What double edge theatre does

Double Edge Theatre is a nonprofit original ensemble theatre founded in 1982 by Stacy Klein, originally based in Boston and relocated in 1994 to a 110-acre Farm Center in Ashfield, Massachusetts, where it operates as an integrated creative campus, training facility, and rural resilience site. The company produces original performance works through a holistic physical ensemble methodology, developing a proprietary indoor-outdoor traveling spectacle format that tours nationally and internationally to venues including Arena Stage, Peak Performances, ArtsEmerson, and Jupiter Performance Studio. Its programming extends beyond performance to training programs, artist residencies, and community arts, organized under a "Three Systems" framework spanning Arts & Culture, Rural Resilience Infrastructure, and Movement Building. The Rural Resilience Infrastructure pillar includes 21 on-site housing units and a farm producing approximately 10,000 meals annually, supporting both artists-in-residence and community food resilience.

Name

double edge theatre

Legal name

Double Edge Theatre

Website

https://doubleedgetheatre.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Double Edge Theatre is a nonprofit original ensemble theatre, founded in 1982 and based on a 110-acre farm center in Ashfield, Massachusetts, producing touring spectacles and training programs that serve audiences, artists, and rural communities nationally and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts and Theatre Services

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Other Performing Arts Companies (71119)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Fringe & Experimental Performing Arts (MPAGABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Touring Theatre Productions (MPAGABAC), Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB), Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG)

Keywords

• Ensemble theatre
• Immersive performance
• Theatre training
• Artist residencies
• Community arts

Headquarters

HQ city

Ashfield

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, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Memberships: Annual membership program with tiered benefits including advance ticketing, complimentary tickets to performances, member events, merchandise discounts, and training passes. Tiers range from Silver ($250+/year) to Diamond ($5,000+), with monthly payment options available.
2. Individual Donations: General operating donations from individuals supporting the theatre's performances and operations. Donations can be made online or through various planned giving vehicles.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Business and corporate sponsorship program with five tiers: Business Member ($500), Sponsor ($1,000), Presenting Sponsor ($2,500), Leadership Sponsor ($5,000), Supporting Sponsor ($10,000), and Season Partner ($20,000). Includes name/logo recognition, newsletter features, social media mentions, and performance program advertising.
4. Foundation and Government Grants: Support from major foundations including Barr Foundation, Mellon Foundation, NEA, NEFA, and Massachusetts Cultural Council, as well as government agencies and local cultural councils. Represents significant portion of operational funding.
5. Planned Giving/Legacy Gifts: Bequests through wills or trusts, retirement account beneficiaries, life insurance beneficiaries, and stock donations. Tax ID: 042 972 334.
6. Training Program Tuition: Revenue from training intensives (Summer and Fall) with tuition and housing fees. Programs include immersive training led by the Ensemble in indoor and outdoor spaces at the Farm Center.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Double Edge Theatre produces original ensemble-based theatre, including annual indoor-outdoor traveling spectacles and multi-year performance cycles (Latin American, Surrealist, Chagall, Garden) at its 110-acre Farm Center in Ashfield, Massachusetts. The organization also delivers intensive actor training programs grounded in a holistic physical methodology, hosts artist residencies and community events, and sustains an integrated rural resilience infrastructure offering affordable housing, locally sourced food, and clean-energy facilities for artists and cultural workers.

Product overview

Double Edge Theatre is a cultural cooperative offering a unified portfolio of performing arts products and services centered on its 110-acre Farm Center in Ashfield, Massachusetts. The core offerings include annual Summer and Fall Spectacles (outdoor immersive performances), intensive training programs, artist residencies, and community events. Key performances include 'Leonora, la maga y la maestra', 'SUGA', 'The Heron's Flight', and 'Once a Blue Moon – Cada Luna Azul'. The organization also provides rural resilience infrastructure including affordable housing for artists, local food systems, and convenings supporting arts and cultural life.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Summer Spectacles Annual immersive outdoor performance series that travels through the gardens, barns, and waterways of the Farm Center in Ashfield, MA, featuring live music, larger-than-life puppetry, aerial performances, and street theatre techniques. Open to the public.
• Fall Intensive Training Multi-week intensive actor training program based on the Ensemble's holistic physical methodology, employing emotional, imaginative, physical, and vocal exploration for ensemble collaboration and performance creation. Includes tuition and housing at the Farm Center. For professional and aspiring actors.
• Summer Intensive Training Week-long intensive training led by the Double Edge Ensemble in indoor and outdoor spaces at the Farm Center, including fields, hills, pond and pastures. For professional and aspiring actors.
• Artist Residencies Programs providing space for artists to reflect and renew their creative practice, including seven ongoing collaborations with established guest artists and cultural practitioners at the Farm Center.
• Leonora, la maga y la maestra Indoor/outdoor performance inspired by Leonora Carrington's writings, directed by Stacy Klein. Premiered at Peak Performances at Montclair State University and subsequently broadcast on PBS. Part of the Surrealist Cycle.
• SUGA Solo ritual performance by Travis Coe exploring ancestry across Puerto Rico, Belize, Nicaragua, and beyond, in conversation with James Baldwin. Part of the Surrealist Cycle.
• The Heron's Flight Summer Spectacle traveling through Farm Center gardens, barns and waterways, featuring mythological creatures and a Midsummer Feast celebration. Conceived and directed by Jennifer Johnson and Travis Coe.
• Once a Blue Moon – Cada Luna Azul Performance based on Carlos Uriona's experience with the Argentine military dictatorship, set in the fictional town of Agua Santa, featuring Latin American music and dance. Directed by Stacy Klein.
• Rural Resilience Infrastructure (Affordable Artist Housing & Food Systems) Physical infrastructure systems providing 21 units of affordable housing for cultural workers, food grown on-site or sourced from local farms (10,000 meals/year for company and visitors), and facilities powered by clean energy supporting rural community sustainability.
• Annual Membership Program Tiered annual membership program (Silver $250+/year to Diamond $5,000+/year) with benefits including advance ticketing, complimentary tickets to performances, member events, merchandise discounts, and training passes. Monthly payment options available.
• Business & Corporate Sponsorship Program Five-tier corporate sponsorship program (Business Member $500, Sponsor $1,000, Presenting Sponsor $2,500, Leadership Sponsor $5,000, Supporting Sponsor $10,000, Season Partner $20,000) including name/logo recognition, newsletter features, social media mentions, and performance program advertising.
• Planned Giving / Legacy Gifts Program Legacy giving program offering bequests through wills or trusts, retirement account beneficiaries, life insurance beneficiaries, and stock donations for ongoing support of Double Edge Theatre's mission and operations. Tax ID: 042 972 334.
• Touring Productions Touring productions delivered to partner venues including Arena Stage (Washington, DC), Peak Performances at Montclair State University, ArtsEmerson (Boston), Jupiter Performance Studio (NY), The Hinterlands (Detroit), and international venues in Moscow, Norway, and Poland. Touring contact: Adam Bright, [email protected].
• Ashfield Fall Festival & Community Days Annual community celebration featuring local food, music, and Double Edge performances at Ashfield Commons, plus recurring Community Days where visitors can learn aerial arts on bungees, sing and play music, and explore DE's Ashfield history.
• Conversations Series Conversations and convenings for artists in the field of performing arts, hosted at the Farm Center and streamed live, advancing intersectionality and collective vision.

Quantifiable outcome

• 21 housing units for artists and cultural workers, supporting long-term affordability and community integration
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Jupiter Performance StudiocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2024NY-based performance company led by Ebony Noelle Golden. Long-term residency partner since 2017. Co-produced 'again, the watercarriers: Ceremonies from in the name of the m/other tree' and presented work through Constellations Festival. Deep collaboration rooted in Black diasporic performance traditions.
• Ohketeau Cultural CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNative-led cultural center in Massachusetts. Co-presented Howling at the Moon with Double Edge Theatre. Larry Spotted Crow Mann is co-founder/director; Rhonda Anderson is co-director. Deep collaboration on Art Justice programming.
• The Hinterlands (Detroit, MI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDetroit-based performance ensemble. Development residency at Double Edge Theatre. Presented Will You Miss Me? as part of Constellations Festival. Working with rural community programming.
• Arena Stage (Washington, DC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor regional theatre that commissioned and premiered The Grand Parade in 2013. Performance subsequently toured internationally to Moscow and Norway.
• Peak Performances at Montclair State UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic performing arts presenter that premiered Leonora, la maga y la maestra in 2018. Hosted multi-camera PBS broadcast capture. Presented return engagement in 2024.
• ArtsEmerson (Boston, MA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoston-based presenter that hosted technical residency for Leonora (2020) and presented The Grand Parade (2015) as part of touring circuit.
• Greenfield Savings BanksupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerBusiness sponsor at Supporting Sponsor level ($10,000). Regional savings bank supporting local arts and community organizations.
• Wright BuilderssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerBusiness sponsor at Presenting Sponsor level ($2,500). Local contractor supporting the organization through facilities sponsorship and community investment.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Mass MoCA: Large-scale contemporary arts institution in Western Massachusetts combining visual/performing arts programming with campus infrastructure — adjacent comparable in rural Massachusetts arts-tourism positioning.

Direct peers

• Rude Mechs: Austin-based experimental ensemble creating original devised work with a long-tenured company model — comparable ensemble-first experimental practice and touring footprint.
• Bread and Puppet Theater: Rural Vermont-based experimental theatre company combining large-scale puppetry, pageantry, and political/community engagement — comparable outdoor spectacle format and political-arts orientation.
• SITI Company: Ensemble-based experimental theatre company known for rigorous training methodology, original devised work, and international touring — closely aligned with DE's ensemble creation and methodology-driven practice.
• Pig Iron Theatre Company: Philadelphia-based experimental physical theatre ensemble producing original devised work and offering professional training — comparable ensemble methodology and audience for devised performance.
• Mabou Mines: Long-running experimental theatre ensemble founded on rigorous actor-training methodology and original devised productions — directly comparable ensemble-first experimental practice.
• Dell'Arte International: Rural-based physical theatre ensemble and training institution in Blue Lake, California with a comparable model of ensemble creation, professional training intensives, residencies, and community-integrated operations.
• The Wooster Group: New York experimental theatre ensemble recognized for innovative performance-making and long-tenured company members — peer in experimental ensemble-driven practice and international reputation.

Broad incumbents

• Arena Stage: Major regional theatre in Washington, DC that commissioned and premiered The Grand Parade and hosts DE touring — broader incumbent presenting and commissioning peer in the regional-theatre ecosystem.

Emerging players

• The Hinterlands: Detroit-based experimental performance ensemble that has collaborated with DE on residencies and Constellations Festival — peer in experimental devised practice and community-engaged work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC1YsYT3IAauC2hv9u0lFV3g
• Facebookfacebook.com/DoubleEdgeTheatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/doubleedgetheatre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/double-edge-theatre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 double edge theatre