Lebanon Opera House

What Lebanon Opera House does

Lebanon Opera House (LOH) is an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) performing arts venue founded in 1924 in Lebanon, New Hampshire, operating the 746-seat historic Jack O'Connell Theater in downtown Lebanon. The organization presents a year-round calendar of more than 100 live performances spanning music, dance, theater, and film to over 26,000 patrons annually, hosts nearly a dozen resident community arts groups that lack their own performance space, and runs signature event series including the Nexus Music and Arts Festival, the Come as You Are Film Series, LOH Pride, LOH on Location, and a Youth Education Series.

LOH's operating platform rests on standard performing-arts infrastructure — a professional stage, refurbished choral dressing rooms, greenroom space, and progressively upgraded technical systems (sound in 2018, HVAC in 2021, lighting in 2024) — supported by a Salesforce-backed donation processing site, an online ticketing system through lebanonoperahouse.org, and a Local Gift Cards partnership for gift card fulfillment. The organization maintains a roughly 10-person core staff supplemented by volunteer ushers, scanners, greeters, and festival volunteers, and is governed by a 20+ member Board of Directors under Executive and Artistic Director Joe Clifford and Managing Director Brian Cook.

LOH earns revenue through a hybrid nonprofit model: per-show ticket sales (which the organization itself states cover only a small portion of operating costs), tax-deductible donations to the LOH Annual Fund (with tiered Insider and Century Club memberships), corporate sponsorships explicitly disclosed as 21% of annual revenue, theater and facility rentals to outside artists and organizations, branded merchandise, gift cards in $20-$200 denominations, and venue preservation fees. The organization receives no direct funding from the City of Lebanon and completed a $4.2M LOH@100 capital campaign alongside its 2024 centennial celebration to fund facility upgrades and barrier-free programming.

Name

Lebanon Opera House

Legal name

Lebanon Opera House

Website

https://lebanonoperahouse.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1924

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lebanon Opera House is an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) founded in 1924 that operates the 746-seat Jack O'Connell Theater in downtown Lebanon, NH, presenting 100+ live music, dance, theater, and film performances annually to over 26,000 Upper Valley patrons and serving as performance home to nearly a dozen community arts groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Venue

NAICS

Performing Arts Companies (7111), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)

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), Opera & Operetta (MPAGABAF), Live Music Clubs & Venues (MPAGAIAB)

Keywords

• Performing arts venue
• Live performance presenting
• Theater rental services
• Community arts programming
• Arts education events

Headquarters

HQ city

Lebanon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from ticket sales for performances and events. However, ticket sales cover only a small portion of the cost of sustaining LOH's multi-faceted programming.
2. Donations and Annual Fund: Tax-deductible donations to the LOH Annual Fund. Donors contributing $100 or more become LOH Insiders with early notice and presale access. LOH welcomes gifts of appreciated stock, IRA contributions, and bequests.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate partner program accounting for 21% of annual revenue. Sponsors receive exposure through season playbill, website, and marketing initiatives.
4. Gift Cards and Merchandise: LOH-branded merchandise including water bottles, stickers, pins, keychains, magnets, hats, hoodies, tees, totes, and mugs. Gift cards available in denominations from $20 to $200.
5. Venue Rentals: Rental fees for artists and companies using the Jack O'Connell Theater for performances, meetings, rehearsals, and private functions. Substantial costs and fees associated with facility use.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Lebanon Opera House is a nonprofit performing arts venue that presents live music, dance, theater, comedy, and film performances from national touring artists and resident community arts groups throughout the year. The organization's core service is operating the 746-seat Jack O'Connell Theater in downtown Lebanon, NH, hosting 100+ performances annually for more than 26,000 patrons, supplemented by signature event series, venue rentals to outside organizations, gift cards, and branded merchandise.

Product overview

Lebanon Opera House is a nonprofit performing arts venue and presenter operating as a single unified offering centered around the Jack O'Connell Theater, a 746-seat historic venue in downtown Lebanon, NH. The organization delivers a portfolio of live performance events including music, theater, dance, and film programming, supplemented by signature event series (Nexus Music and Arts Festival, Come as You Are Film Series, LOH Pride, Youth Education Series), venue rental services, gift card and merchandise offerings, and a Community Arts Partners residency program. The company operates year-round, hosting over 100 performances annually and serving more than 26,000 patrons per season.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LOH on Location: A series showcasing world-class artistry in unexpected places such as tunnels, churches, parks, and parking lots throughout the community.
• Nexus Music and Arts Festival
• Come as You Are Film Series
• LOH Pride

Products and services

• Live Performance Events Year-round presenting of 100+ live performances including music, dance, theater, comedy, and film for the Upper Valley community, hosting national touring artists and local community arts groups at the Jack O'Connell Theater.
• Venue Rental (Jack O'Connell Theater) Rental of the 746-seat Jack O'Connell Theater and facility spaces to outside artists, companies, and organizations for performances, rehearsals, meetings, and private events.
• Nexus Music and Arts Festival Annual free three-day music and arts festival held at Colburn Park featuring multiple stages, diverse musical genres, and community activities.
• Come as You Are Film Series Free movie screening series featuring films on the theater's big screen with state-of-the-art sound system.
• LOH Pride Celebration Annual LGBTQIA+ community celebration featuring resource and artisan fair in Colburn Park followed by indoor dance party inside the theater.
• LOH on Location Off-site programming bringing world-class artistry to unconventional venues throughout the community including tunnels, churches, parks, and parking lots.
• Gift Cards LOH-branded gift cards available in denominations from $20 to $200, rechargeable and usable for any show, redeemable online, in person, or over the phone.
• LOH Merchandise Official branded merchandise including water bottles, stickers, pins, keychains, magnets, hats, hoodies, tees, totes, and mugs sold at box office and online.
• Corporate Partnership Program Sponsorship opportunities providing brand exposure through season playbill, website, and marketing initiatives for local and regional businesses.
• Community Arts Partners Residency Program Residency program hosting community arts groups including ballet companies, theaters, music schools, and choruses on the LOH stage.

Quantifiable outcome

• 26,000+ patrons experience transformative performing arts annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• AdimabsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerAdimab supported the Come as You Are free movie series at LOH, helping bring community programming to the Upper Valley.
• Mascoma BanksupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerMascoma Bank co-sponsored the Come as You Are free film series. The bank partners with LOH to build community and create memorable moments for Upper Valley residents.
• Opera NorthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegion's premier professional summer music festival founded in 1982. The only full-time professional opera company serving New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. Opera North focuses on bringing classic musical theater to the region.
• City Center BalletcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity ballet company combining Upper Valley student talents with international guest artists for large-scale productions at LOH.
• North Country Community Theatre (NCCT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 1973, NCCT has produced quality community theater productions. The NCCT Teens program offers youth artistic and leadership development opportunities.
• Upper Valley Music CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity music school with expert faculty teaching programs for ages birth through adulthood. Resident ensembles perform publicly at LOH.
• Revels NorthsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-generational programming celebrating traditional song, dance, storytelling, and ritual. Best known for annual Christmas Revels.
• Upper Valley Community BandsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner70 active musicians performing at parades and seasonal events throughout the year, including twice-yearly concerts on the LOH stage.
• North Country ChordsmensupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerUpper Valley's resident barbershop-style chorus presenting a cappella entertainment for audiences of all ages.
• The Dance CollectivesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerDance instruction in the Upper Valley since the 1980s, encouraging young dancers of all levels to explore their love of movement.
• Dancers' CornersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive dance studio teaching tap, jazz, hip hop, acrobatics, and more to students as young as two years old.
• Raqs Salaam Dance TheatersupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner60-member performance group focusing on Middle Eastern, Central Asian, and American Belly Dance.
• Trumbull Hall TroupesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded in 2004 to provide kids with educational theater experience. Has contributed more than $100,000 to charities.
• Lebanon School District/Sau88coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLOH serves as home for many K-12 instrumental, vocal, and theater productions, supporting district's mission of cultivating curiosity and collaboration.
• Upper Valley BaroquesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded in September 2021, creating transformative experiences with Baroque and Early Music on period instruments.
• The Lyme InnsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerHospitality partner viewing LOH as the anchor of arts in the Upper Valley. Values LOH's unique offering of regional and national touring artists and community programming.
• Co-op Food StoressupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner believing that arts create a more well-rounded human being.
• Retail Control SystemssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting year-round access to the arts and making performing arts accessible to all community members regardless of background.
• ALL TogethersupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity resource for prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery of substance misuse and suicide. Partnered at Nexus festival.
• HeadrestsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerSupporting individuals and families affected by substance use through prevention and long-term recovery programs. Partnered at Nexus festival.
• WISEsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerOrganization leading the Upper Valley to end gender-based violence through survivor-centered advocacy, prevention, education, and mobilization.
• LISTEN Community ServicessupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerSince 1972, dedicated to helping Upper Valley families thrive through food pantry, community dinners, housing grants, and more.
• Special Needs Support CentersupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCreating community where people with special needs can live their best lives. Partnered at Nexus festival.
• Spark Community CentersupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerProviding welcoming place where lives of people with differing abilities are enriched through sense of community.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Overture Center for the Arts: Madison, WI's Overture Center is a larger multi-venue performing arts complex in a similar community-anchor role; broader in scale but comparable in nonprofit presenting mission, donor model, and education/community focus.

Direct peers

• The Flynn: Burlington, VT's Flynn Performing Arts Center is a similarly sized regional presenter of music, dance, theater, and film in the Upper New England market, with comparable ticketing, rentals, and donor-driven revenue model.
• The Music Hall: Portsmouth, NH's historic performing arts center presents music, theater, film, and dance with a similar nonprofit earned/contributed revenue mix and community-anchor positioning in a small New England city.
• The Colonial Theatre: Bethlehem, NH's Colonial Theatre is a nonprofit historic regional venue presenting performing arts and film in northern New Hampshire—comparable size, mission, and community-presenter model.
• Palace Theatre: Manchester, NH's Palace Theatre is a nonprofit historic theater presenting touring and community productions with a comparable scale, donor base, and New England regional audience profile.
• Barre Opera House: Vermont's historic Barre Opera House is a community-owned performing arts venue with a directly analogous name, scale, and presenter role—specializing in music, theater, and film in a small New England city.
• Capitol Center for the Arts: A nonprofit regional presenting venue in Concord, NH with a comparable mix of national touring artists and community programming, competing for similar New Hampshire audiences and corporate sponsors.
• Paramount Theatre (Rutland, VT): A restored historic regional theater in Vermont presenting live performing arts, film, and community programming with a similar nonprofit operating model serving a similar sized market.
• Hopkins Center for the Arts (Dartmouth College): Dartmouth's Hopkins Center for the Arts is a regional presenting venue serving the Upper Valley with a comparable mix of touring performances, resident ensembles, and educational programming—directly comparable in geography and audience overlap.
• Mayo Performing Arts Center: Morristown, NJ's MPAC operates a similar-sized restored historic theater presenting national touring artists and community programming with a comparable nonprofit earned/contributed revenue mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LebanonOperaHouse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lebanon-opera-house

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Lebanon Opera House