YANGTZE REPERTORY THEATRE OF AMERICA INC

What YANGTZE REPERTORY THEATRE OF AMERICA INC does

Yangtze Repertory Theatre of America Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit theater company founded in 1992 by Maryknoll Sister Dr. Joanna Chan and headquartered at 520 Eighth Avenue #360, New York, NY. The company produces and presents theatrical works by, for, and about the AAPI immigrant and Asian diaspora community, including multilingual productions performed in English and Mandarin with surtitles. It operates three core program areas: Mainstage Productions (full-scale works presented at Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway NYC venues such as Connelly Theatre and New Ohio Theatre), Project YZ (a one-year AAPI artist residency providing $10,000 grants and dramaturgical support, launched in 2022), and Commissions (original work development with Yangtze Rep as producer or fiscal sponsor). Additional programming includes YZ Talks artist conversations, the Wǔ Wèi – On the Table immersive experience, and the Clubhouse virtual miniseries.

The organization currently operates with 1-10 employees led by Artistic Director Chongren Fan (formerly Deputy General Manager at China Performing Arts Agency North America) and Executive Director Sally Shen (ex-ATG Entertainment Chief of Staff, Yale MFA/MBA). Revenue is generated almost entirely through charitable donations (over 90% of annual income per the company's own disclosures), supplemented by public funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts, plus ticket sales handled through partner venue box offices. The company partners with Target Margin Theater, Gung Ho Projects, Brooklyn Arts Exchange, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, LABA, and various NYC venues for co-productions, residencies, and presentations.

Yangtze Rep's most recognized work is Salesman之死 by Jeremy Tiang, which won the 2025 Obie Award for Outstanding New Play from The Village Voice. The company is currently in its 35th season (2026) and is actively commissioning new works, including the musical When the Fortune Cookie Crumbles exploring intergenerational trauma and Chinatown displacement. Its go-to-market is event-driven, reaching audiences through seasonal productions, artist residency presentations, its website (yzrep.org), email newsletter, and earned media coverage in The New York Times, Vulture, and The New Yorker. No ticketing, app, API, or proprietary technology platforms exist; distribution is entirely through physical venue partnerships in the New York metropolitan area.

Name

YANGTZE REPERTORY THEATRE OF AMERICA INC

Legal name

Yangtze Repertory Theatre of America, Inc.

Website

https://yzrep.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Yangtze Repertory Theatre of America is a 501(c)(3) non-profit theater company founded in 1992 in New York City that produces theatrical works, artist residencies, and commissions centered on AAPI immigrant and Asian diaspora stories for NYC audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts / Theater

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (71151)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH), Musical Theatre (Non-Broadway/Fringe) (MPAGABAG)

Keywords

• AAPI theatrical productions
• Artist residency programs
• Multilingual stage performances
• Community theater presentations
• Nonprofit performing arts

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Yangtze Repertory Theatre relies primarily on donations from individuals. The company states that more than 90% of annual income comes from donations.
2. Government and Institutional Funding: The company receives public funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts, as well as support from private foundations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Yangtze Repertory Theatre produces and presents theatrical works by, for, and about the AAPI immigrant and Asian diaspora community. Its offerings span a season of mainstage productions (often multilingual, with English and Mandarin surtitles), the Project YZ one-year AAPI immigrant artist residency program ($10,000 grants), and original-work commissions supported by dramaturgical guidance. Additional programming includes YZ Talks artist conversations, work-in-progress showings, virtual miniseries, and downloadable Play At Home plays.

Product overview

Yangtze Repertory Theatre is a nonprofit theater company producing works by, for, and about the AAPI immigrant community. The company operates three core program areas: Mainstage Productions (full-scale theatrical works presented in multiple languages), Project YZ Residency (a one-year artist residency providing $10,000 grants to AAPI immigrant artists with dramaturgical and professional development support), and Commissions (original work development with Yangtze Rep serving as producer or fiscal sponsor). Additional offerings include YZ Talks artist conversations, virtual programming like Clubhouse and Play At Home Plays, and community events such as Wǔ Wèi - On the Table. The company's most celebrated production, Salesman之死, won the 2025 Obie Award for Outstanding New Play.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mainstage Productions Full-scale theatrical productions presented at partner NYC venues, exploring AAPI immigrant and diaspora stories, often multilingual. Tickets sold through partner venue box offices.
• Project YZ Residency Program One-year residency program supporting AAPI immigrant artists with $10,000 grants, dramaturgical support, research opportunities, and professional development.
• Commissions Program commissioning artists to create original works exploring AAPI immigrant experiences, with Yangtze Rep serving as producer, artistic advisor, or fiscal sponsor through the project's lifecycle.
• Salesman之死 (Salesman zhī sǐ) Multilingual theatrical production exploring cross-cultural collaboration between Arthur Miller and Beijing People's Art Theatre in 1983. Winner of the 2025 Obie Award for Outstanding New Play.
• Wǔ Wèi - On the Table Immersive theatrical experience exploring AAPI identity through Chinese culinary traditions and the five tastes (suān, tián, kǔ, là, xián), designed as a healing space for the community.
• When the Fortune Cookie Crumbles Commissioned musical exploring intergenerational trauma, eldercare, and urban displacement through the story of a queer lawyer returning to close their family's Chinatown restaurant.
• Clubhouse Virtual Miniseries Virtual storytelling miniseries featuring five one-act plays inspired by Pu Songling's Strange Stories from A Chinese Studio, exploring Asian American experiences.
• Play At Home Plays Series of downloadable 5-10 minute plays created during the pandemic for home performance, including works by Yilong Liu, Marcus Yi, and Zhu Yi.

Quantifiable outcome

• Salesman之死 received the 2025 OBIE Award for Outstanding New Play
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• HB StudiosupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024HB Studio Rehearsal Space Residency provider for X#*! You Very Much, Mom work-in-progress showing, providing the Helen Gallagher Studio Theatre venue.
• New Ohio TheatresupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2023Presented June is the First Fall as the New York Premiere venue in March-April 2019 at their Off-Off-Broadway space.
• Connelly TheatresupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2023Presented Salesman之死 world premiere at the Connelly Theatre in October 2023.
• Target Margin TheatercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Target Margin Theater presented Salesman之死 as a co-production with Yangtze Repertory Theatre and Gung Ho Projects. The partnership involved hosting the production at Target Margin's venue and collaborative producing efforts.
• Gung Ho ProjectscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Co-producer of Salesman之死 alongside Yangtze Repertory Theatre. Gung Ho Projects is an educational and cultural exchange platform dedicated to increasing understanding between the U.S. and China, founded by director Michael Leibenluft.
• Brooklyn Arts ExchangesupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Development residency support for Salesman之死 production, providing space and resources for the production's development.
• Lower Manhattan Cultural CouncilsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Provided development residency support for Salesman之死 production.
• LABA: A Laboratory for Jewish Culture at the 14th Street YsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Provided development residency support for Salesman之死 production.
• Rough Draft Festival at LaGuardia Performing Arts CentersupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Provided development residency support for Salesman之死 production.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• New York Theatre Workshop: Off-Broadway theater in NYC known for developing and producing new plays. Comparable as a NYC Off-Broadway producing organization commissioning and developing new work in the same ecosystem as Yangtze Rep.
• Atlantic Theater Company: Off-Broadway company in NYC producing new plays and bold reinterpretations. Operates in the same NYC Off-Broadway ecosystem and venue partnerships as Yangtze Rep, with overlapping audience and artist pools.
• The Public Theater: One of NYC's largest and most prominent nonprofit theaters, producing a wide range of new work and Shakespeare in the Park. Functions as a broad NYC Off-Broadway incumbent whose programming and venue ecosystem overlap with Yangtze Rep's distribution channels.
• Manhattan Theatre Club: Major Off-Broadway company producing new plays and musicals at NYC venues. Functions as a broad incumbent comparable to Yangtze Rep in producing Off-Broadway new work, with greater scale and budget.

Direct peers

• National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO): NYC-based company dedicated to Asian American theatre artists, producing classic and new works. Closely comparable in mission and programming to Yangtze Rep, with similar residency/artist development programming.
• Pan Asian Repertory Theatre: NYC-based Asian American repertory theater producing works that explore the Asian American experience. Operates as a direct repertory-theater peer to Yangtze Rep, sharing overlapping mission, geography, and audience.
• Theatre Mu: Asian American theater company based in Chicago producing work that explores the Asian American experience. Comparable mission and repertory structure to Yangtze Rep, though operating in a different regional market.
• East West Players: The nation's premier Asian American theater, founded in 1965 in Los Angeles. Comparable as a long-standing AAPI-focused repertory theater producing original work and developing Asian American artists.
• Ma-Yi Theater Company: NYC-based AAPI-focused theater company producing new plays and developing Asian American playwrights. Direct mission peer to Yangtze Rep in supporting AAPI storytelling and developing immigrant/diaspora artists in the New York theater ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Target Margin Theater: Experimental NYC theater company that co-produced Salesman之死 with Yangtze Rep. Comparable as a peer experimental/Off-Broadway producing organization in the same NYC ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/yz_rep
• Facebookfacebook.com/yzrep
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yangtze-repertory-theatre-of-america-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 →

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