Nora's
Nora's Playhouse is a Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit theatre company that develops and produces women-centered plays through salon reading series in New York City and Montgomery, Alabama, supporting emerging women playwrights, general theater audiences, school groups, and arts patrons.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersBrooklyn, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Nora's does
Nora's Playhouse is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theatre company founded in 2009 and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, with active operations in Montgomery, Alabama. The company's mission is to develop and produce plays by and about women in collaboration with women theatre artists, operating a portfolio of programs that includes The Nora Salon (a NYC monthly reading series for emerging women playwrights), Nora's Salon South (a Montgomery-based counterpart launched in 2018), and The Nora Project: Women Write (an educational initiative pairing teenage girls with elder women to create short plays). The organization has produced world premieres including Ashes & Ink (Montgomery, 2022; Off-Broadway, 2024) and an Off-Broadway run of Rose at Theatre Row's Clurman Theatre (2015) starring Tony nominee Kathleen Chalfant.
The business model is a hybrid nonprofit arts structure with no proprietary technology platform. Revenue is generated across four streams: ticket sales ($25 regular / $10 student for mainstage productions; $65 for Off-Broadway), suggested donations at salon readings ($10), individual donations (including a 2015 Indiegogo campaign that raised $40,600, 135% of goal), and institutional grants from arts councils and foundations (Alabama State Council on the Arts, Leonore Foundation). Distribution occurs through venue box offices (Telecharge, Ticketstripe, at-the-door) and email-based RSVPs for salon events. The Field serves as fiscal sponsor, enabling tax-deductible contributions. Marketing is conducted through the company website, email newsletters, organic social media (Twitter, Facebook), and earned press coverage (New York Times, Playbill, Broadway World).
Customer segments consist of general theater audiences seeking women-centered programming, school groups attending free educational performances, women playwrights submitting work for development, and arts patrons/donors supporting the mission. The organization operates with a lean staff of 1–10, including Co-Founder/Artistic Director Caroline Reddick Lawson and Co-Founder/Managing Director Emily Richard, supplemented by an Associate Artistic Director, Literary Curator, Managing Director, Business Manager, and Artistic Associates. Venue partnerships span Theatre Row, The Tank, AMT Theater, Guild Hall of Grace Church, NewSouth Bookstore, Huntingdon College, A.I.R. Gallery, and The Sanctuary, reflecting a distributed, partnership-driven operating model.
Nora's firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Nora's
- Legal name
- Nora's Playhouse
- Website
- https://norasplayhouse.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Nora's Playhouse is a Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit theatre company that develops and produces women-centered plays through salon reading series in New York City and Montgomery, Alabama, supporting emerging women playwrights, general theater audiences, school groups, and arts patrons.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Nora's industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Theater Production
- NAICS
- Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Performing Arts Companies (7111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB), Playwriting & Scriptwriting Workshops (Stage) (EDAMAMAD)
Keywords
Where Nora's is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brooklyn
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Nora's business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from selling tickets to theatrical productions and staged readings. Regular tickets priced at $25, student tickets at $10, with special events like the Hot Pink Party fundraiser at $80.
- Individual Donations: Crowdfunding campaign for ROSE production raised $28,375 on Indiegogo plus $12,225 in direct contributions, totaling $40,600 from 84 Indiegogo backers and offline donors.
- Grants: Funding from arts councils and foundations including Alabama State Council on the Arts grants and Leonore Foundation grants to support professional opportunities for women theatre artists.
- Event Donations: Suggested donations of $10 for salon readings and events, with additional proceeds from silent auctions at fundraiser events like the Hot Pink Party.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Regular performance tickets |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Student tickets |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free student performance |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Salon reading suggested donation |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Hot Pink Party fundraiser |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | ROSE Off-Broadway tickets |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Nora's product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Nora's Playhouse develops and produces women-centered theatrical productions and staged readings in collaboration with women theatre artists. The organization runs salon reading series in NYC and Montgomery, Alabama that give emerging women playwrights the opportunity to hear their work read aloud and developed, with a full pipeline from script submission to staged reading to world premiere and Off-Broadway production.
Product overview
Nora's Playhouse is a nonprofit theatre company dedicated to telling women's stories in collaboration with women theatre artists. The organization operates a portfolio of programs including The Nora Salon (a NYC-based reading series for emerging women playwrights), Nora's Salon South (a Montgomery, Alabama-based reading series), and The Nora Project: Women Write (an educational initiative pairing teenage girls with elder women to create plays). The company produces full productions and staged readings, including world premieres such as Ashes & Ink (2022) and Off-Broadway productions such as Rose (2015). It also hosts annual fundraising events like the Hot Pink Party. The organization functions as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit without a technology platform or software products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Nora Salon A monthly reading series in NYC where emerging women playwrights from diverse backgrounds hear their work read aloud in a casual setting, providing an opportunity for artists and supporters to participate in the development process from page to stage.
- Nora's Salon South A salon reading series in Montgomery, Alabama that provides opportunities for women playwrights' works to be read and discussed in an informal gathering with wine, conversation, and feedback.
- The Nora Project: Women Write An educational initiative that brings together teenage girls and elder women to share life stories and create short plays inspired by those narratives, fostering intergenerational collaboration in storytelling.
- Rose
Quantifiable outcome
- ROSE production successful with Off-Broadway run at Theatre Row's Clurman Theatre
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Nora's
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Nora's technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Nora's partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- History Matters: Celebrating Women's Plays of the PastcoreCollaborated with History Matters to produce virtual readings for Judith Barlow Prize winners. Jointly produced Barlow Award readings featuring Leah Barsanti's and Gelaine Vestal's award-winning plays with post-show discussions.
- The TankminorPresented whatdoesfreemean? production as an Equity-approved showcase venue.
- NewSouth BookstoreminorHost venue for Nora's Salon South readings at 105 S Court Street in downtown Montgomery, AL.
- Theatre Row (Clurman Theatre)minorHost venue for ROSE Off-Broadway production at 410 West 42nd Street, NYC.
- Paper Birch ProductionsminorProducing Ashes & Ink Off-Broadway at AMT Theater October 16-November 3, 2024. Nora's Playhouse collaborated on development of the play from initial submission through world premiere.
- Huntingdon CollegeminorHost venue for WASH, DRY, FOLD reading at Leo J. Drum Theatre in Montgomery, AL.
- A.I.R. GalleryminorBrooklyn gallery that has hosted Nora's Playhouse readings since 2012, advocating for women in visual arts since 1972.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Nora's competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Signature Theatre (NYC): Signature Theatre is a NYC Off-Broadway company that produces new plays and residencies centered on living playwrights. It overlaps with Nora's Playhouse's playwright-development focus but at materially larger scale and budget.
- New York Theatre Workshop: NYTW is a long-established Off-Broadway theater that develops and produces new plays, including work by women playwrights. Nora's Playhouse's Artistic Director Caroline Reddick Lawson previously served as NYTW's Director of Education, indicating a direct institutional relationship.
- Atlantic Theater Company: Atlantic is a NYC Off-Broadway company producing new plays and developmental work. It operates at a larger scale than Nora's Playhouse but shares the new-work development model and similar venue access points.
Direct peers
- WP Theater (formerly Women's Project Theater): WP Theater is the most direct peer — a NYC nonprofit theater company dedicated to developing and producing work by women and gender-expansive artists, including playwrights. It mirrors Nora's Playhouse's mission, target audience, and salon-to-production pipeline.
- Paper Birch Productions: Paper Birch Productions co-produced the Off-Broadway run of Ashes & Ink (the play Nora's Playhouse originally developed). Similar scale, focus on new play development, and overlapping artistic network.
- Ma-Yi Theater Company: Ma-Yi is a NYC nonprofit producing new plays, including work by and about specific communities. Comparable in scale to Nora's Playhouse, with a similar new-work development and staged-reading pipeline.
- The Tank: The Tank is a NYC venue that has hosted Nora's Playhouse productions (e.g., whatdoesfreemean?). It is an emerging-scale theater producing experimental new work, comparable in production scale and budget.
- History Matters / Back to the Future: History Matters partnered with Nora's Playhouse on virtual Judith Barlow Prize readings (2020). It is a similarly sized nonprofit producing staged readings and supporting women playwrights historically.
- Rattlestick Playwrights Theater: Rattlestick focuses on producing new plays and supporting playwrights in an Off-Off-Broadway setting. Comparable in scale and mission to Nora's Playhouse, both serving emerging and mid-career playwrights.
Regional players
- Hartford Stage: Hartford Stage is a LORT-classified regional theater that produces new plays and classics, serving as a benchmark for what a regional production partner for Nora's Playhouse's Alabama Salon South model could become at scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Nora's social profiles
Digital presenceNora's financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Nora's leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Nora's funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Nora's M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Nora's
What does Nora's do?
Nora's Playhouse develops and produces women-centered theatrical productions and staged readings in collaboration with women theatre artists. The organization runs salon reading series in NYC and Montgomery, Alabama that give emerging women playwrights the opportunity to hear their work read aloud and developed, with a full pipeline from script submission to staged reading to world premiere and Off-Broadway production.
Is Nora's a public or private company?
Nora's is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Nora's founded?
Nora's was founded in 2009. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Nora's based?
Nora's is headquartered in Brooklyn, United States, in the North America region.
How does Nora's make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are individual Donations, grants and event Donations.
Who are Nora's's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Signature Theatre (NYC), New York Theatre Workshop and Atlantic Theater Company. Direct peers are WP Theater (formerly Women's Project Theater), Paper Birch Productions, Ma-Yi Theater Company, The Tank, History Matters / Back to the Future and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. Hartford Stage is listed as a regional player.
Does Nora's have an API?
No public API is recorded for Nora's.
What industry is Nora's in?
Nora's's product category is Theater Production. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGABAH, Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama), with a secondary code of MPAGABAB, Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies. Its NAICS code is 71111.