Act Up Theater, Inc.

What Act Up Theater, Inc. does

ActUp Theater, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit performing arts organization (EIN 81-1065321) founded in 2015 by Faithlyn Johnson and headquartered at 25 Ridgefield St., Hartford, CT, with secondary programming at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts. The organization produces professional, Broadway-style theatrical productions featuring a multi-generational cast of approximately 45 regular performers ranging in age from 8 to 65, with 95% of cast and crew identifying as people of color. Its product surface spans mainstage productions (Matilda The Hip-Hop Musical Remix, upcoming Frozen, and past titles including Dreamgirls, Grease, Sister Act, The Lion King, Once On This Island, Hairspray), the ActUp Theater Arts Academy (ATAA) summer intensive, Broadway professional masterclasses, ACTIVATE leadership workshops, the PopUp With A Purpose community events, the STAND youth empowerment program, and a paid ActUp Fellows program for teens ages 14–18. Free arts education is provided to more than 200 youth annually, and over 4,500 community members are reached each year, with the DREAMGIRLS production drawing over 2,000 attendees.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit revenue stack. Earned revenue comes from ticket sales via Eventbrite, three-tier season subscription packages priced at $120–$200, unit-priced branded merchandise ($10–$55), and program fees for summer academies and masterclasses (with partial scholarships available given that 80% of youth participants qualify for free/reduced lunch). Contributed revenue is the larger component and is sourced from individual donations, corporate sponsorships (Travelers Insurance), community foundation grants (Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, West Indian Foundation), state humanities funding (CT Humanities), federal arts funding (National Endowment for the Arts), regional arts council grants (Greater Hartford Arts Council), municipal support (City of Hartford Department of Families, Children, Youth and Recreation), and United Way, supplemented by a $150,000 state appropriation secured in May 2026 from Connecticut State Representatives Maryam Khan and Matthew Ritter following a more-than-60% prior-year funding contraction.

Distribution is community-led and physically anchored at the Martin Luther King, Jr. School Auditorium in Hartford, with audience draw across 29 surrounding Connecticut towns and limited out-of-state visitors. Outreach is coordinated through partnerships with Hartford Public Schools, YMCA Greater Hartford, and 20+ community organizations; marketing combines email newsletters, organic social, earned media (NBC Connecticut, Fox61, Hartford Courant, CT Insider), and event-driven recruitment for auditions and masterclasses.

Name

Act Up Theater, Inc.

Legal name

ActUp Theater, Inc.

Website

https://actuptheater.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ActUp Theater, Inc. is a Hartford-based 501(c)(3) performing arts nonprofit producing Broadway-style productions, a summer academy, and Broadway professional masterclasses for a multi-generational, predominantly BIPOC community of youth and families in Greater Hartford, supported by donations, grants, sponsorships, tickets, and merchandise.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

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

Theatre Education, Training & Conservatories (MPAGABAN), Children’s & Youth Theatre (MPAGABAE)

Keywords

• Performing arts education
• Community theater productions
• Broadway-style musicals
• Youth arts programs
• Nonprofit theater company

Headquarters

HQ city

Hartford

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. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting arts education and community programming
2. Sponsorships: Corporate partnerships providing funding in exchange for visibility, logo placement, and VIP experiences at performances
3. Ticket Sales: Revenue from Broadway-style productions and performances at MLK School Auditorium
4. Season Ticket Packages: Subscription-style packages including VIP tickets, merchandise, and reception invitations
5. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, and accessories
6. Program Fees: Fees for summer academy, masterclasses, and educational programming with partial scholarships available

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ActUp Theater is a nonprofit performing arts organization that produces Broadway-style theatrical productions featuring multi-generational casts (ages 8 to 80+) and delivers arts education programming including summer academies, masterclasses, leadership workshops, and paid fellowship opportunities for youth and families in the Greater Hartford region. Operations are funded through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, grants, ticket and season ticket sales, program fees, and merchandise, with partial scholarships available for low-income families.

Product overview

ActUp Theater, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit performing arts organization offering a comprehensive ecosystem of theater and arts education programs. The organization operates as a unified portfolio of interconnected offerings centered around its core mission of mobilizing the power of the arts to promote equity and social justice. The main product lines include: ActUp Theater Productions (Broadway-style shows featuring multi-generational casts), the ActUp Theater Arts Academy (ATAA) providing summer intensives and year-round training, ACTIVATE Workshops for leadership development, Masterclass Programs featuring Broadway professionals, the ActUp Fellows Program for paid teen training, PopUp With A Purpose community events, STAND youth empowerment programming, and Season Ticket Packages offering tiered subscription access to productions. The organization serves youth and adults ages 5-80+, with 95% of cast and crew identifying as people of color, and reaches over 4,500 community members annually through performances and educational programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ActUp Theater Arts Academy (ATAA): Summer intensive performing arts training program for youth and teens ages 5-18, featuring master teaching artists and Broadway trips.
• ACTIVATE
• PopUp With A Purpose
• STAND

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% program retention rate - participants return year after year
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Hartford Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026School district partner providing student access, facilities, and collaborative programming for educational initiatives.
• YMCA Greater HartfordsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partner supporting youth violence prevention initiatives and community programming coordination.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Playhouse on Park: West Hartford community theater producing Broadway-style musicals and plays. Comparable Connecticut-based community theater producing accessible productions for local audiences.
• Yale Repertory Theatre: Connecticut-based repertory theater affiliated with Yale School of Drama. Comparable CT-based repertory theater producing works for local audiences, anchored by strong education programming.
• Hartford Stage: LORT-affiliated regional theater in Hartford producing a full season of dramatic works and education programming. Comparable regional theater benchmark in the same metro as ActUp, operating at significantly larger scale.
• TheaterWorks Hartford: Hartford-based professional theater producing mainstage productions and education programs in the same city as ActUp. Most direct geographic peer serving overlapping Greater Hartford audiences with a comparable mix of mainstage shows and education.
• Long Wharf Theatre: Historic New Haven-based regional theater. Comparable Connecticut theater producing season programming and community-engagement work in the same state as ActUp.

Broad incumbents

• Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Chicago-based nonprofit theater with nationally recognized education and community programs. Comparable product archetype (producing theater + substantial education/community work) operating at much larger scale.
• Roundabout Theatre Company: Major NYC nonprofit theater with extensive education and community engagement programming. Comparable in combining Broadway-style productions with year-round youth arts education at far larger scale.

Direct peers

• Penumbra Center for Racial Healing: St. Paul-based racial healing and arts organization producing theater and community programming. Closest mission-comparable peer to ActUp in combining performing arts production with racial justice and youth development work.
• The Billie Holiday Theatre: Brooklyn-based African-American theater focused on Black storytelling and youth development. Direct peer: BIPOC-led community producing theater with adjacent education pipeline and Broadway-style productions.
• National Black Theatre: NYC-based Black-led theater committed to artistic excellence and racial justice. Closest mission-aligned peer to ActUp: BIPOC-led producing theater with social-justice framing and a comparable community-rooted identity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCWSB-zBKQrR66DhbYQqTyBQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/actuptheaterct

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Act Up Theater, Inc.