Theater Business Model Benchmark

June 2023

In response to an inquiry from an ABA theater member seeking to compare elements of their business model against other, similar institutions, our research team conducted an in-depth benchmarking effort among 9 organizations.

These institutions, all theaters with budgets between $4-9 million, shared details of their operations in six key areas: business model and strategy; venue operations; season planning; audiences and subscriptions; donor relations; finance and budgeting; staffing; and board governance.

A highlight of the findings include: 

• Most participants shared that their business model requires modification moving forward, with over half indicating that the model needs fundamental change.

• Ticket sales and paid capacity for the most recent fiscal years continued to lag behind pre-covid numbers, with a third of participants losing 30% or more of their audiences.

• Most organizations are bringing in new ticket buyers at less than 5% of the total file per year.

• Contributed income has increased modestly, but fewer donors account for top-end giving.

To read these and more findings, download the full, anonymized report at the button below.