Types of Theatre

Theatre companies come in all shapes and sizes, with a variety of styles, budgets, and locations. This guide will define the differences between commercial and non-profit, LORT and amateur, and how they all work.

Terminology

• Actors’ Equity Association: The labor union of theatre artists.
• The Broadway League: A trade organization for Broadway producers and theatre owners that negotiates labor agreements and contracts with the theatre artist unions in New York City.
• Commercial Theatre: A type of theatre with the financial goal to make a substantial profit for its owners and investors.
• Grant: A type of donation or gift to a theatre company, usually awarded after an application process. Many grants have specific requirements that need to be fulfilled.
• LORT: The League of Resident Theatres.
• National Tour: National tours are theatre productions that travel around the country to professional theatre venues and recreate the Broadway experience for local audiences. A show may have a designated touring cast (in some cases, there may be several tours happening at once). If the show closes on Broadway, and the cast begins touring, it is referred to as a “Broadway national tour.”
• Non-profit Theatre: A type of theatre that, while making money to cover operational costs, does not make a substantial profit.
• Regional Theatre: Also called “resident” theatre and located around the country, these theatres are professional members of the League of Resident Theatres.
• Repertory Theatre: A type of theatre with a resident acting company that has a set repertoire for productions. This repertoire can change each season, and may be developed around a specific writer, theme, or other concept.
• Summer Stock: Summer Stock theatres perform only in the summer. They may be amateur or professional, utilize union artists (or not), and have a varied repertoire for a resident company of actors.