The Great Arizona Puppet Theater Inc

What The Great Arizona Puppet Theater Inc does

The Great Arizona Puppet Theater Inc (GAPT) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit professional puppet theater founded in 1983, headquartered in a 1929 Spanish Colonial building at 302 W Latham St, Phoenix, Arizona, listed on the National Register of Historic Places (1996 building acquisition, 1999 chapel opening, Governor's Heritage Honor 2019). The organization produces and presents live puppet performances using hand puppets, rod puppets and antique theatrical equipment, with a repertoire of more than 60 original and adapted shows including UNIMA-USA Citation-winning Cinderella and environmental-themed works such as Creepy, Crawly, Wild & Wooly. Audiences are predominantly children plus an adults-18+ segment served by Adult Puppet Slams and comedy programming.

Theater revenue comes from admissions ($10 children/$15 adults, with $2 member discount), plus dedicated revenue lines for touring shows at external venues (price tiers $325 / $350 / $550 based on audience size up to 80/150/400), field trips at $10/person, private birthday-party rental of Peter's Party Room at $100 + $10/attendee, streaming performances to classrooms via private YouTube links, an annual membership program, and donations. Distribution is multi-channel: the physical Phoenix box office (Thursday-Sunday year-round), a regional touring arm covering Arizona schools/libraries/childcares/community centers, a direct-to-consumer streaming channel, and a private-events channel. Marketing relies on the company website, Facebook and Instagram, an e-newsletter plus paper postcard mailings 3x/year, ThunderTix online ticketing and earned media (Phoenix Magazine, Phoenix New Times). The organization received a 2019 Governor's Heritage Honor Preservation Award, the 2010 UNIMA-USA Citation for Excellence, and multiple National Puppet Slam wins (2012, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2023).

Strategic posture is small-scale, founder-led and event-driven: approximately 10 staff serve roughly 85,000 audience members annually (mostly children), led by Executive Director Jeffrey Lazos-Ferns and Founding Director Nancy Smith (co-founder since 1983). The 2024 expansion into a second Arizona location in Flagstaff is the most material recent strategic action; secondary moves include the Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation health-education partnership (2019), streaming performances for classrooms, and adult-oriented programming (SCRATCH Comedy, Dr. Zombie's Fearful Fridays). As a non-profit, the entity does not raise institutional funding rounds; capital is sourced from earned revenue, member dues and donations, and there are no reported M&A, IPO or restructuring events.

Name

The Great Arizona Puppet Theater Inc

Legal name

The Great Arizona Puppet Theater Inc

Website

https://azpuppets.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Great Arizona Puppet Theater is a non-profit professional puppet theater in Phoenix, Arizona (founded 1983) that produces live puppet performances at a National Register historic venue and through a statewide touring program, serving roughly 85,000 audience members - mostly children and families - annually across Arizona including schools, libraries and community centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Live Theater and Entertainment

NAICS

Performing Arts Companies (7111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Puppetry & Marionette Theatre (MPAGABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Children’s & Youth Theatre (MPAGABAE), Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB), Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)

Keywords

• Live puppet theater
• Children's theater
• Educational puppet shows
• School field trips
• Family entertainment

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Theater admission tickets sold at $10 for children and $15 for adults, with members receiving $2 off. Adult-only shows are $15.
2. Party Room Rental: Peter's Party Room rental at $100 plus $10 admission per attendee. Regular members receive $50 discount, Gold members get free party with up to 25 guests.
3. Touring Shows: Traveling puppet shows booked at external venues. Prices start at $325 for audiences up to 80, $350 for audiences up to 150, and $550 for audiences up to 400. Discounts available for multiple performances.
4. Membership Program: Annual membership providing $2 off tickets and discounts on party room rental.
5. Donations: Monthly donation support options for patrons. Theater is a non-profit organization.
6. Streaming Performances: Virtual classroom streaming via private YouTube links with one-week access for up to 5 classrooms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Great Arizona Puppet Theater is a non-profit professional puppet theater that produces and presents live puppet performances for children, families and adults at its 1929 historic Phoenix venue and through statewide touring. Its core offerings include a year-round rotation of 60+ original and adapted puppet shows, touring shows that travel to schools and community venues in audience-size tiers up to 400, school field trip packages with curriculum-aligned study guides, private birthday party hosting, and streaming performances delivered to classrooms via private YouTube links.

Product overview

The Great Arizona Puppet Theater is a non-profit professional puppet theater offering live entertainment and educational programming. The core offering is live puppet performances at their Phoenix venue and through touring shows to schools and community locations throughout Arizona. The portfolio includes a repertoire of over 60 shows ranging from classic fairy tales (Cinderella, Rapunzel, Goldilocks) to original environmental and educational productions (Creepy Crawly Wild and Wooly, Hotel Saguaro, Zoner and the Drip). Supporting offerings include streaming performances for virtual access, educational study guides aligned to state standards, ASL-interpreted shows for accessibility, birthday party hosting with puppet-making activities, and adult-oriented puppet slams. The company serves approximately 85,000 audience members annually, mostly children, through its year-round programming.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Live In-Theater Puppet Shows Professional live puppet performances at the Phoenix venue featuring a repertoire of over 60 original and classic shows (e.g., Rapunzel, Cinderella, Goldilocks) performed Thursday through Sunday year-round for families, children, and adult audiences (e.g., Dr. Zombie's Fearful Fridays, SCRATCH Comedy).
• Touring Shows Mobile puppet shows that travel to schools, libraries, childcares, and community centers throughout Arizona and beyond, with three audience-size tiers: up to 80 (compact classroom stage), up to 150 (mid-size with more complex sets), and up to 400 (large stages with amplified sound).
• Birthday Party Hosting – Peter's Party Room Private party room rental featuring a puppet show, craft materials for puppet-making, and child-size stages for performances, with $100 room rental plus $10 per attendee and membership-based discounts.
• Streaming Performances Virtual viewing of select shows distributed via private YouTube links streamed directly to classrooms, with recordings accessible for one week per school purchase.
• Field Trips to the Theater School group visits to the theater featuring discounted admission ($10 per person), a free adult for every 10 children, and optional post-show theater tour ($5 per child) and picnic option at Margaret T. Hance Park; Wed–Fri at 10am for groups of 25–150 children.
• Adult Puppet Slams Adult-oriented puppet performances (18+) featuring edgy, comedic, and experimental puppetry, including comedy troupes such as SCRATCH Comedy and horror host Dr. Zombie events.
• Delta Dental Health Puppet Shows Educational puppet presentations focused on dental health and oral hygiene, developed in partnership with Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation.
• ASL-Interpreted Performances Selected performances presented with American Sign Language interpretation, available with two weeks advance notice to accommodate deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences.
• Annual Membership Program Recurring annual membership providing ticket discounts on theater admission and party room rentals, with higher tiers (e.g., Gold) including complimentary birthday parties for up to 25 guests.

Quantifiable outcome

• 85,000 audience members served annually
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Delta Dental of Arizona FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership for dental health puppet shows, promoting oral health education through puppet performances for children.
• Puppeteers of AmericaminorOthersTheater is a member of Puppeteers of America, the national organization for puppeteers and puppet organizations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Barter Theatre: Long-running professional regional theater in Abingdon, Virginia offering a multi-show season including family programming. Broad incumbent — similar historic-venue professional regional theater model, though much larger and with broader programming.
• Paper Mill Playhouse: Historic regional theater in Millburn, New Jersey producing Broadway-scale musicals and plays including children's programming. Broad incumbent — comparable historic venue and family-inclusive programming, but at a much larger scale.
• Imagination Stage: Bethesda, MD professional children's theater presenting plays, musicals, and puppetry for young audiences. Broad incumbent — overlaps on children's performing arts and educational programming, but with a broader theatrical repertoire and larger scale.

Regional players

• Nashville Children's Theatre: Professional theater company producing plays and musicals for young audiences in Tennessee. Regional player — similar target demographic and educational alignment, but serves a different geographic market.
• Adventure Theatre MTC: Maryland-based professional theater for young audiences with year-round productions and educational programming. Regional player — comparable mission and family/children audience, but in a different geography.

Direct peers

• National Marionette Theatre: Boston-area puppet theater producing marionette and puppet shows for children and families. Direct peer — comparable puppetry craft focus, family-oriented programming, and touring-to-schools distribution model.
• The Puppet Company: Silver Spring, Maryland puppet theater presenting live shows for young audiences in a dedicated venue. Direct peer — comparable scale and target demographic of family/children audiences with a year-round live show schedule.
• Center for Puppetry Arts: Atlanta-based professional puppet theater with a permanent venue, museum, and year-round programming. Direct peer — operates a similar model of live puppet performances, educational programming, and touring shows for families and schools.
• Thistle Theater: Seattle-based puppet theater producing shows for young audiences with marionettes and hand puppets. Direct peer — same puppetry medium and family audience, and notably a former employer of GAPT's Head Puppeteer Lisa Haslbauer, indicating tight talent-pool overlap.

Others

• Puppeteers of America: National membership organization supporting puppeteers and puppet organizations across the U.S. Other — not a competitor but a member body of which GAPT is a participant, providing industry context and a network of comparable theaters.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Great-Arizona-Puppet-Theater/78298116685
• Instagraminstagram.com/greatazpuppets
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/great-arizona-puppet-theater

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 The Great Arizona Puppet Theater Inc