Chanticleer Shakespeare Co.

What Chanticleer Shakespeare Co. does

Chanticleer Shakespeare Co. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional theater company founded in 2025 in Fresno, California, operating as the city's first and only professional Shakespeare company and the only such company within a 100-mile radius. The organization's service area spans California's Central Valley, explicitly from Tulare to Mendota, targeting both general audiences in the Fresno metropolitan area and K-12 student populations via school-district programming. Its founding team — including Artistic Director Blake Ellis, Executive Director Brandon Weis, and Founder Brandi Martin — brings a combined 50+ years of professional theater experience with credentials from the Royal Shakespeare Company, giving the operation a bench of Shakespeare-specific talent unusual for a sub-million-dollar regional start-up.

The company's product set centers on live mainstage Shakespeare productions, beginning with Richard III as its inaugural offering, alongside educational outreach, masterclasses, a casting database, and a merchandise line. Revenue is generated through four channels: ticket sales from live productions, donations solicited under its 501(c)(3) status, sponsorships from regional institutions, and merchandise sales (operated through a Printify storefront). Strategic activity in 2026 has emphasized institutional partnership and youth market development — most notably a co-production of The Tempest with the Fresno Philharmonic in April 2026 and a Student Matinee program that reached 320+ students in the same month — positioning the company for a multi-segment programmatic model rather than a pure single-tier season.

The organization is operationally small (founding leadership plus limited disclosed staff), is headquartered at 280 W Shaw Ave, Fresno, CA 93704, and is in the earliest phase of its operational history with no audited revenue, headcount, or funding-round data disclosed. Its strategic posture suggests an emerging-stage nonprofit optimizing for community engagement, donor cultivation, and institutional partnerships rather than scale at the expense of mission.

Name

Chanticleer Shakespeare Co.

Legal name

Chanticleer Shakespeare Co.

Website

https://chanticleershakes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chanticleer Shakespeare Co. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2025 in Fresno, California, operating as the only professional Shakespeare theater within 100 miles. It serves Central Valley audiences through live productions, school matinees, masterclasses, and a merchandise line.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts / Live Theatre

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB), Theatre Education, Training & Conservatories (MPAGABAN)

Keywords

• Live theatre productions
• Classical Shakespeare performances
• Arts education outreach
• Professional theatre company
• Theatrical masterclasses

Headquarters

HQ city

Fresno

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from live theatrical performances, including student matinee shows and general public performances
2. Donations and Patronage: Support from patrons and donors through a 'Become a Patron' program; company is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization accepting contributions
3. Sponsorships: Corporate and individual sponsorship opportunities for companies looking to support classical theatre in Fresno
4. Merchandise: Sale of branded merchandise including totes, hoodies, and shirts through their Printify storefront

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Chanticleer Shakespeare Co. is Fresno's first professional Shakespeare theatre company, producing live classical performances of Shakespeare's plays such as Richard III and The Tempest (the latter with live orchestral accompaniment from the Fresno Philharmonic). The organization complements its productions with an Educational Outreach Program featuring student matinees, CSC Study Guides aligned with CCSS.ELA and VAPA standards, and masterclasses taught by professional artists, while operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded through ticket sales, donations, sponsorships, and merchandise.

Product overview

Chanticleer Shakespeare Co. is a professional theatre company offering a portfolio of services centered on classical Shakespearean productions and arts education. The core offerings include live professional performances of Shakespeare's plays (such as Richard III and The Tempest) and an Educational Outreach Program featuring student matinees and CSC Study Guides. Supporting offerings include masterclasses for local talent development, an educational blog covering Shakespearean verse and acting techniques, and branded merchandise. The company operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on bringing accessible classical theatre to the Central Valley.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Live Shakespeare Productions Professional theatrical performances of Shakespeare's plays, including productions of Richard III and The Tempest performed with live orchestral accompaniment, presented to general theatre audiences in the Central Valley.
• Educational Outreach Program Arts education initiative bringing Shakespeare productions and workshops to underserved communities in the Central Valley, including student matinees and CSC Study Guides aligned with CCSS.ELA and VAPA standards, aimed at K-12 and university students.
• Masterclasses Professional training workshops run by guest and resident artists for local students of all ages, offering real-world lessons in classical acting and theatre performance.
• Branded Merchandise (Shop) Branded apparel and accessories including totes, hoodies, and shirts sold through a Printify storefront to support the nonprofit's operations.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Fresno PhilharmoniccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Presented The Tempest in April 2026 in a landmark collaboration with one of Fresno's oldest and finest arts institutions. The production featured an all-original score performed live onstage by members of the Fresno Philharmonic, composed by London-based composers Daisy Coole and Tom Nettleship.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Shakespeare Center: Professional Shakespeare company focused on staging Shakespeare's plays in performance and education. Comparable as a mission-driven classical Shakespeare producer combining ticketed productions with educational outreach.
• California Shakespeare Theater (Cal Shakes): Regional professional Shakespeare company in the San Francisco Bay Area producing classical Shakespeare productions and education programs. Comparable as a California-based classical Shakespeare producer with affiliated outreach and learning programs, and is also referenced as a prior employer of CSC's Artistic Director.
• Tennessee Shakespeare Company: Professional Shakespeare company producing classical works alongside educational programming. Comparable as a regional professional Shakespeare nonprofit emphasizing both performance and arts education.
• Nashville Shakespeare Festival: Nonprofit regional Shakespeare company producing seasonal classical productions and educational outreach. Comparable as a similarly scaled nonprofit professional Shakespeare company serving a regional market with student programs.
• Great River Shakespeare Festival: Small regional professional Shakespeare festival with educational and outreach components. Comparable as a regional, education-anchored nonprofit Shakespeare producer with similar scale and mission profile.

Broad incumbents

• Utah Shakespeare Festival: Established regional repertory festival producing Shakespeare alongside other classical works. Comparable as a multi-season repertory producer with educational programming in an underserved regional market.
• Shakespeare Theatre Company: Largest classical theatre company in Washington, D.C. producing Shakespeare and classic works. Comparable as a professional classical repertory producer; CSC's Artistic Director has performed there, evidencing direct industry linkage.
• Oregon Shakespeare Festival: One of the largest and longest-running professional Shakespeare and classical theatre festivals in the U.S. Comparable as a multi-season repertory producer of Shakespeare with strong educational programming and touring extensions.

Regional players

• San Francisco Shakespeare Festival: Bay Area nonprofit producing free and ticketed Shakespeare productions plus school programs. Comparable as a California-focused nonprofit Shakespeare presenter with educational programming and an underserved-region audience mission.
• Good Company Players: Long-running Fresno-based community theatre company producing musicals and plays. Comparable as a Fresno/Central Valley theatre company serving overlapping local audiences, though focused on community productions rather than professional classical work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CSC_Shakespeare
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/chanticleershakespeareco?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2zA==
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chanticleer-shakespeare-co

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Chanticleer Shakespeare Co.