What Will the Neighbors Say?

Name

What Will the Neighbors Say?

Legal name

What Will the Neighbors Say?

Website

https://wwtns.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Theatre & Storytelling Festivals (MPAGAEAI)

Keywords

• Community theatre productions
• Original devised plays
• Arts education workshops
• Nonprofit performing arts
• Community storytelling events

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: 501(c)(3) not-for-profit theatre company operating primarily through grants from foundations (NEA, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Howard Gilman Foundation, Brooklyn Arts Council, etc.) and individual donations. Received multi-year funding commitments from NYC CDF.
2. Ticket Sales: Revenue from theatrical productions and events, including 'moments after Aias' at JACK venue. Some events free, others ticketed through Zeffy platform.
3. Education Services: Free arts education for K-12 through 'What Will the Kids Say?' initiative. Teaching partnerships with Barrington Stage Company, higher education institutions, and community organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

What Will the Neighbors Say? is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit investigative theatre company that produces original devised plays, free community storytelling events, and arts education programs. The company creates original theatre using primary source research and multimedia documentary techniques, while also running flagship community events like 'storytime' and educational workshops for K-12 students and emerging artists.

Product overview

What Will the Neighbors Say? is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit investigative theatre company offering a portfolio of theatrical productions and community programs. The core offering consists of original plays and devised theatre pieces including 'At the Barricades,' 'Third Law,' 'The Diana Tapes,' 'Traces,' 'MEDEA/BRITNEY,' 'Beauty Freak,' 'Four Sisters,' 'Sources of Light Other than the Sun,' 'The Chickens Have Come Home to Roost,' 'Agua, Vida y Tierra,' and 'Untitled Shape Show.' Community programs include the flagship 'storytime' event (free storytelling and live music nights), the 'New to the Neighborhood' residency for emerging artists, the 'What Will the Kids Say?' youth education initiative, Digital Arts Programming, Community Education workshops, annual Fundraisers for non-profit organizations, and Symposiums/Panels. The company also produces the 'FringeClub' festival as part of the NY International Fringe Festival.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• What Will the Kids Say?: Free arts education initiative for young people aged 5-17, including the 'Untitled Shape Show' musical for young audiences.
• New to the Neighborhood

Products and services

• storytime A free flagship community event featuring storytelling and live music nights held at various venues throughout New York, with unique hosts and musical guests curating themes. Has served over 3,500 community members.
• New to the Neighborhood Residency A residency program for Brooklyn-based emerging artists from underrepresented communities, specifically female, trans, and non-binary artists of the Global Majority.
• What Will the Kids Say? Initiative A youth education initiative providing free arts education for young people aged 5-17 via theatre-for-young-audiences programming, including the 'Untitled Shape Show' musical.
• Community Education Programs Free Public Arts Education Projects including free public writing workshops with partners such as Brooklyn Public Library, Queens Public Library, and other community organizations.
• Digital Arts Programming Free digital programming inaugurated during COVID-19 allowing global community members to engage through scene studies, music jams, poetry workshops, and other virtual events.
• FringeClub Festival A festival within the New York International Fringe Festival produced by WWTNS, staging 19 unique projects involving over 100 artists including cabarets, comedy shows, musicals, and dance performances.
• At the Barricades A source-based history play about international troops fighting in the Spanish Civil War, co-written by Co-Artistic Directors James Clements and Sam Hood Adrain, developed through partnerships with the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives, Espacio de Culturas at NYU and the NYU Production Lab.
• Third Law An interactive theatrical experience using game theory and theatrical techniques that allows audiences to shape the world of the play and co-create a performance with artists in real-time.
• The Diana Tapes A tense political thriller presenting the true story of the publication of Andrew Morton's book about Diana, Princess of Wales, which ended her marriage and shook the monarchy to its core.
• Traces A devised documentary theater piece commissioned by CUNY Queens College examining the complex, interweaving lives of residents in one Queens apartment building across four pandemics.
• Untitled Shape Show A musical for young audiences (ages 5-17) that celebrates self-expression and promotes individuality using the metaphor of shapes to create a positive, affirmative theatrical experience.
• Agua, Vida y Tierra A bilingual multimedia documentary theatre piece about Puerto Rico and the colonial relationship between the island and the United States, created as a response to Hurricane Maria.
• Beauty Freak A multi-media research-based play exploring the complex and controversial life and legacy of German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl.
• MEDEA/BRITNEY A one-woman multimedia piece juxtaposing the Greek character of Medea with the modern tragedy and public consumption of Britney Spears.
• Four Sisters A research-based play examining the lives and deaths of the four daughters of the last Tsar of Russia in the aftermath of the 1917 Revolution.
• Sources of Light Other than the Sun

Quantifiable outcome

• Served over 3,500 community members through storytime events
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

41 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• NYU's Espacio de Culturas at KJCCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Artists-in-Residence at NYU's Espacio de Culturas for the 2024/2025 academic year. Co-Artistic Directors serve as Classic Perspectives Season Curators for Classic Stage Company.
• Brooklyn Arts CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdministering Howard Gilman Foundation funds for 'New to the Neighborhood' residency. Multiple grants received including Brooklyn Arts Fund grants.
• Brooklyn Public LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on free public writing workshops, community education projects, and collaborative events.
• Queens Public LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on community education projects, public writing workshops, and collaborative events.
• Marymount Manhattan CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembers of Adjunct Faculty. Co-Artistic Directors teach devising methodology and serve as teaching artists.
• CUNY Queens CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdjunct Faculty and Artists-in-Residence for three years. Co-created 'Traces' documentary theatre with students. Partnership with GLASA for 'Queering the Archives'.
• Planned ParenthoodmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual June fundraiser beneficiary since 2017. Raised funds through benefit performances.
• PERIODmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual June fundraiser beneficiary. 'Go with the Flow' event benefiting PERIOD: The Menstrual Movement.
• Trans Formation ProjectmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerBeneficiary of 'Affirm This!' fundraiser raising $1,000 alongside The Audre Lorde Project.
• IndieSpacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on 'New to the Neighborhood' residency. Member of IndieSpace Artist Committee. Grant panels and roundtables.
• Barrington Stage CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducators in Barrington Stage Company's PMP program for at-risk youth in Berkshire County. Return as playwright mentors for third year.
• BRICcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBRIClab Residency for Third Law and Agua, Vida y Tierra. Performances at BRIC House.
• MITU580coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGowanus Affordable Arts Initiative residency. Multiple productions including Agua, Vida y Tierra workshop and Third Law.
• IRT TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner3B Development Residency. Co-produced symposiums including 'People as People: A Symposium on Diversity' and 'Agency in Storytelling'.
• Queens Memory ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on community education projects and archival initiatives. Beneficiary of 'Queering the Archives' fundraiser.
• El Puente PresentemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth Leadership Center in Brooklyn. Partner for free arts education and 'Dogs of D.C.' benefit.
• THE CITY NewspapermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on creative writing initiatives and 'Writing Your Grief and Celebrating Life' virtual memorial event.
• Interfaith Center of New YorkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on creative writing initiatives and 'Writing Your Grief and Celebrating Life' virtual memorial event.
• Safe horizonmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerBeneficiary of 'She Said: A Creative Discussion' event supporting #MeToo awareness.
• Stop AAPI HatemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerBeneficiary of 'Back in Business' streamed reading of Beauty Freak.
• Gays Against GunsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerBeneficiary of 'What Will the Gays Sing?' Christmas carol sing-along fundraiser.
• The Audre Lorde ProjectmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerBeneficiary of 'Affirm This!' fundraiser alongside Trans Formation Project.
• Abraham Lincoln Brigade ArchivescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for 'At the Barricades' Spanish Civil War play development.
• NYU Production LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-Artistic Director James Clements serves as Teaching Artist-in-Residence and Entrepreneurship Fellow.
• The Network of Ensemble TheatresmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork membership supporting ensemble theatre practice.
• City Councilor C.M. HudsoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of 'New to the Neighborhood' residency program for emerging Brooklyn artists.
• State Senator Julia SalazarcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of 'New to the Neighborhood' residency program for emerging Brooklyn artists.
• Culture Lab LICcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld premiere venue for Third Law. Partner for 'Queering the Archives' fundraiser.
• Catskill Mountain ShakespearecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment residency for The Chickens Have Come Home to Roost. Movement workshop and staged reading.
• Brooklyn Art HauscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkshop venue for At the Barricades. Brooklyn Arts Council partnership.
• Club CummingmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner venue for 'Cumming for Puerto Rico' benefit for hurricane relief.
• The Queerly FestivalmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner'Affirm This!' presented at Kraine Theater as part of The Queerly Festival at FRIGID New York.
• Casa Abierta/House of GracemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPuerto Rican LGBTQIA+ collective partner for benefit raising funds for trans/non-binary housing services.
• JACKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for 'moments after Aias' world premiere collaboration with Hamlet Isn't Dead and Sanguine Theatre Company.
• Classic Stage CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-Artistic Directors serve as Classic Perspectives Season Curators for 2025/26 season.
• Wuhan Institute of Design and ScienceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigher education teaching partnership for devising methodology instruction.
• Ohio State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigher education teaching partnership for devising methodology instruction.
• National Alliance of Acting TeachersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeaching partnership for devised theatre methodology.
• Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto RicominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Agua, Vida y Tierra bilingual documentary theatre piece.
• The Living GalleryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBenefit venue partner for 'Dogs of D.C.' fundraiser.
• Dumbo Improvement DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for 'Six Foot Platform' public arts education program.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Wooster Group: The Wooster Group is a long-established NYC experimental ensemble producing original works from source material, operating in a similar devised-theatre category but at a much larger scale and institutional profile than WWTNS.
• New York Theatre Workshop: NYTW is a major NYC non-profit theatre producing new work with strong educational and community programs, comparable programmatic focus but with substantially larger budget, staff, and venue footprint.

Direct peers

• The Civilians: The Civilians is a NYC-based non-profit investigative theatre company that creates original work based on real events and untold stories, mirroring WWTNS's primary-source devising methodology and similar audience/policy focus.
• Rude Mechs: Rude Mechs is an Austin-based non-profit ensemble that devises original theatrical works through collaborative research-based processes, sharing WWTNS's original-play, devised-process, and small-team operating model.
• The TEAM: The TEAM is a Brooklyn-based devised-theatre ensemble producing original plays touring nationally and internationally, sharing WWTNS's ensemble model, original-play focus, and NYC Brooklyn base.
• New Georges: New Georges is a NYC-based non-profit producing and incubating new plays by women and non-binary artists, closely aligned with WWTNS's femme/GNB playwright focus through its New to the Neighborhood residency.
• Elevator Repair Service (ERS): ERS is a NYC-based non-profit ensemble that builds original works from literary and historical source material through long-form devising, with comparable scale, funding model, and experimental documentary approach.
• Ma-Yi Theater Company: Ma-Yi is a NYC non-profit ensemble producing original work by Asian-American artists with strong education and community programming, comparable to WWTNS's original-play, education, and community-event model.
• Pig Iron Theatre Company: Pig Iron is a Philadelphia-based non-profit ensemble theatre company producing original devised works, education programs, and touring productions, paralleling WWTNS's ensemble-devised original plays and K-12/higher-ed teaching work.

Regional players

• HERE Arts Center: HERE is a NYC-based non-profit performing arts venue that has hosted several WWTNS productions and supports original multi-disciplinary work, comparable as a producing ecosystem partner with shared artist network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wwtnstheatre
• Facebookfacebook.com/wwtns
• Instagraminstagram.com/wwtnstheatre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/what-will-the-neighbors-say

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 What Will the Neighbors Say?