corn stock theatre

What corn stock theatre does

Corn Stock Theatre is a not-for-profit community theatre organization founded in 1954 in Peoria, Illinois. It operates two performing venues: The Tent, a 450-seat outdoor theatre-in-the-round located in Upper Bradley Park under a partnership with the Peoria Park District established in 1955, and the LAB Theatre Center, a 175-seat indoor black box facility on North Park Road. The organization produces approximately 12 shows per year across a summer season at The Tent, a winter Lab Studio Series, and the Corn Stock for Kids program for children ages 7-18, supplemented by workshops, classes, and audition-based community casting.

The organization's product surface consists of theatrical performances (plays and musicals), youth theatre programming, and ancillary revenue lines including concessions, merchandise, memberships, and donations. It sells tickets through the OvationTix online platform and an in-person box office, offering individual tickets priced $11-$25, season subscriptions ($85-$95), and tiered Flex Passes ($40-$95). Corn Stock is heavily volunteer-driven, with members paying $10 annual dues that confer voting rights and Board eligibility, and the organization receives grant support from the Illinois Arts Council, the Community Foundation of Central Illinois, and a roster of local business sponsors (Hometown Banks, CEFCU, Springfield Clinic, WCBU, among others).

The business model is a hybrid of transactional ticket revenue, recurring subscription/flex pass revenue, and philanthropic contributions (donations, grants, sponsorships). Go-to-market is community-led, relying on social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok), an email newsletter ("Electronic Ears") delivered via Constant Contact, word-of-mouth, and press coverage. Corn Stock has no proprietary technology platform; its core infrastructure is physical venue capacity, a volunteer labor pool, and a 70-year brand legacy as the first outdoor theatre-in-the-round in Central Illinois, with a production archive exceeding 330 titles.

Name

corn stock theatre

Legal name

Corn Stock Theatre

Website

https://cornstocktheatre.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Theatre / Live Performing Arts

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

akta.pro primary industry

Musical Theatre (Non-Broadway/Fringe) (MPAGABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Children’s & Youth Theatre (MPAGABAE), Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB)

Keywords

• Community theater productions
• Live theatrical performances
• Outdoor theater venue
• Youth theater program
• Ticketed performing arts

Headquarters

HQ city

Peoria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from individual tickets to performances at The Tent (450-seat outdoor venue) and LAB Theatre Center (175-seat black box theatre). Tickets range from $11-$25 depending on show type and age category.
2. Membership Dues: Annual membership at $10 per person (ages 18+). Benefits include eligibility to serve on Board, voting rights, early access to tickets, and member discounts.
3. Season Subscriptions and Flex Passes: Season subscriptions ($85-$95) provide same seat/night for all shows. Flex Passes ($75-$95 for 5 tickets, $40-$60 for Pick 3) offer flexible redemption across the season.
4. Concessions and Merchandise: Food and beverage sales before shows and during intermission. Merchandise includes hand fans ($3), koozies ($4), and seat cushions ($20). Candy and snacks available by donation.
5. Donations and Grants: Monetary donations from individuals and organizations. Supported by Illinois Arts Council grant and Community Foundation of Central Illinois grant for Corn Stock for Kids program. Sponsorships from local businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Corn Stock Theatre is a not-for-profit community theatre that produces and presents live plays and musicals for the Central Illinois public. Programming spans three series — the summer Tent Main Stage Series under a 450-seat outdoor tent, the winter Lab Studio Series in a 175-seat black box theatre, and the Corn Stock for Kids program serving children ages 7 to 18 — supported by ticket sales, subscriptions, memberships, concessions, merchandise, grants, and donations.

Product overview

Corn Stock Theatre is a not-for-profit community theater organization presenting 12 shows annually across two performing venues. The Tent Main Stage Series offers summer outdoor theater under a 450-seat tent in Upper Bradley Park, while the Lab Studio Series provides winter programming in a 175-seat black box theater. Corn Stock for Kids serves children ages 7-18 through workshops and productions. The organization also offers various ticketing options including individual tickets, season subscriptions, and flex passes, along with concessions and merchandise. Founded in 1954, it is the first outdoor theatre-in-the-round in Central Illinois.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tent Main Stage Series Summer outdoor theatrical series presenting 5 productions under a 450-seat tent structure in Upper Bradley Park, Peoria, IL. New productions open every two weeks during the summer season and target general audiences and students.
• Lab Studio Series Winter season theatrical programming in a 175-seat black box theatre (LAB Theatre Center) featuring more experimental productions and the Corn Stock for Kids performances, targeting general audiences and college-age students.
• Corn Stock for Kids Theatre program for children ages 7 to 18 offering workshops and productions that teach community theatre skills including acting, set painting, costumes, and props. Includes Pay What You Can performances and is supported by the Community Foundation of Central Illinois.
• Individual Tickets Single admission tickets to theatrical performances ranging from $11–$25 depending on production type (plays vs. musicals) and audience category (adults vs. students/children), with group discounts for 10+ and 20+ ticket groups.
• Season Subscription Full summer season ticket package priced at $85–$95 that assigns subscribers to the same night and same seat for every show in the season.
• Flex Passes Flexible ticket bundles offering 5 tickets redeemable across a season in any combination (all on one show or spread across multiple), priced at $75–$95.
• Pick 3 Flex Passes Flexible ticket bundles offering 3 tickets for use across the season, priced at $40 for the Winter Season and $60 for the Summer Season.
• Concessions & Merchandise Food and beverage offerings including popcorn, candy, snacks, soda, and water sold before shows and at intermission, plus branded merchandise such as hand fans ($3), koozies ($4), and seat cushions ($20).
• Annual Membership Annual membership at $10 per person for ages 18 and up, providing voting rights in Board elections, eligibility to serve on the Board, early access to tickets, and member discounts.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• ClearSpancoreOthers · 25 September 2024Approved by Corn Stock Board of Directors on September 25, 2024 to install a permanent tent structure. Manufacturing began April 23, 2026.
• Trailcreek StudiossupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreates puppets and magical objects for productions, specifically credited for Into the Woods set/prop elements.
• Young's Popcorn HeavensupportingOthersProvides popcorn for all performances, available every night at the concession stand.
• The Phoenix Food TrucksupportingOthersFood truck vendor providing concessions before select performances.
• Peoria Park DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Peoria Park District dating back to 1955. Corn Stock Theatre operates in Upper Bradley Park. The partnership enables the theatre's outdoor venue location.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Peoria Players Theatre: Another long-established community theatre operating in Peoria, Illinois. Directly comparable as a similarly sized regional community theatre serving the same metropolitan audience with overlapping volunteer-driven, multi-season programming.
• The Muny: St. Louis's outdoor summer musical theatre, the largest outdoor musical theatre in the U.S. Highly comparable outdoor summer repertory model with multiple productions per season, though at a much larger scale than Corn Stock.
• American Players Theatre: Outdoor classical theatre-in-the-round in Spring Green, Wisconsin with summer repertory programming. Closely mirrors Corn Stock's outdoor theatre-in-the-round format and regional Midwestern community footprint.
• Peninsula Players Theatre: One of the oldest professional summer theatres in the U.S., located in Door County, Wisconsin. Comparable outdoor summer repertory model with a small-town regional footprint and multi-generational audience base.
• Mac-Haydn Theatre: Outdoor summer musical theatre in Chatham, New York with community-driven productions. Directly comparable on outdoor summer theatre format, repertory musicals, and small-scale volunteer/seasonal staffing model.
• Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre: Indianapolis-area dinner theatre offering year-round productions. Comparable on year-round community theatre programming, family/food-and-beverage pairing, and small-to-mid scale regional venue operations.
• Skylight Music Theatre: Milwaukee-based musical theatre company producing a season of musicals and operas. Comparable on mid-size regional musical theatre programming and nonprofit ticketed live performance model.

Regional players

• Indiana Repertory Theatre: Indianapolis-based regional theatre producing a multi-show season of plays and musicals. Comparable on nonprofit regional theatre operations, subscription model, and youth/education programming, though at a larger scale.
• Bloomington Playwrights Project: Bloomington, Indiana community theatre producing a season of plays and new works. Comparable on small-to-mid scale nonprofit regional community theatre operations in a Midwestern college town demographic.

Broad incumbents

• Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Internationally renowned Chicago theatre producing new plays and adaptations. Operates broadly in the same nonprofit regional theatre space as Corn Stock but at a substantially larger scale and with a national brand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CornStockTheatre
• Facebookfacebook.com/cornstocktheatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/cornstocktheatre
• TikToktiktok.com/@corn_stock_theatre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/corn-stock-theatre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 corn stock theatre