Skylight Theatre Company

What Skylight Theatre Company does

Skylight Theatre Company is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit performing arts organization (EIN 95-4007314) founded in 1984 by Gary Grossman in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles. The company operates a 99-seat theater at 1816 1/2 N. Vermont Ave and produces live theatrical performances including world premieres, musicals, dramas, and solo works. Beyond its mainstage productions, Skylight runs a portfolio of development programs — Open Sky Playwrights Club, SkyLab, Play Reading Series, Underground mentorship, Young Playwrights Festival, and The Lyric Project (a songwriting program for LA teens seeded by the ASCAP Foundation). Programming is governed by board-endorsed Action Items for Change committing to 50% BIPOC playwrights/creative teams and 60% BIPOC actors per season, and the company operates as a founding member of Alternative Theatres of LA (ATLA), a coalition of 65 intimate LA theaters.

Revenue is generated through four streams: ticket sales (sold via OvationTix and at the door, including subsidized PWYW, student, and senior pricing), individual donations and corporate sponsorships, government and foundation grants (LA County Department of Arts and Culture, City of LA Department of Cultural Affairs, California Arts Council, ASCAP Foundation), and venue rentals to external producers, filmmakers, and artists for productions, rehearsals, classes, and workshops. Skylight Live, launched during COVID-19, extends programming globally via Zoom, YouTube, and Facebook. The company is currently undergoing a historic leadership transition: Cameron Watson succeeded founding Artistic Director Gary Grossman in 2023, bringing an LA Drama Critics Circle Award and an LA Times profile describing him as having "one of the best batting averages in town." Recurring co-production partners include Playwrights' Arena and IAMA Theatre Company, and past productions have received LA Times Critics' Choice designations, LADCC awards, and Ovation Award nominations.

Name

Skylight Theatre Company

Legal name

Skylight Theatre Company

Website

https://skylighttheatre.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Skylight Theatre Company is a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit theater that produces world premieres and runs new-play development, youth arts education, and anti-racist programming out of a 99-seat venue in Los Feliz, serving LA audiences, BIPOC artists, and external renters of its performance space.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Theater and Performing Arts

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB), Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM), Theater & Drama Education (Acting, Improvisation, Musical Theater) (EDAMAAAG)

Keywords

• Live theater productions
• New play development
• Performing arts venue
• Arts education programs
• Nonprofit arts organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from live theatrical performances and special events. Tickets are sold online through ticketing partner OvationTix and at the door.
2. Donations and Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Skylight relies on individual donor contributions and corporate sponsorships. EIN: 95-4007314.
3. Space Rentals: The 99-seat performance space is rented to outside producers for full production runs, film shoots, screenings, staged readings, rehearsals, classes, and workshops on a case-by-case basis.
4. Government and Foundation Grants: Funding from Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and foundations such as ASCAP Foundation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Skylight Theatre Company produces new plays and live theatrical performances at its 99-seat venue in Los Angeles, including world premieres, musicals, dramas, and solo shows. The organization runs playwright development programs (SkyLab, Open Sky Playwrights Club, Play Reading Series), youth arts education (Young Playwrights Festival, The Lyric Project), community engagement programming, and rents its performance space to external producers.

Product overview

Skylight Theatre Company is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization and theater company that produces live theatrical performances and provides artistic development programs. The company operates a 99-seat performance venue in Los Angeles and offers a portfolio of programs including theatrical productions (world premieres, musicals, dramas), playwright development programs (Open Sky Playwrights Club, SkyLab, Play Reading Series), youth education (Young Playwrights Festival, The Lyric Project), community engagement programming (Beyond Conversation discussions, Skylight Live digital series), and venue rentals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Theatrical Productions Live theatrical performances including world premieres, musicals, dramas, comedies, and solo performances staged at the 99-seat theater for Los Angeles audiences.
• Young Playwrights Festival (YPF) Annual festival dedicated to developing and showcasing works by emerging young playwrights, providing opportunities for new voices in theater.
• Open Sky Playwrights Club Playwright development program providing resources, support, and development opportunities for playwrights working on new work.
• Skylight Live Digital programming series featuring online plays, readings, and performances streamed via Zoom, YouTube, and Facebook, launched during the COVID-19 pandemic to reach remote audiences.
• SkyLab Playwright development program that provides workshop and development opportunities for new plays in progress.
• Play Reading Series Series of staged readings providing playwrights with audience feedback and development support for works in progress.
• Underground Program Mentorship and development program bridging educational environments and the professional theater community, providing space for emerging artists and small companies.
• The Lyric Project Youth arts education program that provides inner-city teens an outlet for expression through songwriting, partnering with professional musicians and singers.
• Beyond Conversation Post-show discussion series featuring informal chats with invited guests following select performances, exploring themes from the productions.
• Venue Rentals Rental of the 99-seat performance space for full production runs, film shoots, staged readings, rehearsals, classes, and workshops on a case-by-case basis.

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

Partnerships

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

• Los Angeles County Department of Arts and CulturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture. This government arts funding body provides grants supporting Skylight's artistic programs and operations.
• City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSkylight LIVE 2020 and other programs supported in part by a grant from the DCA, City of Los Angeles.
• Alternative Theatres of LA (ATLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSkylight is a founding member of ATLA, an organization of 65 intimate theaters from the greater LA area. The organization has an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion subcommittee.
• IAMA Theatre CompanymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presenter of Juneteenth Theatre Justice Project 2020, performing Vincent Terrell Durham's Polar Bears, Black Boys & Prairie Fringed Orchids.
• ASCAP FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Lyric Project was seeded by money from the ASCAP Foundation in honor of Irving Caesar, providing songwriting programs for inner-city teens.
• Violence Intervention Program (VIP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSkylight Live 2021 donations benefited VIP, which provides services for victims of family violence and sexual assault in Los Angeles County.
• Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDSmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported AIDS US and QueerWise productions, and other events in recognition of World AIDS Day.
• Playwrights' ArenacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for Apartment Living (2022) and other productions. Jon Lawrence Rivera serves as Artistic Director of Playwrights' Arena.
• Human Rights Watch Student Task ForceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWET: A DACAmented Journey was chosen by Human Rights Watch Student Task Force to be the focus of their action initiative program.
• Exodus Recovery, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner agency for Inside/Outside Voices community event focusing on prison reentry and rehabilitation.
• California Arts CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner agency for Inside/Outside Voices community event.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• East West Players: East West Players is one of the longest-running and largest Asian American theaters in the US, based in LA. While larger and more established, it shares Skylight's commitment to diverse voices and new-play development in the LA intimate-theater ecosystem.
• The Geffen Playhouse: The Geffen Playhouse is a larger LA theatrical venue (Westwood) producing a mix of premieres and revivals. As a regional incumbent in the same LA market, it competes for audiences and donors while operating at a different scale.
• Center Theatre Group: Center Theatre Group operates the Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre in Downtown LA and is the largest theatrical producer in the city. It is a broader incumbent in the same LA theater market and occasional presenter of intimate-scale new work.

Direct peers

• Antaeus Theatre Company: Antaeus is a well-established LA intimate theater company producing classical and contemporary work with a repertory company model. Like Skylight, it is part of the ATLA network and Cameron Watson has directed there, signaling artistic overlap.
• Playwrights' Arena: Playwrights' Arena is an LA-based theater dedicated to developing new work by diverse playwrights, and a recurring co-production partner with Skylight (e.g., Apartment Living). Its mission and operating scale are highly comparable.
• IAMA Theatre Company: IAMA is a Los Angeles intimate theater producing new plays by emerging playwrights, and an existing co-presentation partner with Skylight on the Juneteenth Theatre Justice Project. It directly overlaps in mission and programming style.
• Ensemble Theatre Company: Ensemble Theatre Company produces contemporary and classic works in an intimate setting; Cameron Watson has directed there. Although located in Santa Barbara, its operational model and artistic direction are closely aligned with Skylight.
• Rogue Machine Theatre: Rogue Machine is an LA intimate theater producing contemporary plays, frequently cited alongside Skylight in LA Times coverage. Cameron Watson has directed at Rogue Machine, evidencing overlapping artistic circles.
• Fountain Theatre: Fountain Theatre is a Los Angeles intimate theater producing new plays and socially engaged programming, with comparable size, mission orientation (diversity and community), and venue scale. It is one of Skylight's most direct local peers.
• Road Theatre: Road Theatre is a small LA intimate theater with a focus on new plays, also listed among Cameron Watson's directing credits. Comparable venue scale and new-work orientation make it a direct peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SkylightThtr
• Facebookfacebook.com/skylighttheatre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/skylight-theatre-company

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Skylight Theatre Company