Long Beach Playhouse

What Long Beach Playhouse does

Long Beach Playhouse is a California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit community theater founded in 1929 and operating continuously for nearly 95 years. It produces 13 staged productions per year across two purpose-built venues at 5021 E. Anaheim Street: a 200-seat Mainstage Theatre with horseshoe thrust seating, and a 98-seat Studio Theatre configured as a proscenium on the second floor. Programming spans contemporary and classic dramas, comedies, and musicals (e.g., GODSPELL, SWEENEY TODD, A CHRISTMAS CAROL), with the annual holiday run of A Christmas Carol functioning as an audience tradition, and the Studio Theatre presenting more adult-oriented work. The Playhouse serves the Long Beach and broader Southern California community, drawing approximately 20,000 attendees annually and engaging 300+ volunteers per year across ushering, bartending, costume construction, tech, and set building.

The business model blends earned and contributed revenue across seven streams. Earned revenue comes from single-ticket sales at $10–$39 (preview through opening night, with senior/military/student discounts), Mainstage and Studio season subscriptions, the flexible Passport program ($70–$115 for 3–5 ticket packs), annual and monthly memberships (Honorary Producer tier from $1,000), facility and costume rentals, the Studio Collaborative 60/40 revenue-share program for outside companies, command performances for fundraisers, and merchandise (including RedBubble items). Contributed revenue includes individual tax-deductible donations, corporate sponsorships at multiple tiers (Port of Long Beach Platinum Producer; Boeing Honorary Producer; The Temple Family Charitable Foundation Platinum), and institutional grants from the Los Angeles County Department of Arts & Culture and the City of Long Beach through Measure B. A separate "Save My Seat" engraving campaign functions as a capital fundraiser. Distribution runs through an Easy-Ware online ticketing portal, a phone and in-person box office, and an annual audience of ~20,000 across ~50 operating weeks.

Name

Long Beach Playhouse

Legal name

Long Beach Playhouse

Website

https://lbplayhouse.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Long Beach Playhouse is a 501(c)(3) community theater founded in 1929 in Long Beach, California, operating two venues (200-seat Mainstage and 98-seat Studio) that produce 13 shows annually and serve approximately 20,000 attendees through ticket sales, subscriptions, memberships, rentals, and donor support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Theater & Live Performing Arts

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB), Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH)

Keywords

• Community theater productions
• Live theatrical performances
• Theater subscription programs
• Youth theater education
• Performing arts venue rentals

Headquarters

HQ city

Long Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Single tickets and season subscriptions for Mainstage and Studio productions. General admission pricing varies by day (Friday vs weekend) with discounts for seniors, military, and students. Opening night includes champagne reception.
2. Passport Program: Flexible subscription allowing purchase of 3, 4, or 5 tickets at discounted rates. Valid for any shows throughout the year.
3. Memberships: Annual and monthly membership programs offering free drink tickets, members-only events, restaurant discounts, and other perks.
4. Donations and Sponsorships: Individual tax-deductible donations. Corporate sponsorship packages at various levels. Production sponsorships. 'Save My Seat' campaign for seat engraving.
5. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including fridge magnets ($10), mugs ($20), hats ($30), and items through RedBubble platform.
6. Facility Rentals: Studio Collaborative program allowing outside theater companies to produce shows. $150 rental fee per performance from gross ticket sales, with 60/40 split. Costume and prop rentals to other theater companies.
7. Command Performances: Organizations can book private performances of existing productions for fundraisers at discounted bulk rates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Long Beach Playhouse is a community theater organization that produces and stages live theatrical performances across two venues: a 200-seat Mainstage Theatre (thrust stage) and a 98-seat Studio Theatre (proscenium stage). It runs 13 shows per year, sells tickets and subscriptions, offers theater education for adults and youth, rents facilities and costumes to outside companies, and operates a gallery, merchandise store, and New Works Festival.

Product overview

Long Beach Playhouse operates as a community theater with two performance venues: the Mainstage Theatre (200-seat thrust stage) and the Studio Theatre (98-seat proscenium stage). The organization produces 13 shows annually across both theaters, ranging from large-scale Mainstage productions like GODSPELL, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, and SWEENEY TODD to Studio Theatre works including A DOLL'S HOUSE PART 2 and HANGMEN. Beyond productions, the Playhouse offers subscription programs (Passport), education programs for adults and youth, the Studio Collaborative for outside companies, facility and costume rentals, an art gallery, the annual New Works Festival, membership benefits, and volunteer opportunities. The theater operates a box office for ticket sales and maintains an online ticketing portal through Easy-Ware.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mainstage Theatre Productions Live theatrical productions on the 200-seat Mainstage Theatre (thrust stage with horseshoe seating on three sides), including contemporary and classic dramas, comedies, musicals (e.g., GODSPELL, SWEENEY TODD), classics (A CHRISTMAS CAROL, THE CRUCIBLE), mysteries (AND THEN THERE WERE NONE), and contemporary plays (TWO TRAINS RUNNING, BLITHE SPIRIT, GLORIOUS!), open to general audiences.
• Studio Theatre Productions Smaller-scale productions in the 98-seat Studio Theatre (proscenium stage, second floor, no elevator), featuring experimental, contemporary, and adult-oriented works such as A DOLL'S HOUSE PART 2, HANGMEN, and REEFER MADNESS: The Musical, with adult language and themes.
• Passport Subscription Program

Quantifiable outcome

• ~20,000 annual attendees across all productions
• +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

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• JewelBox Children's TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-producing A Chorus Line Teen Edition with Long Beach Playhouse in August 2026. Outside company utilizing Playhouse facilities and audience.
• Costa Mesa PlayhousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner producing POTUS in Studio Theatre. Another Southern California community theater company co-producing with LBP.
• Gazettes.comminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia sponsor providing advertising and promotional support for the theater.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Costa Mesa Playhouse: Southern California volunteer community theater that is already a confirmed collaboration partner on Long Beach Playhouse productions (e.g., POTUS in Studio Theatre), making it the closest direct peer in scale, model, and audience segment.
• International City Theatre: Long Beach-based professional nonprofit theater producing a season of plays and musicals, serving the same Southern California audience as Long Beach Playhouse with overlapping programming categories.
• San Pedro Theatre (Warner Grand Theatre / San Pedro Playhouse): Community theater in the Los Angeles harbor area presenting mainstage productions; comparable volunteer-supported nonprofit model serving a similar Greater Los Angeles audience.
• Glendale Centre Theatre: Long-running Southern California community theater producing a year-round season of plays and musicals; similar operating model, seat count range, and family/youth audience focus.
• Chance Theater: Anaheim Hills-based community theater producing musicals and plays with strong youth education programming; directly comparable in scale, nonprofit structure, and audience demographic to Long Beach Playhouse.

Broad incumbents

• Laguna Playhouse: Historic Orange County regional theater producing mainstage productions, musicals, and youth programs; comparable mission and regional positioning but with larger production budgets and longer-running institutional brand.
• South Coast Repertory: One of Orange County's largest regional theaters producing a full season across multiple stages; a broader incumbent with greater scale, professional casts, and Tony Award recognition that competes for the same regional subscriber base.
• Center Theatre Group: Major Los Angeles performing arts organization operating the Ahmanson, Mark Taper Forum, and Kirk Douglas Theatre; a broad incumbent in the same regional live theater ecosystem though at significantly larger scale and professional production level.
• La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts: Southern California venue presenting a mix of touring Broadway productions and local theater company rentals; overlaps with Long Beach Playhouse on community programming and audience reach in the greater LA area.

Emerging players

• JewelBox Children's Theatre: Children's theater company that is an active co-production partner of Long Beach Playhouse (A Chorus Line Teen Edition, August 2026); comparable in mission focus on youth theater but narrower segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LB_playhouse
• Facebookfacebook.com/194283082249
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/long-beach-playhouse

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 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 Long Beach Playhouse