Trustus Theatre
Trustus Theatre is a nonprofit regional professional theatre in Columbia, SC operating two venues (132-seat and 50-seat) that produces 10-12 contemporary and original plays per season, reaching 14,000+ patrons annually through subscriptions, ticket sales, sponsorships, donations, and pre-professional youth training programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersColumbia, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Trustus Theatre does
Trustus Theatre is a privately held nonprofit regional professional theatre founded in 1985 by Kay and Jim Thigpen and headquartered at 520 Lady Street in the Congaree Vista district of Columbia, South Carolina. The organization operates two performance venues — the 132-seat Thigpen Main Stage and the intimate 50-seat Trustus Side Door Theatre — and currently produces Season 42 ("Unmasked"), running 10-12 productions annually that draw 14,000+ patrons. Programming emphasizes contemporary and original works examining 21st-century humanity, supported by long-running development programs including the Playwrights' Festival (since 1988), which develops one new play annually for mainstage production, and the Apprentice Company (since 1989), which provides pre-professional theatre training to high school and college students.
The business model combines multiple revenue streams: ticket sales (individual and subscription), corporate sponsorship at tiered levels, program advertising in playbills reaching 14,500+ patrons, bar concessions, and contributed revenue through the Producers' Circle annual fund and a "Building for the Future" capital campaign launched in 2024. Season subscriptions are priced at $225 (Premium), $200 (Regular Adult), and $185 (Military/Senior/Student), with a separate $50 Side Door subscription, offering up to 25% savings over single-ticket pricing. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via a box office and Booktix.com online storefront, supported by email, social media, and community partnerships with organizations such as Richland Library and the Columbia Museum of Art.
The company is governed by a Board of Directors and led by Executive Artistic Director Kelsey Mesa and Co-Artistic Director Dewey Scott-Wiley, supported by a 16-person staff. Beyond ticketed productions, the portfolio includes the Trustus Cabaret Series, The Mothers Comedy Group (a resident improv/sketch troupe winning Free Times' "Best Local Comedy or Improv Group" every year since 2020), and the Vista Queen drag fundraising competition. The organization maintains an active DEI initiative and partners with the South Carolina Arts Commission and League of Women Voters on community programming.
Trustus Theatre firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Trustus Theatre
- Legal name
- Trustus Theatre
- Website
- https://trustus.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Trustus Theatre is a nonprofit regional professional theatre in Columbia, SC operating two venues (132-seat and 50-seat) that produces 10-12 contemporary and original plays per season, reaching 14,000+ patrons annually through subscriptions, ticket sales, sponsorships, donations, and pre-professional youth training programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Trustus Theatre industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Performing Arts & Live Theatre
- NAICS
- Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB), Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM), Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)
Keywords
Where Trustus Theatre is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Columbia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Trustus Theatre business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales - Individual Shows: Individual tickets for Mainstage productions and Side Door shows sold through Booktix.com and box office
- Season Subscriptions: Season subscription packages offering 6 Mainstage shows with savings up to 25%, with tiered pricing for Premium ($225), Regular Adult ($200), and discounted rates for Military/Senior/Student ($185)
- Corporate Sponsorship: Season sponsorship packages at multiple tiers providing preview evenings, complimentary tickets, program recognition, social media mentions, and backstage tours. Trustus performs 10-12 shows per season reaching 14,000 patrons annually.
- Program Advertising: Advertisements in Trustus Theatre playbills distributed to over 14,500 patrons attending shows at the Thigpen Mainstage theatre
- Donations and Annual Fund: Tax-deductible donations through Producers' Circle monthly/quarterly giving program supporting annual fund for producing full season of award-winning work
- Bar Concessions: Beverage sales at performances, with Premium subscription including complimentary beverage per show
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Premium Pass - Full season with bar benefit |
| Subscription | Annual | Regular Adult Pass - Standard full season subscription |
| Subscription | Annual | Regular Side Door Pass - Intimate venue subscription |
| Subscription | Annual | Military/Senior/Student Pass - Discounted subscription |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Trustus Theatre product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Trustus Theatre produces and presents live professional theatrical performances across two venues — the 132-seat Thigpen Main Stage and the 50-seat Side Door Theatre — in Columbia, SC. The organization offers season subscriptions to its Mainstage series (six shows per season), individual tickets, comedy and cabaret programming, and runs the Apprentice Company pre-professional training program and the annual Playwrights' Festival for new play development.
Product overview
Trustus Theatre operates as a performing arts organization with two core venue products: the 132-seat Thigpen Main Stage for mainstage theatrical productions and the 50-seat Side Door Theatre for intimate/experimental work. The company offers seasonal subscription packages (Regular Adult, Premium, and Military/Senior/Student tiers) providing access to six mainstage shows per season. Supporting programs include the Apprentice Company (pre-professional training for high school/college students), the Playwrights' Festival (annual new play development), Trustus Cabaret Series performances, and The Mothers Comedy Group (improv/sketch comedy). The company also generates revenue through corporate sponsorship programs and playbill advertising. Current Season 42 is titled 'Unmasked' and features productions including Cabaret, Cult of Love, Dear Evan Hansen, Fat Ham, Jagged Little Pill, The Niceties, and The Shark is Broken.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Trustus Side Door Theatre: Intimate performance venue operated by Trustus Theatre with seating for approximately 50 guests, hosting smaller productions and the Side Door Series.
- Trustus Thigpen Mainstage
Products and services
- Thigpen Main Stage Productions Mainstage theatrical productions at the 132-seat Thigpen Main Stage venue featuring contemporary plays and musicals that examine humanity in the 21st Century. Includes Season 42 productions such as Cabaret, Cult of Love, Dear Evan Hansen, Fat Ham, Jagged Little Pill, The Niceties, and The Shark is Broken.
- Trustus Side Door Theatre Intimate theatrical performances in the 50-seat Side Door Theatre venue featuring experimental and alternative programming.
- Season Subscriptions Subscription packages offering tickets to all six Season 42 Mainstage Shows with savings up to 25%, available in Premium ($225), Regular Adult ($200), and Military/Senior/Student ($185) tiers. Premium includes a complimentary bar beverage at each show.
- Side Door Subscription Subscription offering one ticket to both Side Door shows for $50, with a $10 discount when combined with another Mainstage subscription.
- Trustus Apprentice Company Pre-professional theatre training program for high school and college students offering instruction from practicing theatre professionals and the creation of original showcase productions on the Thigpen Mainstage. Supported by South Carolina Arts Commission grants.
- Playwrights' Festival Annual new play development festival that selects one new play for full mainstage production, welcoming national submissions from playwrights with small casts and modest design needs.
- Trustus Cabaret Series Musical cabaret performances featuring Trustus artists and guest performers, including holiday-themed shows such as 'We Need a Little Christmas Cabaret'.
- The Mothers Comedy Group Resident improv and sketch comedy group performing regularly at Trustus Theatre with weekly shows and special events, featuring graduates of improv training programs. Awarded 'Best Local Comedy or Improv Group' by Free Times readers every year since 2020.
- Vista Queen Annual lip sync and drag competition event featuring local teams coached by Columbia drag queens, raising funds for the theatre.
Companies that use Trustus Theatre
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Trustus Theatre technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Trustus Theatre partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Richland LibraryminorCommunity partnership hosting recurring events and programming featuring The Mothers comedy group and other Trustus programming.
- New South Comedy FestivalminorThe Mothers Comedy Group featured twice at the festival, providing exposure and collaborative opportunities.
- Columbia Museum of ArtminorThe Mothers comedy group has performed at the museum as part of community programming.
- League of Women VotersminorPartnership for virtual production 'Something to Vote For: A Celebration of the 2020 Women's Vote Centennial'.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Trustus Theatre competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Round House Theatre: A regional professional theatre in Bethesda, MD producing a subscription season of contemporary plays and musicals, with educational programming for youth and active community engagement initiatives similar to Trustus's Apprentice Company.
- San Jose Stage Company: A regional professional theatre in San Jose, CA operating in an intimate venue with subscription-based ticketing and a season of contemporary plays and musicals — closely comparable in scale and operational model to Trustus.
- Everyman Theatre: A regional professional theatre in Baltimore operating an intimate single-venue model with subscription-based ticketing and a focus on producing contemporary work — closely comparable in scale and operating philosophy to Trustus.
- Capital Repertory Theatre: A LORT regional theatre in Albany, NY producing a multi-show season in an intimate venue with subscription ticketing, comparable in scale, programming mix, and reliance on local/regional audiences to Trustus.
- Riverside Theatre (Iowa): A regional theatre in Iowa City producing a season of plays and musicals with subscription ticketing and education programs, comparable in size and operating model to Trustus.
- Village Theatre: A regional professional theatre in Issaquah/Issaquah, WA that produces mainstage musicals and plays in multiple venues of comparable size to Trustus, with similar subscription, education, and new-work development programming.
Others
- South Carolina Arts Commission: The state arts funding agency that provides grant support to Trustus's Apprentice Company program. While not a producing peer, it is the principal public funding ecosystem participant for Trustus's educational programming and is relevant as an adjacent enabling organization.
- Playwrights' Center: A Minneapolis-based new-play development organization running playwriting labs and festivals. While not a producing theatre, it is thematically comparable to Trustus's Playwrights' Festival as a developer of new theatrical work and a national submission platform.
Broad incumbents
- Actors Theatre of Louisville: A larger and more nationally prominent regional theatre known for its Humana Festival of New American Plays — comparable to Trustus in its commitment to new-play development but operating at significantly greater scale and recognition.
- Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company: A larger Washington, DC-based regional theatre producing contemporary and provocative work in an intimate venue, comparable in artistic philosophy to Trustus but with significantly broader national profile and larger operating budget.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Trustus Theatre social profiles
Digital presenceTrustus Theatre financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Trustus Theatre leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Trustus Theatre subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Trustus Theatre funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Trustus 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 Trustus Theatre
What does Trustus Theatre do?
Trustus Theatre produces and presents live professional theatrical performances across two venues — the 132-seat Thigpen Main Stage and the 50-seat Side Door Theatre — in Columbia, SC. The organization offers season subscriptions to its Mainstage series (six shows per season), individual tickets, comedy and cabaret programming, and runs the Apprentice Company pre-professional training program and the annual Playwrights' Festival for new play development.
Is Trustus Theatre a public or private company?
Trustus Theatre is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Trustus Theatre founded?
Trustus Theatre was founded in 1985. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Trustus Theatre based?
Trustus Theatre is headquartered in Columbia, United States, in the North America region.
How does Trustus Theatre make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales - Individual Shows are the primary driver. The others are season Subscriptions, corporate Sponsorship, program Advertising, donations and Annual Fund and bar Concessions.
Who are Trustus Theatre's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Round House Theatre, San Jose Stage Company, Everyman Theatre, Capital Repertory Theatre, Riverside Theatre (Iowa) and Village Theatre. Others are South Carolina Arts Commission and Playwrights' Center. Broad incumbents are Actors Theatre of Louisville and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.
Does Trustus Theatre have an API?
No public API is recorded for Trustus Theatre.
What industry is Trustus Theatre in?
Trustus Theatre's product category is Performing Arts & Live Theatre. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGABAH, Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama), 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.