Ten Thousand Things Theatre
Ten Thousand Things Theatre is a St. Paul-based nonprofit theater company that produces in-the-round performances, offering free touring shows to underserved audiences (shelters, prisons, schools) alongside paid public performances in the Twin Cities metro area.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1990
- HeadquartersSaint Paul, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Ten Thousand Things Theatre does
Ten Thousand Things Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional theater company founded in 1990 by Michelle Hensley and based in St. Paul, Minnesota. The company produces live theatrical performances using a distinctive in-the-round model with lights on, minimal sets and costumes, and actors performing in the middle of the audience alongside live music. Its dual distribution model operates free touring performances at community partner sites—shelters for the unhoused, correctional facilities, low-income centers, after-school programs, women's shelters, and rural Minnesota locations—alongside paid public performances at Twin Cities venues including Open Book, Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, Capri Theater, and 825 Arts. Up to half of productions are toured for free, and the same professional artists perform for both free and paying audiences. The company maintains partnerships with 100+ community organizations across the Twin Cities metro area and Greater Minnesota.
The company's product portfolio includes theatrical productions, free community performances, paid public performances, residencies and workshops, the Ten Thousand Voices storytelling program, a Teen Youth Initiative, and virtual theater content (TTT Let's Sing!). Revenue is generated through charitable donations across multiple tiers (from $10 to $10,000+), ticket sales with pay-what-you-can options, gift certificates, and book sales. The touring model has been adopted by at least a dozen major theaters nationally including The Public Theater, California Shakespeare Theater, Baltimore's Center Stage, and The Old Globe Theater. Current leadership includes Artistic Director Caitlin Lowans (appointed 2025, succeeding Marcela Lorca) and Managing Director Stephanie Thompson. The company sustains operations through an 11-50 person staff, a 17-member Board of Directors, and diversified community and donor relationships rather than venture capital.
Ten Thousand Things Theatre firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ten Thousand Things Theatre
- Legal name
- Ten Thousand Things
- Website
- https://tenthousandthings.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1990
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Ten Thousand Things Theatre is a St. Paul-based nonprofit theater company that produces in-the-round performances, offering free touring shows to underserved audiences (shelters, prisons, schools) alongside paid public performances in the Twin Cities metro area.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ten Thousand Things Theatre industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Performing Arts / Community Theater
- NAICS
- Performing Arts Companies (7111), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Touring Theatre Productions (MPAGABAC), Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB)
Keywords
Where Ten Thousand Things Theatre is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Saint Paul
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ten Thousand Things Theatre business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, TTT relies heavily on charitable donations. The company offers multiple giving options including monthly donations, one-time gifts, stock donations, qualified charitable distributions from 401k/IRA, planned giving through Legacy Circle, and project sponsorships. Tax ID: 95-4300792.
- Ticket Sales: Paid public performances at venues with pay-what-you-can offerings. Flex passes (season tickets) available on lottery basis for donors.
- Book Sales: Sale of 'All the Lights On: Reimagining Theater with Ten Thousand Things' by Michelle Hensley, published by Minnesota Historical Society Press. Book + media shipping available for $25.90, book + priority shipping for $27.90.
- Gift Certificates: Gift certificates available for purchase via PayPal for show tickets.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | Dragon's Circle ($1,000-$2,499): Premium donor benefits including flex pass access, comps, opening night preference, prison performance invitation, annual brunch with Artistic Director |
| Other | Annual | Wings of Fire ($2,500-$4,999): All Dragon's Circle benefits plus performance sponsorship and invitations to all prison performances |
| Other | Annual | Heart of the Dragon ($5,000+): Additional comps, additional performance sponsorship, annual dinner with Artistic Director and core artists |
| Other | Annual | Dragon in Flight ($10,000+): Highest tier with all benefits |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Book Sales |
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Gift Certificates |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Ten Thousand Things Theatre product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ten Thousand Things Theatre is a nonprofit professional theater company that produces live theatrical performances performed in-the-round with the actors in the middle of the audience, minimal sets and costumes, and live music. The company operates a dual model: touring free performances to community partners (shelters, correctional facilities, low-income centers, schools, after-school programs, and rural Minnesota locations) and ticketed public performances at Twin Cities venues. All audiences receive the same professional artists and production quality.
Product overview
Ten Thousand Things Theatre offers a portfolio of theatrical programs centered around live productions performed in-the-round with minimal sets and costumes. Their core offerings include free community performances touring to underserved populations (shelters, correctional facilities, low-income centers), public paid performances at Twin Cities venues, residencies and workshops, and the Ten Thousand Voices storytelling program. The company also produces virtual theater content. All productions feature the same professional actors regardless of whether they are performed for free or paying audiences.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Theatrical Productions Live theatrical performances performed in-the-round with minimal sets and costumes, featuring professional actors engaging directly with audiences. Productions include classics, contemporary plays, and musicals performed for both free community audiences and paying public audiences.
- Free Community Performances Free theatrical performances touring to shelters for the unhoused, correctional facilities, low-income centers, after-school programs, women's shelters, and locations throughout greater and rural Minnesota, bringing professional theater to audiences who traditionally lack access to the arts.
- Public Paid Performances Ticketed public performances held at venues including Open Book, Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, Capri Theater, and 825 Arts, featuring the same quality actors and productions as free shows. Pay-what-you-can options are available.
- Residencies and Workshops Free workshops and residency programs that help participants connect with themes from TTT productions and foster personal expression, collaboration, empathy, and confidence.
- Ten Thousand Voices A storytelling program that amplifies voices of diverse Minnesotans whose perspectives are not often highlighted in the arts landscape, featuring contributions from people in incarceration, seniors, youth, and people with disabilities. Launched during the pandemic.
- Virtual Theater Digital content including virtual cabaret programs and recorded performances such as TTT Let's Sing! and virtual readings that represent a variety of musical styles and cultural backgrounds.
- Ten Thousand Voices: Youth Collaborative program co-produced with St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists featuring SPCPA students alongside TTT actors, empowering teens to express their voices through writing and performance.
- All the Lights On (Book) Book titled 'All the Lights On: Reimagining Theater with Ten Thousand Things' by Michelle Hensley, published by Minnesota Historical Society Press, documenting the company's unique touring performance model.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 100 community partner organizations served across Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Ten Thousand Things Theatre
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Ten Thousand Things Theatre technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Ten Thousand Things Theatre partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- St. Paul Conservatory for Performing ArtistscoreCo-production partner for Ten Thousand Voices: Youth, a collaborative program featuring SPCPA students alongside TTT actors Brian Bose and Isa Condo-Olvera. The program empowers teens to express their voices through writing and performance.
- Rehabilitation Through the ArtsminorReferenced in relation to the film 'Sing Sing' which features the RTA program. TTT's On Belonging Committee recommended the film to audiences as it resonates closely with TTT's work in correctional facilities.
- The Public Theater (New York City)coreOne of at least a dozen theaters nationwide that has adopted TTT's touring model of bringing professional theater to non-traditional audiences.
- California Shakespeare TheatercoreOne of at least a dozen theaters that has adopted TTT's touring model for community engagement in theater.
- Baltimore's Center StagecoreOne of the theaters that has adopted TTT's touring model for reaching non-traditional audiences.
- The Old Globe Theater (San Diego)coreOne of at least a dozen theaters that has adopted TTT's touring model of bringing professional theater to audiences who lack access to the arts.
- New York Theatre WorkshopminorThe U.S. Premiere venue for 'The Half-God of Rainfall' by Inua Ellams in 2023, directed by Shá Cage for TTT's Minnesota premiere.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Ten Thousand Things Theatre competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Rehabilitation Through the Arts: Nonprofit that brings theater, dance, and writing programs to incarcerated populations in New York State prisons. Directly comparable for the specific correctional-facility touring work that is core to TTT's mission and operating model.
- People's Light: Pennsylvania-based nonprofit regional theater known for combining professional productions with extensive community engagement, education, and access programs. Comparable for its dual mission of artistic excellence and broad community outreach similar to TTT's model.
- Pangea World Theater: Minneapolis-based Asian American and multicultural theater company producing original work and community programming. Comparable as a Twin Cities nonprofit theater with an explicit equity and inclusion mission and similar touring/community engagement approach.
- Cornerstone Theater Company: Los Angeles-based nonprofit that creates original theater with and for communities traditionally excluded from the art form. Comparable for its participatory, community-rooted production model and explicit focus on inclusion of non-traditional audiences.
- Pillsbury House Theatre: Minneapolis nonprofit theater integrated with a community center, producing original work tied to social issues and serving underserved neighborhood audiences. Directly comparable in its combination of professional theater with deep community-based programming.
- Mixed Blood Theatre: Minneapolis-based nonprofit regional theater known for its programming diversity, multilingual productions, and commitment to community access. Comparable as a regional nonprofit theater with explicit equity and access mandates serving similar Twin Cities audiences.
- Penumbra Theatre Company: St. Paul-based nonprofit regional theater with a mission-driven focus on Black artistic voices and community engagement. Directly comparable as a Twin Cities nonprofit producing theater with a strong social impact mission and similar audience development approach.
Broad incumbents
- Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Chicago-based nationally renowned nonprofit theater with a large ensemble and resident company model. Comparable as a leading nonprofit regional theater with strong national brand recognition, though operating at much larger scale and without TTT's touring community model.
- Guthrie Theater: Largest and most established regional theater in the Twin Cities, operating a major multi-stage venue. Comparable as a leading Minnesota nonprofit theater, but operates at substantially larger scale and on a more traditional (rather than touring community-based) model.
- American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.): Harvard-affiliated nonprofit theater producing adventurous programming for broad audiences. Comparable as an established nonprofit regional theater, though operating at significantly larger institutional scale with different funding dynamics.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ten Thousand Things Theatre social profiles
Digital presenceTen Thousand Things Theatre financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ten Thousand Things Theatre leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Ten Thousand Things Theatre funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ten Thousand Things 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 Ten Thousand Things Theatre
What does Ten Thousand Things Theatre do?
Ten Thousand Things Theatre is a nonprofit professional theater company that produces live theatrical performances performed in-the-round with the actors in the middle of the audience, minimal sets and costumes, and live music. The company operates a dual model: touring free performances to community partners (shelters, correctional facilities, low-income centers, schools, after-school programs, and rural Minnesota locations) and ticketed public performances at Twin Cities venues. All audiences receive the same professional artists and production quality.
Is Ten Thousand Things Theatre a public or private company?
Ten Thousand Things Theatre is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Ten Thousand Things Theatre founded?
Ten Thousand Things Theatre was founded in 1990. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Ten Thousand Things Theatre based?
Ten Thousand Things Theatre is headquartered in Saint Paul, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ten Thousand Things Theatre make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations and Contributions are the primary driver. The others are ticket Sales, book Sales and gift Certificates.
Who are Ten Thousand Things Theatre's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Rehabilitation Through the Arts, People's Light, Pangea World Theater, Cornerstone Theater Company, Pillsbury House Theatre, Mixed Blood Theatre and Penumbra Theatre Company. Broad incumbents are Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Guthrie Theater and American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.).
Does Ten Thousand Things Theatre have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ten Thousand Things Theatre.
What industry is Ten Thousand Things Theatre in?
Ten Thousand Things Theatre's product category is Performing Arts / 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 7111 and its SIC code is 7900.