Outside In Theatre

What Outside In Theatre does

Outside In Theatre is a 501(c)(3) non-profit theatre company founded in 2021 by Daniel Blinkoff and Tamlyn Tomita, headquartered at 5317 York Blvd in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. The organization operates across three programming pillars: Scripted Productions (new play development, world premieres, and LA premieres in the ArtSpace main theatre); Unscripted Productions (long-form improv, audience-participation formats like Virtuoso and Austensibly Jane, and genre-specific shows); and Digital Programming (podcasts, live-streamed performances, and the Digital Playhouse short film initiative). A training arm offers drop-in improv classes, intermediate-to-advanced courses (Improvised Horror Storytelling, Scene Study, the R.O.P.E. Series), and Viewpoints & Suzuki workshops delivered in partnership with SITI Company. Ancillary revenue and community infrastructure include the 35-seat ArtBox black box studio (available for rental), The Lobby cafe and community lounge, and accessible accommodations including wheelchair access, ASL interpretation, and sensory-friendly performances.

The business model is a hybrid non-profit structure combining earned revenue from ticket sales (general admission $10-$45 with senior/student/Highland Park resident discounts and pay-what-you-can options), training class fees ($20 drop-in to $550 advanced courses), and ArtBox space rentals, alongside contributed revenue from individual donations, the Name a Seat capital campaign ($10,000 per seat), and institutional support led by the LA County Department of Arts & Culture. The inaugural season features multi-show pass bundles offering 15-20% discounts across pillars to drive subscription behavior. Distribution is direct through an on-site box office, online ticketing via vbotickets.com, email newsletter, and Instagram, with co-production partnerships extending reach to peer venues including East West Players, Circle X Theatre Co., Boston Court Pasadena, and Los Angeles City College. The leadership team combines recognized LA theatre operators (Jessica Hanna, formerly of Bootleg Theater; Matthew Pitner of The Bearded Company) with film/TV credits (Tomita) and East Coast institutional pedigree (Blinkoff, Yale School of Drama).

Name

Outside In Theatre

Legal name

Outside In Theatre

Website

https://outsideintheatre.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Outside In Theatre is a 501(c)(3) non-profit theatre in Highland Park, Los Angeles that produces scripted, unscripted improv, and digital programming, offers training classes, and operates ArtSpace, ArtBox, and The Lobby community venue under co-founders Daniel Blinkoff and Tamlyn Tomita.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts / Live Theatre

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Fringe & Experimental Performing Arts (MPAGABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB), Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)

Keywords

• Live theater performances
• Improv training classes
• New play development
• Digital performing arts
• Community theater venue

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from sales of tickets to scripted and unscripted live performances, with tiered pricing for different seating categories and audience segments.
2. Training Classes: Fees from improv classes, workshops, and training programs including drop-in sessions, character classes, relationship workshops, and scene study courses.
3. Donations and Fundraising: Tax-deductible contributions from donors supporting the non-profit theatre's mission, including the Name a Seat campaign at $10,000 per seat.
4. Space Rentals: Rental income from the Artbox black box studio for rehearsals, community meetings, workshops, and intimate performances.
5. Pass Bundles and Memberships: Season pass bundles offering 15-20% discounts across scripted, unscripted, and digital pillars.
6. Accessible-For-All Initiative: Donated subsidized tickets for seniors, students, and pay-what-you-can events supported by contributor donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Outside In Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit performing arts organization that produces and presents scripted and unscripted theatrical productions, offers improv and theatre training classes, and streams digital content (podcasts, live-streamed shows, and short films) from its Highland Park, Los Angeles venue. The organization operates ArtSpace (main theatre), ArtBox (35-seat black box studio), and The Lobby (community café/lounge), and supports new play development and community engagement through donations, sponsorships, and venue rentals.

Product overview

Outside In Theatre is a nonprofit theater in Highland Park, Los Angeles, organized around three core pillars: Scripted Productions (new play development and world premieres), Unscripted Productions (improv-based performances), and Digital Programming (podcasts, live-streams, and short films). Their education arm offers improv training classes including Drop-In sessions, specialized workshops (Horror Storytelling, Scene Study, R.O.P.E. Series for Character and Relationship work), and Viewpoints & Suzuki physical training. The venue includes Main Space (Artspace) and ArtBox black box theater, with ancillary spaces like The Lobby cafe and lounge. Ticketing and facility rental services support both productions and community use.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Frogs: A theatre podcast hosted by Alex Ubokudom and Tobie Windham, exploring theatre, culture, and entertainment topics.
• The Lobby
• ArtSpace
• ArtBox
• Digital Playhouse

Products and services

• Scripted Productions New play development and world premiere productions of works by diverse artists, presented in the Main Space and ArtBox venues for arts audiences in the Los Angeles area.
• Unscripted Productions (Improv Shows) Improv-based performances including audience participation formats, long-form improv, and genre-driven shows for arts audiences seeking experimental live entertainment.
• Digital Programming (Podcasts, Live-Streams, Digital Playhouse) Theater content distributed through digital channels including a podcast, live-streamed performances, and short films produced through the Digital Playhouse initiative for emerging filmmakers.
• Improv Drop-In Classes Weekly drop-in improv sessions held every Sunday from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, open to all skill levels with rotating instructors, for aspiring and practicing performers.
• Improvised Horror Storytelling Class An intermediate-to-advanced improv class focused on narrative horror, taught by Joseph Limbaugh, exploring techniques for building tension, atmosphere, and psychological storytelling.
• Improvised Scene Study Class An intermediate improv course that blends performance fundamentals with spontaneous play, focused on listening, responding, and emotional availability within improvised scenes.
• Relationship With Carla (R.O.P.E. Series) A six-week improv class exploring how connection, history, and point of view shape behavior, taught by Carla Cackowski, focused on creating authentic human relationships in scene work.
• Character With Kimberly (R.O.P.E. Series) An eight-week character development class taught by Kimberly Lewis, helping students explore perspectives, discover memorable characters, and expand creative range through focused exercises and scene work.
• Virtuoso (Interactive Improv Show) An interactive improv show held on the 1st and 3rd Fridays where 12 improvisers compete in games and scenes, with audiences voting to determine a winner.
• Austensibly Jane (Improvised Jane Austen Play) An entirely improvised play performed in the style of a Jane Austen novel, blending Regency-era charm with modern sensibilities in a two-act format.
• Fantastic Tales (Long-Form Narrative Improv) A long-form narrative improv show inspired by Victorian speculative fiction, creating original stories in the style of H.G. Wells and Mary Shelley without script or rehearsal.
• The Incubator (Experimental Show) An experimental show providing a supportive venue for testing new ideas, formats, and creative concepts, including solo performances, improv R&D teams, and work-in-progress presentations.
• The Frogs Podcast A theater-focused podcast hosted by Alex Ubokudom and Tobie Windham, featuring conversations with theater practitioners and discussing theater, culture, and pop culture topics.
• Digital Playhouse Short Film Initiative An initiative supporting emerging filmmakers in producing short films throughout the year, with content shared through film festivals and the theater's YouTube channel, culminating in an annual Digital Playhouse Fest.
• ArtBox Venue Rental A 35-seat black box studio available for rental, suitable for rehearsals, community meetings, workshops, and intimate performances, featuring professional lighting and sound systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200 performances and 35+ festivals referenced in team member backgrounds
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• East West PlayerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn Community partnership for East West Players' 60th Anniversary Season, beginning with Cambodian Rock Band production.
• Los Angeles City College – Caminito TheatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership hosting California Story production when Outside In's own space was under construction. LACC Theatre Academy provided facilities and resources for the production.
• Skylight TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for The Califas Trilogy (three plays by Roger Q Mason about land, power, and dreams in California). Skylight Theatre presented HIDE AND HIDE.
• Roots and Wings ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for The Califas Trilogy. Roots and Wings Project presented JUANA MARIA as part of the trilogy.
• Coin & GhostcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for Room By The Sea (co-production between Outside In, Coin & Ghost, and After Hours Theatre Company).
• After Hours Theatre CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for Room By The Sea (co-production between Outside In, Coin & Ghost, and After Hours Theatre Company).
• Circle X Theatre Co.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for Octopus's Garden, a world premiere presented at Boston Court Pasadena.
• SPARK Theatrical/Laurie BernhardminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProducer partner for Suburban Black Girl by Zakiya Urbi Young, presented in Outside In's ArtBox studio space.
• SITI CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing relationship with SITI Company for Viewpoints & Suzuki training. Produced week-long workshops in 2021 and 2022 led by SITI Company members.
• SORORITYcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presenter of Butch Ballet, a world premiere movement-theatre piece created by gina Young. Features gender-expansive cast of butches, masc queer women, trans men, and nonbinary mascs.
• Center for Unclassifiable Technologies and Experiences (C.U.T.E.)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Butch Ballet production. C.U.T.E. is executive creative producer for Scarlett Kim's work.
• Judson StudiosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily-owned stained glass business based in Highland Park that crafted the new stained glass skylight in Outside In's main Lobby.
• Big Little Theater CompanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvided Director-Driven Production Grant supporting O: A Rhapsody In Divorce production.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Coin & Ghost: LA indie theatre and Outside In co-production partner on Room By The Sea. Both companies focus on intimate, text-forward productions produced through small-scale partnerships.
• Echo Theater Company: LA-based nonprofit producing company focused on new plays and emerging playwrights, operating on a comparable small-scale ensemble model.
• Bootleg Theater: LA independent theatre co-founded and run for 12 years by Outside In's current Producing Artistic Director Jessica Hanna. Comparable scale, programming philosophy, and ensemble-driven model.
• Impro Theatre: LA-based long-form narrative improv company where Outside In's General Manager Matthew Pitner previously spent five years. Directly comparable in genre (genre/narrative improv) and class offerings.
• East West Players: LA-based Asian American nonprofit theatre and the nation's largest producing company of its kind. Cited as an In Community partner for Outside In's Cambodian Rock Band co-production, with overlapping focus on equity-driven new work in LA.
• Antaeus Theatre Company: LA-based classical and contemporary ensemble theatre where co-founder Daniel Blinkoff has performed and taught. Similar nonprofit operating model, ensemble structure, and training class offerings.
• Circle X Theatre Co. LA-based nonprofit theatre producing world premieres and experimental work. Listed as a co-production partner with Outside In on Octopus's Garden at Boston Court Pasadena, sharing the indie new-work development model.
• Skylight Theatre Company: LA nonprofit theatre partnering with Outside In on Roger Q Mason's Califas Trilogy. Operates a small LA footprint with a parallel new-work and ensemble focus.

Regional players

• Boston Court Pasadena: Pasadena-based presenting venue that hosted Outside In's co-production Octopus's Garden. Comparable art-house new-work programming serving the broader LA metro region.

Emerging players

• The Groundlings: LA improv theatre and training center. While larger and more comedy-focused, it competes directly for improv class students and ticket buyers within driving distance of Highland Park.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/the_frogs_podcast_
• Xx.com/outsideinthtr
• Facebookfacebook.com/outsideinthtr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Outside In Theatre