The Folly Theater
The Folly Theater is a historic performing arts venue in Kansas City, founded in 1900, that presents its own performing arts programming and rents its space for concerts, events, and private functions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1900
- HeadquartersKansas City, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What The Folly Theater does
The Folly Theater is a privately held performing arts venue based in Kansas City, United States, founded in 1900. Its business centers on two complementary activities: presenting its own performing arts programming and renting the venue to outside promoters and organizers for concerts, events, and private functions. The combination of in-house programming and third-party rentals is the venue's core operating model, spreading fixed facility costs across multiple revenue streams while serving both arts audiences and event clients.
The underlying "product" is a physical historic theater used for live performance and events; no proprietary technology platform, software stack, or digital product is disclosed in the available data. The source material contains only basic firmographic fields, an empty management team, no patents, certifications, partnerships, or technology integrations, and a non-substantive website loading page from follytheater.org. Consequently, the venue's value proposition derives from its physical asset, location, and programming capacity rather than from any technology layer.
The revenue model is not disclosed. There is no pricing, ticket, or contract information in the source material, no customer or segment data, no headcount, and no funding history. Revenue mechanics are inferred only from the stated activities — ticket sales and concessions associated with self-presented performing arts programs, plus facility rental fees from external concerts, events, and private functions — and any quantitative estimate would carry low confidence given the absence of disclosed figures.
The Folly Theater firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Folly Theater
- Legal name
- The Folly Theater
- Website
- https://follytheater.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1900
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Folly Theater is a historic performing arts venue in Kansas City, founded in 1900, that presents its own performing arts programming and rents its space for concerts, events, and private functions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Folly Theater industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Performing Arts / Live Entertainment Venue
- NAICS
- Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Performing Arts Companies (7111)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM), Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG)
Keywords
Where The Folly Theater is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kansas City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
The Folly Theater business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
The Folly Theater product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Folly Theater presents performing arts programs and rents its venue for concerts, events, and private functions. As a historic Kansas City performance space, it stages live entertainment programming while also serving as a rental facility for external event organizers, promoters, and private clients.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Performing Arts Programming Live performing arts programs presented by the theater for audiences attending individual performances and shows. Targeted at general arts patrons in Kansas City.
- Venue Rental for Concerts and Events Rental of the Folly Theater venue for external concert and event promoters. Targeted at event organizers and production companies.
- Private Function Venue Rental
Companies that use The Folly Theater
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles2 records
The Folly Theater technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Folly Theater competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts: The national performing arts center in Washington, D.C., operating multiple halls with self-presented programming and external rentals. Comparable to The Folly Theater in venue-plus-presenter structure, but with national-scale programming, federal support, and global touring partnerships.
- Carnegie Hall: An iconic historic performing arts presenter and venue in New York City. Comparable to The Folly Theater in operating model (heritage venue that self-presents and rents to external promoters) but at vastly greater scale, brand reach, and programming depth.
- T-Mobile Center: A large-scale Kansas City arena hosting major concerts, family shows, and touring productions. It is comparable as a competing live-entertainment venue in the same metro but operates at much higher capacity and ticket-price points, drawing away premium tours from smaller halls like The Folly Theater.
- Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts: A major multi-venue performing arts campus that presents theater, music, dance, and opera while operating its own facilities. Comparable to The Folly Theater as a venue-operator-and-presenter hybrid, but at institutional scale with significantly larger donor, sponsorship, and ticketing infrastructure.
Direct peers
- Lyric Opera of Kansas City: A Kansas City performing arts presenter that produces opera seasons and frequently rents venues across the city. Comparable as a co-presenting/renting organization competing with The Folly Theater for shared production slots, season subscribers, and donor support in the KC performing arts ecosystem.
- Starlight Theatre: A Kansas City outdoor performing arts venue presenting Broadway tours, concerts, and community programming. It competes with The Folly Theater for the same touring productions, season-ticket buyers, and corporate sponsorship dollars in the KC market.
- Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts: A major Kansas City performing arts venue that presents ballet, opera, and music programming in its own halls. It directly competes with The Folly Theater for the same local audiences, touring productions, and corporate/private rental clients in downtown Kansas City.
- The Midland Theatre: A historic Kansas City theater that hosts concerts, comedy, and private events. Comparable to The Folly Theater in scale, heritage character, and reliance on both touring rentals and self-presented programming within the same downtown Kansas City catchment.
Emerging players
- Steppenwolf Theatre Company: A Chicago-based theater company that produces and presents its own programming while operating multiple venue spaces. Comparable to The Folly Theater as a producing theater operator, though it competes more for talent and touring productions than for the same local audience as a Kansas City heritage hall.
Regional players
- Town Hall Seattle: A historic mid-sized civic venue in Seattle that presents arts, cultural, and civic programming while renting its hall for private events. Comparable to The Folly Theater in scale, heritage character, and dual programming/rental revenue model, but operating in a different regional market.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
The Folly Theater social profiles
Digital presenceThe Folly Theater financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Folly Theater leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Folly Theater funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Folly Theater 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 Folly Theater
What does The Folly Theater do?
The Folly Theater presents performing arts programs and rents its venue for concerts, events, and private functions. As a historic Kansas City performance space, it stages live entertainment programming while also serving as a rental facility for external event organizers, promoters, and private clients.
When was The Folly Theater founded?
The Folly Theater was founded in 1900. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Folly Theater based?
The Folly Theater is headquartered in Kansas City, United States, in the North America region.
Who are The Folly Theater's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Carnegie Hall, T-Mobile Center and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Direct peers are Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Starlight Theatre, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts and The Midland Theatre. Steppenwolf Theatre Company is listed as an emerging player. Town Hall Seattle is listed as a regional player.
Does The Folly Theater have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Folly Theater.
What industry is The Folly Theater in?
The Folly Theater's product category is Performing Arts / Live Entertainment Venue. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGALAB, Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses), with a secondary code of MPAGABAM, Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking). Its NAICS code is 71131 and its SIC code is 7900.