Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Ltd.

What Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Ltd. does

Milwaukee Chamber Theatre (MCT), Ltd. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional theater company founded in 1974 (with a noted alternate founding reference of 1975) and headquartered at Milwaukee's Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N. Broadway, 5th Floor. The organization's stated mission is to produce intimate, high-quality, professional theatrical works of literary merit while employing and nurturing principally local theater artists. MCT serves theater audiences in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and surrounding southeastern Wisconsin communities through a five-play mainstage season, special community performances, a new play development series, and a youth education vertical.

The company's earned revenue is generated primarily through ticketing: subscription tiers include the 5-Play Subscription ($150), 3-Play Flex Pass, and the unlimited Cream City Ticket; supplemented by single-ticket sales, group sales, Legacy Night discounted community performances, and Pay-What-You-Choose events. Contributed revenue comes from individual and corporate donations, production sponsorships starting at $2,500, and operating grants from a diversified institutional base including the United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF), National Endowment for the Arts, Wisconsin Arts Board, Windhover Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the Ralph Evinrude Foundation, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, and Arts Midwest.

MCT's distribution is anchored by the Broadway Theatre Center box office (online, phone, in-person) and supplemented by group sales, Here2Play networking events, SipStudio gatherings, talkbacks, preview nights, and community partnerships spanning the Milwaukee Theater District, Liberace Foundation, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, and various civic and cultural organizations. Marketing is conducted through the organization's website, Facebook, Twitter/X, YouTube, Instagram, email, and earned local media coverage. The operation is lean (1-10 employees) and run by Artistic Director Brent Hazelton and Artistic Producer Josie Trettin, with Honorary Co-Chairs Julie Anding and Lisa Kornetsky supporting the 50th-anniversary campaign observed in 2024.

Name

Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Ltd.

Legal name

Milwaukee Chamber Theatre Ltd.

Website

https://milwaukeechambertheatre.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Milwaukee Chamber Theatre is a nonprofit professional theater company producing intimate, literary theatrical works at Milwaukee's Broadway Theatre Center, funded through subscriptions, ticket sales, donations, and foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Community & Amateur Theatre (MPAGABAD)

Keywords

• Live theater productions
• Professional stage performances
• Theatrical subscription packages
• Playwright development programs
• Performing arts education

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from individual performance tickets sold to the general public through box office, online, and phone channels.
2. Season Subscriptions: Revenue from 5-Play and 3-Play Flex Pass subscriptions offering discounted access to multiple productions with priority seating benefits.
3. Cream City Ticket: Unlimited access pass allowing holders to attend any show any time with no limits on repeat visits, plus discounted companion tickets.
4. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations through annual fund, donor advised funds, IRA distributions, corporate matches, stock, and estate gifts.
5. Production Sponsorship: Corporate and individual sponsorship of season productions starting at $2,500, with sponsorship being tax-deductible minus benefit values.
6. United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF) Support: Annual operating support received through UPAF donations from the public.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Milwaukee Chamber Theatre (MCT) is a nonprofit professional theater company that produces and presents a season of intimate theatrical productions at the Broadway Theatre Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The company sells individual tickets and multi-play subscription packages to patrons and develops new theatrical works through programs such as the Young Playwrights Festival. MCT is funded by ticket revenue, subscriptions, donations, grants, and corporate sponsorships, and operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Product overview

Milwaukee Chamber Theatre is a professional theater company producing intimate, high-quality theatrical works. The company's offerings center on live theatrical productions across multiple annual seasons. The primary consumer products are subscription ticket packages (5-Play Subscription, 3-Play Flex Pass, and Cream City Ticket) providing access to the season's productions, supplemented by single-ticket sales and group sales. The organization also operates the Young Playwrights Festival as its flagship education program, providing playwriting opportunities for high school students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MCT Education: Education programming featuring in-school workshops, student matinees, internships, pre- and post-performance programs, and the Young Playwrights Festival - a playwriting residency and one-act play competition for high school students.
• Young Playwrights Festival (YPF)
• Montgomery-Davis New Play Development Series

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Milwaukee Theater DistrictminorOthersMCT is a proud member of the Milwaukee Theater District, a consortium of performing arts organizations.
• CopyWrite MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partner for THE MOUNTAINTOP Legacy Night hosting and Black excellence celebration.
• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for THE MOUNTAINTOP Legacy Award program and Here2Play event hosting.
• Zao MKE ChurchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for Mountaintop Legacy Award recognizing Black excellence in Milwaukee.
• Liberace Foundation for the Performing and Creative ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with MCT to create LIBERACE! production; created in collaboration with the Liberace Foundation for the Performing and Creative Arts.
• Wisconsin Conservatory of MusicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsoring partner for LIBERACE! production.
• Cactus ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for LIBERACE! hosting Here2Play networking event.
• Diverse & ResilientminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for LIBERACE! production supporting LGBTQ+ visibility.
• Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of CommerceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for LIBERACE! production supporting inclusive theater.
• Milwaukee Repertory TheaterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal commissioning theater for THE NOT-SO-ACCIDENTAL CONVICTION OF ELEVEN MILWAUKEE 'ANARCHISTS' play by Martín Zimmerman.
• Museum of Wisconsin ArtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner through Mountaintop Legacy Award recipient Anwar Floyd-Pruitt being Associate Curator of Contemporary Art.
• Milwaukee Public LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner hosting zine-making workshop during ANARCHISTS run.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• First Stage: Milwaukee-based professional theater company focused on children, families, and young actors with a strong theater-education mission. Directly comparable to MCT in blending artistic production with youth education programming in the same metro market.
• Milwaukee Repertory Theater: Largest professional theater in Milwaukee and a co-commissioning partner explicitly cited in MCT's data. Operates multiple stages producing drama, musicals, and classics in the same metro market, making it the closest direct peer in audience, donor base, and non-profit operating model.
• Portland Stage: Small professional regional theater in Portland, Maine producing a mix of classics and new work. Closely comparable in scale, single-venue intimate production model, and non-profit subscription-based operation.
• Skylight Music Theatre: Milwaukee-based professional music theater producing musicals and opera. Comparable as a Milwaukee professional non-profit theater competing for the same subscription and donor base with overlapping seasonal programming.
• Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park: Mid-sized professional regional theater producing a mix of classics, premieres, and musicals. Comparable in scale, programming mix, and operation as a professional non-profit regional theater with subscription seasons.

Regional players

• Peninsula Players Theatre: Professional summer theater in Door County, Wisconsin producing comedies and dramas. Comparable as a Wisconsin-based professional non-profit theater company with seasonal subscription-style programming in a different region of the state.
• Mixed Blood Theatre: Minneapolis-based professional theater producing work that addresses issues of race, class, and equity. Comparable in mission emphasis on literary merit, community engagement, and producing work of social relevance, though operating primarily in a different metro.
• American Players Theatre: Professional classical theater in Spring Green, Wisconsin producing Shakespeare and classics. Comparable as a Wisconsin-based professional non-profit theater with a focus on literary merit and seasonal programming, though operating in a different geography than MCT.
• Forward Theater Company: Professional regional theater company in Madison, Wisconsin producing contemporary American work. Comparable as a small professional non-profit producing new and contemporary plays with a similar subscription model, though based in a different Wisconsin city.

Broad incumbents

• Actors Theatre of Louisville: Long-established regional theater known for the Humana Festival of New American Plays. Comparable in mission focus on new play development and Midwest/regional professional theater operations, but at a meaningfully larger scale and broader portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/mkechamber
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/mkeCHAMBER
• Facebookfacebook.com/MilwaukeeChamberTheatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/mkechamber
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/milwaukee-chamber-theatre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Ltd.