Theatre By The Sea

What Theatre By The Sea does

Theatre By The Sea is a privately held regional summer theatre located at 364 Cards Pond Road in Wakefield (Matunuck), Rhode Island, that produces approximately four Broadway-quality musical productions per season alongside a Children's Festival of family-friendly programming. The venue operates seasonally, typically May through September, and has done so continuously since the 1930s, celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2017. The company is owned by Bill Hanney, who also operates North Shore Music Theatre (Massachusetts) and Entertainment Cinemas under a regional entertainment portfolio branded as 'Bill Hanney's Entertainment Destinations.'

The core product is the live theatrical production itself, licensed through Music Theatre International and drawn from a mix of Broadway classics, Tony Award-winning titles, and Disney adaptations (e.g., The Producers, Chicago, Mamma Mia!, Mary Poppins, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Disney's The Little Mermaid). The current 2026 slate includes TITANIC - The Broadway Musical and a Children's Festival featuring Nickelodeon's The SpongeBob Musical Youth Edition, a Princess Sing-a-Long show, and Casey Carle's BubbleMania. Ticketing, gift certificates, and calendar infrastructure are operated through the OvationTix platform, with supplementary sales via a phone box office (handling fee $5/ticket) and walk-up window. Group bookings (10+ seats) start at $49 per person and are handled via a dedicated phone line.

The business model is direct-to-consumer and transactional. Revenue streams include ticket sales to mainstage and children's productions, gift certificates, and on-site dining at Bistro By The Sea, which is operated under a management agreement with Duck Press of Wakefield and takes reservations through the Resy platform. Pricing includes a $4 per-ticket restoration fee across all channels plus a $7 online / $5 phone handling fee (waived for walk-up). All tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable. Customer segments are highly fragmented across regional theatre audiences from Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, families attending the Children's Festival, and organized group bookings for corporate or celebratory outings; the venue does not appear to have any named enterprise accounts, institutional sponsorships, or recurring B2B contracts in the source data.

Name

Theatre By The Sea

Legal name

Theatre By The Sea

Website

https://theatrebythesea.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Theatre By The Sea is a privately held regional summer theatre in Wakefield, Rhode Island that produces approximately four Broadway-quality musical productions per season (May–September) plus a Children's Festival, serving individual theatregoers, families, and groups from across New England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Theatre / Performing Arts

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Musical Groups and Artists (71113), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Touring Theatre Productions (MPAGABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Event Operations & Venue Services (Box Office, FOH/BOH, Concessions) (MPAIAFAL), Outdoor Amphitheater & Open-Air Venue Operations (MPAGALAG)

Keywords

• Live musical theatre
• Summer stock theatre
• Broadway musicals
• Family entertainment venue
• Regional theatre productions

Headquarters

HQ city

Wakefield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Sales of tickets to mainstage musical productions and Children's Festival shows. Tickets available online, by phone, and in person. Group bookings (10+ seats) offered at discounted rates.
2. Bistro By The Sea Restaurant: On-site restaurant operated by Duck Press of Wakefield, offering dining and event hosting services. Reservations managed through Resy platform.
3. Gift Certificates: Theatre gift certificates sold for show tickets and restaurant dining.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Theatre By The Sea is a regional summer theatre that produces and stages Broadway-quality full-scale musical productions (typically four per season, May through September) along with a Children's Festival of family-friendly one-hour shows. Tickets are sold through an online OvationTix platform, by phone, and at a walk-up box office, with group discounts available for parties of 10 or more. The venue also operates Bistro By The Sea, an on-site pre-show restaurant managed by Duck Press of Wakefield, and sells gift certificates redeemable for both shows and dining.

Product overview

Theatre By The Sea is a regional theatre company located in Wakefield, Rhode Island, operating a historic barn theatre since the 1930s. The company produces four Broadway-quality musical productions per season (approximately May through September), complemented by a Children's Festival featuring family-friendly shows. Their main offerings include full-scale Broadway musicals such as TITANIC, You've Still Got A Friend, and various Disney productions, classic Broadway shows, and contemporary musicals. The theatre also operates Bistro By The Sea, an on-site restaurant managed by Duck Press, providing dining options for patrons. Ticketing is handled through the OvationTix platform, and the theatre offers group discounts for parties of 10 or more. The company is owned by Bill Hanney and is one of three entertainment destinations under his ownership, alongside North Shore Music Theatre and Entertainment Cinemas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TITANIC – The Broadway Musical A 2026 main-season Broadway musical depicting the first and last days of the Titanic, winner of five 1997 Tony Awards, performed for adult theatregoers as a ticketed live performance at the Wakefield venue.
• You've Still Got A Friend – A Musical Tribute to Carole King and James Taylor A 2026 main-season concert-style tribute musical celebrating the careers and friendship of Carole King and James Taylor, offered as a ticketed live performance.
• Children's Festival / Kids Shows A family programming series of approximately one-hour children's productions featuring youth-edition musicals (e.g., Nickelodeon's The SpongeBob Musical Youth Edition), interactive princess sing-a-long shows, and bubble arts performances, welcoming children under 4 with ticketed seating for ages 2 and up.
• Bistro By The Sea An on-site pre-show restaurant and event-hosting venue operated by Duck Press of Wakefield, offering dining to theatre patrons and private events with reservations managed through Resy.
• Group Ticket Bookings (10+ seats) A volume-discount ticket product for organizations, businesses, and social groups booking 10 or more seats at a time, coordinated through a dedicated group sales phone line.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OvationTixcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party ticketing platform providing online ticket sales, gift certificates, and calendar integration for show scheduling. Website integrated with OvationTix for purchases.
• Duck Press of WakefieldcoreOthersRestaurant management company operating Bistro By The Sea on-site. Manages dining services, menu development, and event hosting. Reservations handled through Resy platform.
• ResycoreTechnology or IntegrationRestaurant reservation platform used for Bistro By The Sea bookings. Integrates with Duck Press restaurant management.
• Music Theatre International (MTI)coreOthersLicensing partner providing performance rights for Broadway productions including The Producers, The Music Man, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, and Disney's The Little Mermaid.
• Steven Richard PhotographyminorOthersProduction photographer providing professional cast and production photos used on website and marketing materials across multiple shows.
• North Shore Music TheatrecoreOthersAffiliated entertainment venue also owned by Bill Hanney, providing complementary theatre entertainment options in the region.
• Entertainment CinemascoreOthersAffiliated entertainment company also owned by Bill Hanney, offering movie theatre experiences in the region.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Barrington Stage Company: Pittsfield, Massachusetts regional theatre producing a mix of musicals and plays including notable Broadway transfers. Comparable as a New England professional regional theatre of similar scale producing Broadway-quality programming.
• Westport Country Playhouse: Connecticut regional theatre with a long history producing professional productions including Broadway revivals and new works. Comparable as a non-profit-leaning professional regional theatre serving the same New England tri-state audience with mixed musicals and plays.
• Surflight Theatre: Beachfront New Jersey summer-stock theatre producing Broadway musicals and children's programming. Closely comparable model: seaside venue, seasonal operation, family-oriented programming, Broadway-quality musicals.
• Goodspeed Musicals: Connecticut-based regional theatre famous for developing new and revived Broadway musicals. Comparable as a New England professional regional theatre with strong brand heritage, musical-theatre focus, and similar audience demographics.
• North Shore Music Theatre: Sister regional theatre owned by the same operator (Bill Hanney) that produces Broadway-quality musicals and children's programming. It is a direct portfolio peer operating a comparable model (professional mainstage productions + ancillary F&B) in the same New England regional segment.
• Cape Playhouse: Historic summer-stock regional theatre in Dennis, Massachusetts producing Broadway musicals and comedies for a coastal New England audience. Closely comparable model: seasonal operation, professional Broadway-style productions, family-friendly programming, summer tourist catchment.

Broad incumbents

• Walnut Street Theatre: One of the oldest and largest regional theatres in the United States (est. 1809), operating a year-round season of Broadway musicals and plays. Comparable as a long-established professional regional theatre producing Broadway-quality musicals, though significantly larger and year-round.
• Paper Mill Playhouse: New Jersey regional theatre with a 80+ year history that has launched many Broadway transfers. Larger scale than TBTS but operates the same regional professional musical-theatre model and serves as a useful benchmark for what a scaled-up regional theatre business can become.

Regional players

• Providence Performing Arts Center: Major Rhode Island presenting venue that hosts touring Broadway productions. Comparable as a Broadway-quality entertainment destination in the same local market — primarily presents national tours rather than producing its own shows, so model differs, but audience and geography overlap heavily.
• Ocean State Theatre Company: Rhode Island-based regional theatre producing professional productions for local audiences. Direct geographic competitor serving the same Rhode Island/New England audience with Broadway-style programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TheatreByTheSea
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/theatre-by-the-sea

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Theatre By The Sea