to Hip Theatre Company firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hip to Hip Theatre Company
- Legal name
- Hip to Hip Theatre Company
- Website
- https://hiptohip.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Hip to Hip Theatre Company is a non-profit 501(c)(3) founded in 2007 that presents free professional Shakespeare productions and children's theatre workshops in underserved NYC communities, touring two plays to 10-12 outdoor parks annually and serving over 7,000 audience members through public grants, donations, and volunteers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Hip to Hip Theatre Company is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Woodside, New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Hip to Hip Theatre Company business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Public Funding: Grants and public funding from New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts (administered by Queens Council on the Arts), and NYC City Council. This has been the primary funding source since 2009.
- Private Donations: Tax-deductible charitable contributions from individuals and corporate sponsors. The organization operates as a non-profit 501(c)(3) arts organization.
- Corporate Sponsorships: Generous sponsorships geared toward technical elements of production and operational support from corporate partners.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free Admission - All Performances |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Hip to Hip Theatre Company product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hip to Hip Theatre Company is a non-profit 501(c)(3) arts organization that produces free, family-friendly, professional touring repertory productions of Shakespeare plays performed in outdoor public parks across New York City's outer boroughs. It complements each performance with a free interactive children's theatre workshop called "Kids & the Classics" designed to introduce children ages 4-12 to classic literature and performance.
Product overview
Hip to Hip Theatre Company is a non-profit 501(c)(3) arts organization serving the New York City area that presents free professional classical theatre in underserved communities. The company operates two core offerings: the 'Free Shakespeare in the Parks' program featuring touring productions of Shakespeare plays to outdoor venues across Queens and surrounding areas, and the companion 'Kids & the Classics' children's workshop designed to introduce young audiences to classic literature and performance. The company was founded in 2007 and celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2026.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Kids & the Classics: Free interactive workshop offered 30 minutes before every performance, designed for children ages 4 to 12, introducing them to classic literature and performance through theatre games and close reading of text.
Products and services
- Free Shakespeare in the Parks Free professional outdoor theatre productions of Shakespeare and other classical plays that tour in repertory to parks throughout NYC's outer boroughs (including Queens, the Bronx, Jersey City, and Southampton), drawing audiences of more than 7,000 annually. All performances are free and open to the public with no tickets required.
- Kids & the Classics Free interactive children's theatre workshop offered 30 minutes before every performance of Free Shakespeare in the Parks, designed for children ages 4-12 and extending participation up to age 14. It introduces young audiences to classic literature through theatre games, character previews, and close reading of Shakespeare texts.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 7,000 annual audience members across 11 park venues
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Hip to Hip Theatre Company
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Hip to Hip Theatre Company technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Hip to Hip Theatre Company partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- NYC Parks DepartmentcorePartnership with NYC Parks Department to host Free Shakespeare in the Park performances at various park venues throughout the five boroughs.
- WNYCminorSelected as participant in WNYC's Salute the Arts outreach program, gaining visibility through the public radio station's community outreach.
- Queens CollegeminorPerformance venue partner hosting Free Shakespeare in the Park at Queens College campus on the quad.
- Socrates Sculpture ParkminorPerformance venue partner in Astoria hosting Macbeth and As You Like It performances.
- Alice Austen HouseminorCultural institution venue partner on Staten Island hosting performance.
- Agawam ParkminorMunicipal park venue partner in Southampton hosting closing weekend performances.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Hip to Hip Theatre Company competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- The Public Theater: The Public Theater runs the iconic Free Shakespeare in the Park at Central Park's Delacorte Theater, founded by Joseph Papp—the tradition Hip to Hip is explicitly positioned as carrying on. It is the established incumbent in NYC free Shakespeare, with far larger resources and reach.
- Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Oregon Shakespeare Festival is a major regional theatre producing a large repertory of Shakespeare and classics annually. While ticketed and at much larger scale, it is a comparable Shakespeare-focused producing organization in the US non-profit theatre landscape.
Direct peers
- Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival: Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival produces professional repertory Shakespeare in outdoor venues regionally. While ticketed (unlike Hip to Hip), it shares the touring outdoor Shakespeare format and repertory two-play model that Hip to Hip employs in Queens.
- Classical Theatre of Harlem: Classical Theatre of Harlem produces free professional Shakespeare productions in New York City parks with a mission of accessibility for underserved audiences. It competes for the same public arts funding pool and serves overlapping outer-borough audiences.
- Shakespeare & Company: Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA produces professional Shakespeare and classics with an education-focused mission, including school outreach programming. Its blend of repertory productions and youth theatre education mirrors Hip to Hip's dual Free Shakespeare and Kids & the Classics model.
- Nashville Shakespeare Festival: Nashville Shakespeare Festival produces free professional outdoor Shakespeare in a regional park setting with associated educational programming. Its free-admission outdoor model and community education focus are structurally similar to Hip to Hip's approach.
- Commonwealth Shakespeare Company: Commonwealth Shakespeare Company presents free Shakespeare on Boston Common with a mission of free access. It is a direct functional peer in free outdoor Shakespeare production for broad public audiences.
- Heart of America Shakespeare Festival: Heart of America Shakespeare Festival in Kansas City produces free professional outdoor Shakespeare productions each summer. The free outdoor format and community-access mission directly mirror Hip to Hip's core model.
- New York Classical Theatre: New York Classical Theatre produces free, professional classical plays in public spaces across NYC parks. Its outdoor free-admission touring Shakespeare model in New York is the closest direct functional analogue to Hip to Hip's Free Shakespeare in the Parks program.
Regional players
- Tennessee Shakespeare Company: Tennessee Shakespeare Company produces professional Shakespeare and education programs regionally in the Southeast. It overlaps with Hip to Hip on repertory Shakespeare plus youth education programming but operates in a different geographic market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Customer concentration
Hip to Hip Theatre Company social profiles
Digital presenceHip to Hip Theatre Company financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hip to Hip Theatre Company leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Hip to Hip Theatre Company funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hip to Hip Theatre 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 Hip to Hip Theatre Company
What does Hip to Hip Theatre Company do?
Hip to Hip Theatre Company is a non-profit 501(c)(3) arts organization that produces free, family-friendly, professional touring repertory productions of Shakespeare plays performed in outdoor public parks across New York City's outer boroughs. It complements each performance with a free interactive children's theatre workshop called "Kids & the Classics" designed to introduce children ages 4-12 to classic literature and performance.
Is Hip to Hip Theatre Company a public or private company?
Hip to Hip Theatre Company is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Hip to Hip Theatre Company founded?
Hip to Hip Theatre Company was founded in 2007. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Hip to Hip Theatre Company based?
Hip to Hip Theatre Company is headquartered in Woodside, New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hip to Hip Theatre Company make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Public Funding is the primary driver. The others are private Donations and corporate Sponsorships.
Who are Hip to Hip Theatre Company's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are The Public Theater and Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Direct peers are Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Classical Theatre of Harlem, Shakespeare & Company, Nashville Shakespeare Festival, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Heart of America Shakespeare Festival and New York Classical Theatre. Tennessee Shakespeare Company is listed as a regional player.
Does Hip to Hip Theatre Company have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hip to Hip Theatre Company.