The Core Theatre
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersRichardson, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Core Theatre does
The Core Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community theater founded in 2009 by James Hansen Prince and headquartered at 518 West Arapaho Road, Suite 115, in Richardson, Texas. It operates from a single venue in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and primarily serves local residents and the broader DFW community seeking live theatrical entertainment and cultural engagement. The company was bootstrapped on roughly $6,000 in 2012 when it converted a leased space into a working theater within six weeks.
The organization's core products are live theatrical productions staged at its Richardson venue, including original plays written by the founder (nine full-length works to date), sketch comedy (Everynight Live!, We're Not All Here), and dramatized adaptations such as To Kill a Mockingbird and Charley's Aunt. Adjacent educational offerings include Acting Classes, Core Dance, and Family Improv sessions. The theater's content is differentiated by an emphasis on original scripts addressing social themes, distinguishing it from community theaters that rely primarily on established works. A production mounted Off-Broadway at Theatre 80 St. Mark in November 2018 demonstrates prior capacity to extend beyond the local market.
Revenue is generated through a diversified set of small-scale streams typical of community theater: ticket sales processed via the On The Stage platform (with reduced online fees versus door pricing), tax-deductible donations through PayPal, concession sales (donation-based), venue space rentals, and playbill advertising sold to local businesses. There is no proprietary technology; the technology stack is limited to commodity SaaS for website (Squarespace), ticketing, and payment processing. The go-to-market model is community-led, relying on direct ticket sales, volunteer recruitment, Facebook groups, and email newsletters to drive attendance and participation.
The Core Theatre firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Core Theatre
- Legal name
- The Core Theatre
- Website
- https://thecoretheatre.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Core Theatre industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Theater
- NAICS
- Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Performing Arts Companies (7111)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Touring Theatre Productions (MPAGABAC), Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB)
Keywords
Where The Core Theatre is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Richardson
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Core Theatre business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: The primary revenue stream comes from selling tickets to theatrical productions and events. Online tickets are sold through On The Stage ticketing platform with transaction fees per order.
- Donations: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, The Core Theatre accepts tax-deductible donations through PayPal. Donations support building sets, paying actors and crew, covering rent and utilities, and keeping ticket prices accessible.
- Concessions: Revenue generated from selling snacks and beverages (chips, cookies, candy, water, soda, wine, and beer) available by donation before shows and during intermission.
- Space Rental: The theater rents its space for productions and events. Interested parties are directed to contact Artistic Director James for rental inquiries.
- Program/Playbill Advertising: Local businesses can advertise in the theater's playbill/program. Advertisers can purchase ad space through an online portal on On The Stage.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Online tickets with reduced fees |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Door tickets at premium price |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Donations to support theater operations |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
The Core Theatre product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Core Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community theater that produces live theatrical productions including original plays, adapted works, and sketch comedy shows at its Richardson, Texas venue. The theater also offers educational and community programming through acting classes, faith-based dance instruction, and family improv sessions, with tickets sold online via the On The Stage platform and at the box office.
Product overview
The Core Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community theatre based in Richardson, Texas, that operates as a single-venue performing arts organization. The company produces live theatrical productions including plays and sketch comedy shows, while also offering educational programming through Acting Classes, Core Dance, and Family Improv sessions. Ticketing Services are provided through an online platform partnership with On The Stage. The main season features a rotating slate of productions ranging from adaptations of literary classics (To Kill a Mockingbird) to original plays (Ruby Tuesday, Tennessee Wet Rub, My Favorite Christmas) and sketch comedy shows (Everynight Live!, We're Not All Here).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Main Season Productions Live theatrical performances including original plays, sketch comedy shows, and dramatized adaptations presented year-round at The Core Theatre's Richardson, Texas venue for general audiences and the DFW community.
- Acting Classes Educational acting classes offered to community members for skill development in theatrical performance.
- Core Dance Faith-based dance instruction and programming offered to community members seeking creative and spiritual expression through movement.
- Family Improv Family-friendly improvisation comedy sessions and themed workshops designed for family participation in improvisational performance.
- Ticketing Services Online ticket purchasing service for all theatrical productions, powered by the On The Stage platform, with reduced transaction fees compared to door pricing.
- Theater Space Rental Theater venue space rental service for external productions and events at The Core Theatre's Richardson facility.
- Playbill/Program Advertising Advertising placements in the theater's playbill/program available for purchase by local businesses through an online portal.
Companies that use The Core Theatre
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Core Theatre technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Core Theatre partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered notable, core and minor.
- Theatre 80 St. MarknotableTheatre 80 St. Mark in the East Village hosted The Core Theatre's production of Inferno! Fire at the Cocoanut Grove: 1942 for a 4-week Off-Broadway run in November 2018.
- On The StagecoreOn The Stage is the ticketing platform partner powering The Core Theatre's online ticket sales. The partnership provides a convenient online ticketing system with minimal fees, offering customers reduced costs compared to door purchases. The platform also enables program ad sales functionality.
- Church Venue (Historical)minorBefore securing permanent space in 2012, The Core Theatre operated as a traveling entity holding performances at a local church venue.
- Cox PlayhouseminorCox Playhouse in Plano, Texas was another venue where The Core Theatre held performances before obtaining permanent headquarters.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Core Theatre competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Stage West: Fort Worth-based nonprofit regional theatre producing contemporary plays and new works with an emphasis on social themes — directly comparable to The Core Theatre's original-script, social-issue focus. Competes for the same North Texas patron base.
- Amphibian Stage Productions: Nonprofit professional theatre in Fort Worth producing new and contemporary works, including original scripts with social commentary — directly analogous to The Core Theatre's positioning in original, thematically-driven theatre within the DFW market.
- Circle Theatre: Fort Worth-based 501(c)(3) community theatre producing contemporary and original plays in an intimate venue, closely matching The Core Theatre's small-scale, original-script, single-venue community theatre model.
- Rover Dramawerks: Small Plano-based community theatre producing contemporary plays and comedies, with educational programming — directly overlapping with The Core Theatre's Richardson/Plano service area and small-venue, Main Season-plus-classes model.
- Pocket Sandwich Theatre: Small Dallas-based community theatre producing comedies and interactive shows with food service — sharing The Core Theatre's intimate-scale, concession-driven, original/light-script community theatre profile in DFW.
Broad incumbents
- Dallas Theater Center: Dallas's leading professional regional theater and the largest in the DFW area, producing a full MainStage season plus education and community engagement programs. Comparable as the dominant scale player in the same metropolitan market that The Core Theatre operates in.
Regional players
- Garland Civic Theatre: Suburban Dallas community theatre producing Main Season productions and youth education programs in nearby Garland, TX — a directly comparable DFW suburb community theatre competing for overlapping local audiences and volunteers.
- WaterTower Theatre: Addison-based (DFW suburb) nonprofit regional theatre producing a Main Stage season plus active education/outreach programming — operating in an immediately adjacent suburb to Richardson and competing for the same north-Dallas patron pool.
- Theatre Three: Long-established nonprofit community theatre in Dallas producing a multi-show Main Stage season alongside educational programming for the same DFW audience The Core Theatre targets. Operates as a much larger regional incumbent but competes directly for local patrons, donors, and volunteer actors.
Others
- On The Stage: Ticketing platform partner that powers The Core Theatre's online ticket sales and playbill advertising sales; an enabling technology peer rather than a competitor, but central to the theatre's revenue infrastructure.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Core Theatre social profiles
Digital presenceThe Core Theatre financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Core Theatre leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Core Theatre funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Core Theatre M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Core Theatre
What does The Core Theatre do?
The Core Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community theater that produces live theatrical productions including original plays, adapted works, and sketch comedy shows at its Richardson, Texas venue. The theater also offers educational and community programming through acting classes, faith-based dance instruction, and family improv sessions, with tickets sold online via the On The Stage platform and at the box office.
Is The Core Theatre a public or private company?
The Core Theatre is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Core Theatre founded?
The Core Theatre was founded in 2009. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Core Theatre based?
The Core Theatre is headquartered in Richardson, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Core Theatre make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are donations, concessions, space Rental and program/Playbill Advertising.
Who are The Core Theatre's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Stage West, Amphibian Stage Productions, Circle Theatre, Rover Dramawerks and Pocket Sandwich Theatre. Dallas Theater Center is listed as a broad incumbent. Regional players are Garland Civic Theatre, WaterTower Theatre and Theatre Three. On The Stage is listed as an others.
Does The Core Theatre have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Core Theatre.
What industry is The Core Theatre in?
The Core Theatre's product category is Community Theater. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGABAB, Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies, with a secondary code of MPAGABAC, Touring Theatre Productions. Its NAICS code is 711110 and its SIC code is 7990.