PlayTime Productions
PlayTime Productions was a Dane County, Wisconsin non-profit children's theatre that produced live theatrical shows performed entirely by youth actors aged 8-18, serving local families, libraries, and schools through approximately 16 free or low-cost community performances per production.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1979
- HeadquartersMount Horeb, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What PlayTime Productions does
PlayTime Productions is a non-profit children's theatre company founded in 1979 in Dane County, Wisconsin, that produced and presented live theatrical productions performed entirely by child actors aged 8-18 for family audiences. Originally launched as 'Park Players' by founder Teddy Studt, the organization was incorporated as a non-profit in 1986 and grew into one of Wisconsin's only all-children theatre companies, staging more than 60 original productions over four decades across venues including Monona Public Library, Barrymore Theatre, Overture Center for the Arts, and Stoughton Opera House. Each production featured a cast of approximately 25 children and operated under a hybrid performance-process model, providing roughly 100 hours of instruction, supervised rehearsal, and performance opportunity per child while delivering approximately 16 community shows per production free or at low cost.
Core operations relied on traditional theatrical production techniques, including live performance, set and costume design, lighting, props, choreography, and musical accompaniment. Productions adapted classic fairy tales such as Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, The Little Match Girl, and The Red Shoes with modern plot twists and cultural themes. The organization held a business office in Mt. Horeb, a prop and costume warehouse in Fitchburg, and used Monona Public Library for rehearsals and auditions.
The business model was multi-stream non-profit revenue combining corporate sponsorships (top tier $10,000-$15,000), individual donations across multiple tiers, modest tuition/program fees, and grants from government arts agencies (Dane Arts, Wisconsin Arts Board, Madison Arts Commission) and private foundations (Endres Mfg., Evjue, Frautschi, Rowland). American Girl Fund for Children served as a major annual corporate sponsor from 2001 through closure. The organization announced its permanent closure in June 2022, citing pandemic disruption, insufficient sustainable funding, and inability to replace aging leadership or staff.
PlayTime Productions firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PlayTime Productions
- Legal name
- PlayTime Productions Ltd.
- Website
- https://playtimeproductions.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1979
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- PlayTime Productions was a Dane County, Wisconsin non-profit children's theatre that produced live theatrical shows performed entirely by youth actors aged 8-18, serving local families, libraries, and schools through approximately 16 free or low-cost community performances per production.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PlayTime Productions industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Children's Theatre / Performing Arts
- NAICS
- Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Children’s & Youth Theatre (MPAGABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH), Community Theatre & Storytelling Festivals (MPAGAEAI), Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB)
Keywords
Where PlayTime Productions is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mount Horeb
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
PlayTime Productions business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Corporate Sponsorships: Annual sponsorships from corporate sponsors at various tiers (Stellar Supporting $10,000-$15,000, Fall/Spring Season $5,000-$9,900, Star of the Show $1,000-$4,900). Major sponsor American Girl Fund for Children since 2001.
- Individual Donations: Individual contributions at Royalty ($500-$9999), Chorus ($100-$499), and Understudy ($25-$99) levels. Also accepts donations to Hannah Zoromski Memorial Fund and Teddy O. & Robert R. Studt PlayTime Productions Endowment Fund.
- Tuition/Program Fees: Revenue from participant tuition, kept affordable with scholarship support. Many performances are free to the community.
- Government/Cultural Grants: Funding from Dane Arts, Wisconsin Arts Board, Madison Arts Commission, and various foundation grants (Endres Mfg. Company Foundation, Evjue Foundation, W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation, Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | Stellar Supporting Annual Sponsor: $10,000-$15,000 |
| Other | Annual | Fall/Spring Season Sponsor: $5,000-$9,900 |
| Other | Annual | Star of the Show Sponsor: $1,000-$4,900 |
| Other | Annual | Royalty Contributor: $500-$9999 |
| Other | Annual | Chorus Contributor: $100-$499 |
| Other | Annual | Understudy Contributor: $25-$99 |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
PlayTime Productions product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PlayTime Productions produces and presents live children's theatrical productions performed by young actors aged 8-18, staging classic fairy tales and children's stories with modern plot twists at approximately 16 community shows per production across a dozen public venues in Dane County, Wisconsin. Each production combines approximately 100 hours of structured instruction, supervised practice, and performance opportunity, blending process-based arts education with public performance output for family audiences.
Product overview
PlayTime Productions is a non-profit children's theatre company operating as a single unified offering: live theatrical productions performed by children aged 8-18 for family audiences. The company produces approximately 16 community shows per production at various venues throughout Dane County, Wisconsin. Since its founding in 1979, PTP has staged over 60 productions featuring classic fairy tales and children's stories, including recurring titles such as The Red Shoes (inaugural production), Sleeping Beauty, The Princess and the Pea, Snow White, The Snow Queen, The Emperor's New Clothes, If The Shoe Fits...A Cinderella Story, WWW.OZ, The Prince and the Pauper, The Little Match Girl, The Reluctant Dragon, and Ali Baba and A Few Thieves. Each production features a cast of approximately 25 children, with many youth experiencing their first theatrical ensemble participation. The company operates as a hybrid performance-process model, providing approximately 100 hours of instruction, supervised practice, and performance opportunity per production.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Sleeping Beauty Classic fairy tale adapted for children's theatre, performed by a cast of approximately 25 children aged 8-18 with modern plot twists and surprises.
- The Princess and the Pea Classic fairy tale adapted for children's theatre with modern plot twists, performed by child actors.
- Snow White Classic fairy tale brought to life by young performers with cultural richness and humor.
- If The Shoe Fits...A Cinderella Story PlayTime Productions' unique retelling of the Cinderella fairy tale with contemporary themes and surprises.
- The Snow Queen Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale adapted for young audiences and child performers with modern twists.
- The Emperor's New Clothes Classic fairy tale with moral lessons retold for present-day audiences by child performers.
- WWW.OZ Modern reimagining of The Wizard of Oz featuring pixelkin characters and contemporary themes.
- The Prince and the Pauper Mark Twain's story adapted for child performers with themes of social bonds and identity.
- The Red Shoes PlayTime Productions' inaugural production, a classic fairy tale that launched over four decades of children's theatre.
- Ali Baba and A Few Thieves Classic Arabian tale adapted for children's theatre with humor and modern plot twists.
- The Little Match Girl Hans Christian Andersen's poignant fairy tale adapted for young audiences and child performers.
- The Reluctant Dragon Classic children's story about a dragon who prefers poetry over fierceness, performed by young cast.
Quantifiable outcome
- Nearly 1500 children have developed life skills through participation
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use PlayTime Productions
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
PlayTime Productions technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
PlayTime Productions partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Barrymore TheatreminorArea sponsor and venue partner for PTP productions. Listed among area sponsors 1998/99-2019/20.
- Overture Center for the ArtsminorMajor Madison arts venue hosting Kids in the Rotunda and Children's Arts Festival programs. Venue partner and area sponsor for PTP.
- Dane County LibrariesminorMultiple library partners including Monona Public Library, DeForest Library, Goodman South Madison Library, Sauk City Library. Serve as rehearsal/audition venues and performance hosts.
- Local School PTAs/PTOsminorArea sponsors including Belleville-Title 1 and Pre-4K P.T.O., Cottage Grove P.T.O., Emerson P.T.O., McFarland P.T.O., Mt. Horeb K-5th Grade P.T.O., New Glarus P.T.O., Oregon Community Education. Support and venue partners.
- Boys & Girls Club in the Allied Family CenterminorCommunity organization and area sponsor supporting PTP's mission to reach underserved youth populations in Dane County.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
PlayTime Productions competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Seattle Children's Theatre: Seattle-based professional children's theatre producing mainstage productions for young audiences. Comparable to PlayTime as a regional children's theatre with established production history.
- Metro Theater Company: St. Louis-based professional theatre company creating original work for young audiences and families through touring productions. Comparable to PlayTime in producing touring productions that travel to community venues.
- Nashville Children's Theatre: Tennessee-based professional children's theatre producing plays and musicals for young audiences. Comparable to PlayTime as a regional children's theatre producing productions for families.
- Main Street Theater: Houston, TX-based theatre company with a dedicated children's division producing plays for young audiences. Comparable to PlayTime in targeting family audiences with theatrical productions.
- Imagination Stage: Bethesda, MD-based professional children's theatre producing mainstage productions for young audiences with strong education programming. Comparable to PlayTime in its focus on children as both performers and audience members, though operating from a dedicated facility.
- Walden Theatre: Louisville, KY-based theatre company with a Conservatory program for young performers. Comparable to PlayTime in combining theatrical performance with structured youth arts education.
- Adventure Theatre MTC: Maryland-based professional theatre for young audiences that mounts productions featuring both adult and youth performers. Comparable to PlayTime's hybrid model combining children performers with professional production support.
Broad incumbents
- Children's Theatre Company (Minneapolis): One of the largest and most established professional children's theatres in the U.S., producing a full season of productions for young audiences. Comparable as a children's theatre company but operates at significantly larger scale than PlayTime.
Emerging players
- Atlantic Theater Company's Kids & Family Programming: New York-based theatre company with dedicated programming for young audiences including children's productions. Comparable as a producing theatre with children's programming, though much larger in overall scope.
Regional players
- First Stage: Milwaukee-based children's theatre company that produces professional theatrical productions for young audiences, with both performance and education programs. Comparable to PlayTime as a Wisconsin-based children's theatre, though larger in scale and operating its own venue rather than traveling.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
PlayTime Productions social profiles
Digital presencePlayTime Productions financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PlayTime Productions leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
PlayTime Productions funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PlayTime Productions 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 PlayTime Productions
What does PlayTime Productions do?
PlayTime Productions produces and presents live children's theatrical productions performed by young actors aged 8-18, staging classic fairy tales and children's stories with modern plot twists at approximately 16 community shows per production across a dozen public venues in Dane County, Wisconsin. Each production combines approximately 100 hours of structured instruction, supervised practice, and performance opportunity, blending process-based arts education with public performance output for family audiences.
Is PlayTime Productions a public or private company?
PlayTime Productions is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently closed.
When was PlayTime Productions founded?
PlayTime Productions was founded in 1979. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is PlayTime Productions based?
PlayTime Productions is headquartered in Mount Horeb, United States, in the North America region.
How does PlayTime Productions make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Corporate Sponsorships are the primary driver. The others are individual Donations, tuition/Program Fees and government/Cultural Grants.
Who are PlayTime Productions's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Seattle Children's Theatre, Metro Theater Company, Nashville Children's Theatre, Main Street Theater, Imagination Stage, Walden Theatre and Adventure Theatre MTC. Children's Theatre Company (Minneapolis) is listed as a broad incumbent. Atlantic Theater Company's Kids & Family Programming is listed as an emerging player. First Stage is listed as a regional player.
Does PlayTime Productions have an API?
No public API is recorded for PlayTime Productions.
What industry is PlayTime Productions in?
PlayTime Productions's product category is Children's Theatre / Performing Arts. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGABAE, Children’s & Youth Theatre, with a secondary code of MPAGABAH, Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama). Its NAICS code is 711110 and its SIC code is 7900.