Compass Rose Theater

What Compass Rose Theater does

Compass Rose Theater is a non-profit 501(c)(3) professional teaching theater founded in 2011 by Lucinda Merry-Browne in Annapolis, Maryland (Federal Tax ID 90-0649573). The organization produces live theatrical performances for regional audiences while simultaneously operating a youth and adult arts-education platform. Core products are (a) mainstage productions staged across four venues including the Annapolis Mall Live Arts Studio, Maryland Hall Bowen Theater, Unity by the Bay (cabaret), and Historic London Town & Gardens (outdoor Shakespeare); (b) acting classes for ages 4 through adult (Kinder Theater, Youth Acting & Improv, Musical Theater, Adult Acting); (c) one-week summer theater camps priced $299-$399 with need-based scholarships; and (d) in-school residencies via partnerships with Anne Arundel County Public Schools (Bates Middle School Apex Arts) and Anne Arundel Community College. The company has staged 48 productions and accumulated seven Helen Hayes Award nominations including the multi-category nomination sweep for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

The business model combines ticket sales (single-ticket, season subscription, and group sales of 12+), class and camp tuition, touring performance fees to community venues, and a donation/grant revenue stream supported by Maryland State Arts Council, JM Kaplan Fund, and Arts Council of Anne Arundel County. Commercial motion is direct-to-consumer via Ludus.com ticketing and Givebutter donations, with a community-led and event-driven go-to-market layered through school partnerships and subscription packages. Marketing runs through Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TripAdvisor, an email newsletter, and earned-media coverage from regional critics (DC Theater Arts, Maryland Theatre Guide, Broadway World, Theater Bloom). Operating technology is a standard SaaS stack (Ludus, Givebutter, Arts People, Canva, Google Forms) with no proprietary platform; no mobile app is offered.

The organization operates with a lean core team of four paid staff (Executive Director Barbara Webber, Artistic Director Madeline Austin, Assistant to the Executive Director Meredith Fuller, plus founding advisor Lucinda Merry-Browne), a Board of Directors (President Susan Baum, plus Treasurer Joshua Ikotun CPA, Secretary Anne Marie Drew, and additional board members), summer interns, and an extensive volunteer corps covering box office, ushering, set building, backstage, publicity, and social media. Governance transitioned to a new leadership pair in 2023 after the founder's retirement, and the theater has since expanded venue footprint, deepened school-district integrations, and broadened its summer camp portfolio to eight themed week-long sessions in 2026.

Name

Compass Rose Theater

Legal name

Compass Rose Theater

Website

https://compassrosetheater.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Compass Rose Theater is a non-profit professional teaching theater in Annapolis, Maryland that produces live theatrical productions and delivers acting classes, summer camps, and in-school residencies for youth and adults across four regional venues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Annapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Individual tickets and season subscriptions for live theater productions. Primary revenue stream from performances at multiple venues including Annapolis Mall, Maryland Hall, and touring productions.
2. Education Programs: Fees from acting classes, musical theater, youth programs, and summer camps for children ages 4-18.
3. Donations and Grants: Tax-deductible contributions from individuals and organizations. Federal tax ID: 90-0649573. Supported by Maryland State Arts Council, JM Kaplan Fund, and Arts Council of Anne Arundel County.
4. Group Sales and Venue Partnerships: Discounted rates for groups of 12+, touring shows to churches, community groups, and senior centers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

No source-backed information available to describe core offerings.

Product overview

Compass Rose Theater is a non-profit professional teaching theater company offering a multi-faceted portfolio centered around live theatrical productions and arts education. The core offering includes professional mainstage productions (plays and musicals) at Annapolis-area venues, complemented by a comprehensive suite of educational programs including acting classes for all ages, one-week summer theater camps, and in-school residencies. Additional offerings include Compass Rose Cabaret events featuring past show highlights, summer internships providing hands-on production experience, and volunteer opportunities. The company operates primarily from Annapolis, Maryland, with performances at locations including Live Arts Maryland/Annapolis Mall, Maryland Hall Bowen Theater, and Historic London Town & Gardens.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Students mentored by professionals gain hands-on experience and professional compensation
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Anne Arundel Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025Students from Anne Arundel Community College worked alongside professional artists both onstage and behind the scenes in the RENT production, gaining hands-on experience in technical theater and production. This partnership reflects the theater's mission to connect professional theater with education.
• Historic London Town & GardenscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Outdoor Shakespeare production 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' staged at Historic London Town & Gardens in Edgewater, MD, produced in partnership with Compass Rose Theater. Interactive, fun outdoor Shakespeare experience for families.
• Maryland HallcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaryland Hall Bowen Theater serves as venue for select productions including Godspell. Partnership provides professional performance space for larger productions.
• Unity by the BaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue for Compass Rose Cabaret Spring 2026 celebrating 15 years of theater. Open seating, handicap accessible venue with free parking.
• Live Arts MarylandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary venue partner at Annapolis Mall (2002 Annapolis Mall Rd). Home venue for many Compass Rose productions including Charlie Brown.
• Bates Middle School (Anne Arundel County Public Schools)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompass Rose Theater teaches after-school classes at Bates Middle School through the Apex Arts extended-day program. Year-round program also offers Summer Bridge orientation for incoming students. Family members receive student-priced tickets to all performances.
• Brooklyn Park SchoolsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchools attend Compass Rose Theater productions as part of arts education exposure.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Olney Theatre Center: Maryland-based professional regional theater producing plays and musicals alongside education and community programs. Comparable as a Maryland-based professional theater with a parallel teaching/community engagement mission.
• Imagination Stage: Bethesda, MD-based professional theater combining mainstage productions with extensive arts education for young people. Comparable as a professional teaching theater model with integrated classes, camps, and mainstage productions serving a similar Mid-Atlantic demographic.
• Children's Theatre of Annapolis: Annapolis-based youth-focused theater producing mainstage productions and education programs. Directly comparable as a same-mission, same-geography community theater serving young performers; Compass Rose board member Debra Fortier previously led this organization.
• Annapolis Shakespeare Company: Annapolis-based professional theater producing classical and Shakespeare works with educational outreach. Directly comparable as a same-geography professional theater offering both productions and education programming.
• Colonial Players: Long-running community theater in Annapolis producing mainstage plays and musicals with volunteer-driven operations. Directly comparable as a same-geography amateur/professional community theater competing for overlapping audiences and donor dollars.
• Live Arts Maryland: Annapolis-based performing arts organization that operates Compass Rose's primary home venue (Live Arts Studio at Annapolis Mall). Comparable as a co-located Annapolis performing arts organization with overlapping audience and venue infrastructure.

Broad incumbents

• Round House Theatre: Larger DC-area professional theater producing mainstage productions with education programs. Comparable as a broader, more established regional theater operating in the same Mid-Atlantic market with overlapping programming categories.
• Signature Theatre: Arlington, VA-based professional theater known for musicals and new works. Comparable as a larger regional theater in the same DC/Mid-Atlantic market with overlapping audience and subscriber base.
• Arena Stage: Major Washington DC regional theater with broad programming and education/community engagement initiatives. Comparable as a much larger incumbent DC-area theater; Compass Rose board member Susan Baum's career began here.
• Center Stage (Baltimore): Maryland's largest regional professional theater producing a wide range of work with significant education programming. Comparable as a larger Maryland-based regional theater serving an overlapping geography and donor pool.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CompassRoseTheater
• Instagraminstagram.com/compassroselivetheater
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/compass-rose-theater

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Compass Rose Theater