Act-1 Academy for Children's Theatre

What Act-1 Academy for Children's Theatre does

ACT-1 Academy for Children's Theatre is a privately held, founder-owned youth performing-arts education organization established in 2009 by co-founders Chera Marks (Artistic Director) and Sierra Fisk (Managing Director), operating in the Sherman Oaks / San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County. The academy delivers musical theatre productions, acting classes, summer camps, private coaching, dance training, and Film/TV audition preparation to children and youth ages 3–18. Since inception it has staged approximately 50 musical productions, and its teaching artist roster draws on performers and educators with Broadway credits (Hamilton, Matilda, Mamma Mia), MFA-trained instructors, and former LA public-school drama directors.

The core product set centers on seasonal production programs (summer, fall, winter) that culminate in full Broadway-style musicals such as Matilda The Musical and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, supported by weekly acting classes, 1:1 private coaching with Managing Director Sierra Fisk, Film/TV audition training, PlayPals sessions for ages 3–7, group field trips to professional LA theatre productions, and the Take ACTion community-service club. The organization runs on standard off-the-shelf infrastructure — a Wix website, Humanitix for ticketing, and Zelle/Venmo for payments — with no proprietary technology platform or AI/ML components.

Revenue is generated primarily through tuition and registration fees collected directly from families via the website, phone, and email channels. Key pricing tiers include summer camp tuition of $1,875–$1,960 per student, acting classes at $335, a $299 non-refundable production deposit, and PlayPals at $250–$350, supplemented by performance ticket sales through Humanitix, private coaching fees, and tax-deductible donations to the Jack Bailey Memorial Scholarship Fund (established 2021). Marketing is largely organic — Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Yelp, email newsletters, and a $100 refer-a-friend discount — and there is no external funding, indicating an internally financed, founder-controlled operating model.

Name

Act-1 Academy for Children's Theatre

Legal name

Academy for Children's Theatre

Website

https://act1la.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ACT-1 Academy for Children's Theatre is a privately held, founder-owned youth musical theatre education organization in the San Fernando Valley, offering seasonal productions, summer camps, acting classes, private coaching, and Film/TV training to children and youth ages 3–18.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Theatre Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (611610), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Theater & Drama Education (Acting, Improvisation, Musical Theater) (EDAMAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

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

Keywords

• Youth theatre education
• Musical theatre productions
• Children's acting classes
• Performing arts training
• Theatre summer camps

Headquarters

HQ city

Sherman Oaks

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Summer Camp Tuition: The primary revenue stream comes from summer musical theatre camp programs. Tuition covers an extended rehearsal period, character building, skill development, and a full production. Early bird pricing is available for early registration, with regular pricing after the deadline. Additional discounts are offered for referrals and siblings.
2. Acting Classes: Weekly acting classes for beginners and musical theatre students. Tuition is paid in full at registration. Classes cover fundamentals, movement, character building, monologues, improv, and ensemble work.
3. Production Deposits and Tuition: Production programs require a $299 non-refundable deposit to secure a spot, which counts toward the full tuition balance. The balance is paid through a customer-selected payment plan. Full tuition is charged for classes.
4. Private Coaching: One-on-one coaching sessions for children ages 6-18, covering monologues, script analysis, improv, scene study, character development, career coaching, on-camera tips, cold reading, and audition technique. Booked via email inquiry.
5. PlayPals Program: Musical theatre classes for young children ages 3-7, offered in seasonal sessions (winter, spring, summer). Each session explores a different musical through song, storytelling, games, crafts, and dance.
6. Performance Tickets: Ticket sales for student productions, including the Spelling Bee musical with multiple cast performances. Tickets are sold through the Humanitix platform.
7. Scholarship Donations: The Jack Bailey Memorial Scholarship Fund accepts tax-deductible donations from the community to support families unable to afford tuition. Donations are accepted via check, Venmo, and other methods.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Act-1 Academy for Children's Theatre delivers in-person musical theatre education for youth ages 3-18 through seasonal full-scale productions (summer, fall, and winter), weekly acting classes, private one-on-one coaching, Film/TV training, introductory PlayPals classes for ages 3-7, and group field trips to professional Broadway productions. Programs are taught by teaching artists with professional and Broadway experience at rented studios and theatres across the San Fernando Valley, with tuition as the primary revenue source.

Product overview

ACT-1 Academy for Children's Theatre is an educational organization founded in 2009, offering a comprehensive suite of theatre arts programs for youth ages 1-18 in the Los Angeles area. The core offerings consist of seasonal Production Programs (Summer Camp, Fall, and Winter productions) where students stage full Broadway-style musicals. Supporting programs include Acting Classes (beginner and Musical Theatre for Teens), Private Coaching & Mentorship with Managing Director Sierra Fisk, Film/TV Training, Field Trips to professional productions, and the Take ACTion community service club. For the youngest performers (ages 3-7), PlayPals Musical Theatre Classes introduce basics through themed sessions. The Academy provides financial accessibility through the Jack Bailey Memorial Scholarship Fund. Current productions include Matilda The Musical (Summer 2026) and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (May 2026).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Summer Camp Production Program Multi-week intensive theatre camp for children that culminates in a full Broadway-style musical production with extended rehearsal periods, character development, and ticketed performances at The Road Theatre in North Hollywood.
• Fall Production Program Seasonal theatrical production program for youth ages 8-18 featuring auditions, rehearsals held twice weekly in Studio City, and ticketed performances in November split across Cast A and Cast B weeks.
• Winter Production Program Seasonal winter theatrical production program with rehearsals and performances held at LACAE Theatre in North Hollywood.
• Acting Classes Weekly in-person acting instruction for youth covering fundamentals, movement, character building, monologues, improv, ensemble work, and musical theatre text analysis and song performance for teens.
• Private Coaching & Mentorship One-on-one coaching sessions for children ages 6-18 covering monologues, script analysis, improv, scene study, character development, career coaching, on-camera tips, cold reading, and audition technique, led by Managing Director Sierra Fisk.
• Film/TV Training On-camera acting training and preparation for film and television auditions and performances for children and youth.
• PlayPals Musical Theatre Class Introduction to musical theatre for the youngest students ages 3-7, featuring themed seasonal sessions (Aristocats, Wizard of Oz, Beauty and the Beast) with crafts, storytelling, games, and dance.

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Take ACTion ClubminorOthers · 1 January 2020Community service club launched by ACT-1 students in January 2020. Uses creative superpowers to find unique ways to make the world a better place through local service projects.
• Center Theatre Group (Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACT-1 organizes field trips to major Los Angeles theatres including the Ahmanson Theatre and Mark Taper Forum. Students and families are invited to join group outings to professional productions including Mamma Mia, Phantom of the Opera, Fiddler on the Roof, and other Broadway shows. Group ticket rates and occasional free tickets are provided by venues.
• Broadway in Hollywood (Pantages Theatre)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerField trips organized to The Pantages Theatre for Broadway productions. ACT-1 students attend as a group to build appreciation for live theatre.
• 5 Star TheatricalsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for field trip opportunities to regional productions including The Wizard of Oz.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• The Echo Theater Company (youth programs): LA-based theatre company offering youth-focused programming and acting classes. Comparable youth acting-class product, though focused primarily on playwriting/contemporary work rather than Broadway musicals.
• Center Stage Children's Theater: San Diego-based children's theatre offering classes and productions for youth. Comparable model to ACT-1 (musical theatre training + productions) but operating in a different Southern California geography, with documented staff crossover to ACT-1 (Molleigh Verhoye).

Broad incumbents

• LAMusArt (Los Angeles Music and Art School): Long-established LA nonprofit offering music, dance, and theatre instruction to youth including scholarship programs. Broader arts-education incumbent with overlapping youth performing-arts classes and a scholarship model similar to ACT-1's Jack Bailey Fund.
• Pasadena Playhouse (education programs): Historic LA regional theatre with a New Generations Theatre Access Program providing youth acting instruction. An established LA incumbent whose education arm directly competes for the same youth performing-arts student pool.
• 5 Star Theatricals (Youth Education): LA / Ventura County regional theatre company with youth programming and field-trip partnerships. Overlaps with ACT-1 in Broadway-style productions for young audiences and is a current ACT-1 field-trip partner.
• Center Theatre Group (Education): Major LA performing arts institution (Ahmanson, Mark Taper Forum, Kirk Douglas) with extensive youth education programs. A much larger LA incumbent in the youth theatre education space and a current field-trip partner of ACT-1.

Direct peers

• Theatre 360: LA-area children's theatre education organization offering classes, camps, and productions for youth. Shares the same San Fernando Valley / greater LA market, age group, and program mix (classes + full musicals) as ACT-1, and several ACT-1 teaching artists have worked at both organizations.
• South Bay Children's Theatre: Children's theatre producing full youth musicals and offering acting/dance classes in the greater Los Angeles area. Directly comparable product offering (musical theatre productions + training for kids/teens) in a similar LA regional market.
• Santa Monica Playhouse Youth Theatre: Long-running LA children's/youth theatre producing age-appropriate musicals with associated classes. Same fundamental business model — youth musical productions combined with training — though serving a different LA sub-region.
• MainStreet Theatre Company: Independent youth theatre in the greater LA area staging full musicals with youth casts and offering training programs. Directly comparable model of producing Broadway-style shows for young performers in a regional market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCWE6Sj9wTAtSs-3ol-RzVHQ/feed
• Facebookfacebook.com/act1academyforchildrenstheatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/academy4childrenstheatre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Act-1 Academy for Children's Theatre