What It Takes to Thrive: An overview analysis of the key factors that contribute to a community theater’s success

Abstract

This research project conducts an overview analysis of two non-profit community theaters in the U.S. in order to determine what factors of business contribute most to their success (as defined by increase in ticket sales revenue and longevity of the theater). Background research has been conducted in order to gain a better understanding of the field, and from this, five key factors have been proposed to have significant impact on the success of community theaters: steadfast core values and maintained alignment with those values, cultivation of a strong, clearly defined staff and volunteer organization, an understanding that connections and partnerships are crucial to success, actions that work to join community conversation rather than drive it, and prioritization of active programming that meets community needs. After presentation of the data, the proposed key factors are discussed in terms of confirmation or rejection by the study data.