The Lark Theatre
The Lark Theatre is an OBIE-winning nonprofit international theater laboratory founded in 1994 in New York City that provides free fellowships, workshops, and global exchange programs to playwrights across career stages, funded almost entirely by philanthropic contributions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersNew York City, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Lark Theatre does
The Lark Theatre is a nonprofit international theater laboratory and playwriting development organization founded in 1994 and headquartered in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood. The organization provides comprehensive creative support to playwrights — funding, rehearsal space, collaborators, audiences, professional industry connections, and freedom from commercial pressures — and serves as a peer community for writers developing new work. Its service portfolio spans approximately 20+ initiatives, including the signature annual Playwrights' Week (a seven-day festival of staged readings), the Winter Writers' Retreat, Playground workshops, Roundtables, and a structured fellowship slate (Van Lier New Voices at $35,000 plus a $5,000 Opportunity Fund; Jerome New York Fellowship at $40,000 plus a $5,000 Opportunity Fund; Apothetae and Lark Playwriting Fellowship at $40,000 plus a $5,000 Opportunity Fund and $10,000 Production Enhancement Fund; and the Venturous Playwright Fellowship). The Lark also operates international exchange programs linking U.S. playwrights with counterparts in Mexico, the Middle East, Romania, and Russia.
The organization's business model is structurally donation-dependent: 98% of revenue is sourced from contributed funds (individual donors, family and institutional foundations, and select corporate funders), with no reliance on ticket sales or service fees, and 100% of programs are delivered free of charge to both artists and audiences. Primary funder support comes from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Howard Gilman Foundation, FJC, the Morris and Alma Shapiro Fund, Jerome Foundation, Ford Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York Community Trust, alongside individual leadership donors. On the program side, The Lark served 631 artists (including 79 playwrights) and reviewed 1,245 plays through its open access program in a single season, hosting 31 public events attended by over 2,000 audience members; cumulatively, 155 Lark-developed plays have moved to 261 productions reaching over 765,319 audience members over a three-year window.
The Lark's governance is led by an Executive Director (Stacy Waring), Artistic Director (May Adrales, appointed 2020), Founder & Artistic Director Emeritus (John Clinton Eisner), a Director of Development, Finance Manager, Communications Manager, Director of Scouting & Submissions, and a Board of Trustees that includes active playwrights of national prominence (Katori Hall, David Henry Hwang, Rajiv Joseph). A staff of approximately 10–12 supports the full operations. The organization has no parent, no subsidiaries, and no venture or equity ownership — it operates as an independent 501(c)(3). (Note: scraped web content from larktheatre.org contained unrelated third-party content about online casinos that does not pertain to The Lark's operations and is disregarded for this analysis.)
The Lark Theatre firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Lark Theatre
- Legal name
- Lark Theatre
- Website
- https://larktheatre.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Lark Theatre is an OBIE-winning nonprofit international theater laboratory founded in 1994 in New York City that provides free fellowships, workshops, and global exchange programs to playwrights across career stages, funded almost entirely by philanthropic contributions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Lark Theatre industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Theater / Performing Arts Nonprofit
- NAICS
- Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Fine Arts Schools (61161)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fringe & Experimental Performing Arts (MPAGABAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Theater & Drama Education (Acting, Improvisation, Musical Theater) (EDAMAAAG)
Keywords
Where The Lark Theatre is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Lark Theatre business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Contributed Revenue: The Lark depends on donors for 98% of their revenue. They receive contributions from individual donors, foundation support, and corporate funders. They do not rely on ticket sales or service fees.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Other | All programs free to artists; all public events free to audience |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
The Lark Theatre product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Lark is an OBIE-winning international theater laboratory that provides playwrights with free play development services including funding, rehearsal space, collaborators, audiences, professional connections, and creative freedom. Its portfolio spans fellowships ($35,000–$40,000 awards), core programs (Playwrights' Week, Winter Writers' Retreat, Playground, Roundtables), and international exchanges with playwrights from Mexico, the Middle East, Russia, and Romania. All programs are provided at no charge to artists and all public readings are free to audiences.
Product overview
The Lark is an OBIE-winning international theater laboratory based in New York City that operates as a platform-plus-programs model for playwright development. The organization provides a portfolio of 20+ fellowships, global exchange initiatives, and core programs including Playwrights' Week, the Winter Writers' Retreat, Playground, Roundtables, and the New Black Fest at The Lark. All programs are offered free of charge to artists, with approximately 50 free public events annually for audiences. The fellowship portfolio includes the Van Lier New Voices Fellowship ($35,000), Jerome New York Fellowship ($40,000), Apothetae and Lark Playwriting Fellowship ($40,000 + $10,000 Production Fund), and the Venturous Playwright Fellowship. Global Exchanges connect U.S. playwrights with counterparts in Mexico, the Middle East, Romania, and Russia.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Playwrights' Week
- Van Lier New Voices Fellowship
- Jerome New York Fellowship
- Apothetae and Lark Playwriting Fellowship
- Venturous Playwright Fellowship
- México/U.S. Playwright Exchange
- Middle East/U.S. Playwright Exchange
- Russia/U.S. Playwright Exchange
- Winter Writers' Retreat
- New Black Fest at The Lark
- Apothetae and Lark Initiative
- Apprentice Program
- Free Public Events
Quantifiable outcome
- 155 plays developed moved to 261 productions reaching 765,319+ audience members in 3 years
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Lark Theatre
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Lark Theatre technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Lark Theatre partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- The New Black FestcoreSince 2015, The Lark has partnered with The New Black Fest in its week-long event celebrating and showcasing diverse and provocative work in a festival of Black theater artists from throughout the Diaspora. The program includes talkbacks, panel events, a 10-hour rehearsal process, and public staged readings of plays in progress.
- The ApothetaecoreSince 2015, The Lark has partnered with The Apothetae and its Founding Artistic Director Gregg Mozgala to provide an unprecedented platform of support and advocacy for Disabled artists. The Initiative includes The Apothetae and Lark Playwriting Fellowship, annual national convenings, and a workshop for Disabled writers.
- Over a dozen theaters and universitiescoreThe Lark partnered with over a dozen theaters and universities for play development and production opportunities.
Scale indicators7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Lark Theatre competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Second Stage Theater: Off-Broadway Tony-winning NYC theater producing new works and overlooked classics; significantly larger scale than the Lark but operates in adjacent new-play development terrain.
- Roundabout Theatre Company: Major NYC nonprofit producing on multiple Broadway and off-Broadway stages; broader institutional scope than the Lark but a regular production home for playwrights who pass through NYC development labs.
- Manhattan Theatre Club: Established NYC nonprofit theater presenting new work and classics across multiple stages; broader programming umbrella but overlapping on world-premiere playwright development.
Direct peers
- Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Chicago-based ensemble theater renowned for developing and premiering new plays with a strong artist-driven development culture and alumni playwrights who move work to Broadway—comparable new-play pipeline model in a different market.
- New York Theatre Workshop: Off-Broadway NYC theater that originated Rent and Hadestown; known for developing new plays through workshops and readings with a similar artist-driven, development-first model.
- Playwrights Horizons: NYC theater dedicated to the development and production of new work, with an in-house program for commissioned and incubated playwrights—overlapping new-play pipeline work and Off-Broadway staging.
- Atlantic Theater Company: Off-Broadway NYC theater that produces new plays and develops playwrights through staged readings and workshops; comparable artist-led ethos and off-Broadway scale.
- New Dramatists: NYC-based nonprofit play development organization providing long-term residencies, resources, and staged readings to member playwrights—directly overlapping the Lark's playwright-development mission with comparable fellowship/residency economics.
- Ma-Yi Theater Company: NYC AAPI-focused theater developing and producing new work by Asian American playwrights—comparable equity-driven fellowship/community-development orientation within NYC's new play ecosystem.
- Signature Theatre: New York theater company dedicated exclusively to producing new work and shining a spotlight on a single playwright's body of work per season—comparable focus on new play production and playwright-centered programming, also NYC-based.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Lark Theatre social profiles
Digital presenceThe Lark Theatre financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Lark Theatre leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
The Lark Theatre funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Lark Theatre 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 The Lark Theatre
What does The Lark Theatre do?
The Lark is an OBIE-winning international theater laboratory that provides playwrights with free play development services including funding, rehearsal space, collaborators, audiences, professional connections, and creative freedom. Its portfolio spans fellowships ($35,000–$40,000 awards), core programs (Playwrights' Week, Winter Writers' Retreat, Playground, Roundtables), and international exchanges with playwrights from Mexico, the Middle East, Russia, and Romania. All programs are provided at no charge to artists and all public readings are free to audiences.
Is The Lark Theatre a public or private company?
The Lark Theatre is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Lark Theatre founded?
The Lark Theatre was founded in 1994. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Lark Theatre based?
The Lark Theatre is headquartered in New York City, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Lark Theatre make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Contributed Revenue.
Who are The Lark Theatre's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Second Stage Theater, Roundabout Theatre Company and Manhattan Theatre Club. Direct peers are Steppenwolf Theatre Company, New York Theatre Workshop, Playwrights Horizons, Atlantic Theater Company, New Dramatists, Ma-Yi Theater Company and Signature Theatre.
Does The Lark Theatre have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Lark Theatre.
What industry is The Lark Theatre in?
The Lark Theatre's product category is Theater / Performing Arts Nonprofit. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGABAI, Fringe & Experimental Performing Arts, with a secondary code of EDAMAAAG, Theater & Drama Education (Acting, Improvisation, Musical Theater). Its NAICS code is 71111 and its SIC code is 7990.