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KEEN THEATER COMPANY INC
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 113586346 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE A65 · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Small ($100K-$1M) · keencompany.org
revenue
$943K
expenses
$954K
net assets
$-73K
employees
6
volunteers
15
program ratio
76%
mission · from form 990

TO PRODUCE SINCERE PLAYS. THE ORGANIZATION SEEKS TO CREATE A CULTURE OF ARTISTS, TECHNICIANS, ADMINISTRATORS AND AUDIENCES WHO SHARE A DESIRE TO INVIGORATE THE THEATER WITH PRODUCTIONS THAT CONNECT EACH OTHER THROUGH HUMOR, HEART AND HOPE.

profile · synthesized from sources

Keen Theater Company produces intimate Off-Broadway plays and musicals that emphasize hope and human connection. It runs the Keen Teens education program, which commissions professional playwrights to create new works performed by New York City high school students. The organization also supports mid-career playwrights through its annual Playwrights Lab and is committed to anti-racist practices, accessibility, and artist mentorship.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $72K
    THE KEEN TEENS PROGRAM IS A PROGRAM FOR NEW YORK CITY-AREA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT PERFORMERS TO COLLABORATE WITH PROFESSIONAL WRITERS, DIRECTORS, AND DESIGNERS TO SUPPORT YOUNG PERFORMERS ASPIRING TO SUCCEED IN THE PERFORMANCE ARTS.
named programs · 4 · from sources

What they call their work

Benefit Events
Annual gala and one-night-only star-studded readings of classic plays to support the organization’s programming.
Keen Teens
Free educational program for NYC high school students that commissions new plays from professional playwrights and provides mentorship from theater artists; culminates in an Off-Broadway festival.
Off-Broadway Productions
Intimate theater productions of plays and musicals by playwrights such as Stephen Sondheim, Lynn Nottage, and Joan Didion, staged in New York City.
Playwrights Lab
Annual program supporting mid-career playwrights to develop new full-length works, culminating in public readings.
activities · 5 groups

What they do

  • Professional Theatrical Production 3 activities
    • Produce Mixtape Series
      Produces the Mixtape Series, a curated set of four unique, one-night-only theatrical performances co-curated by established artists and presented across New York City venues. Includes public performances such as Mona Mansour's Mixtape Volume 4 and offers post-show mingling opportunities through special ticket packages.
    • Produce Off-Broadway theater productions
      Stages Off-Broadway productions including world premieres, New York premieres, and revivals of plays and musicals by diverse playwrights such as Lynn Nottage, Pearl Cleage, Stephen Sondheim, and Julia Jordan. Past productions include Ordinary Days, Tick, Tick...BOOM!, John & Jen, Marry Me a Little, Crumbs from the Table of Joy, Blues for an Alabama Sky, and Molly Sweeney.
    • Produce site-specific and audio theater
      Creates innovative theater experiences including site-specific productions such as The Year of Magical Thinking performed in living rooms and community centers, and produced seven new radio dramas during the pandemic as part of the Hear/Now Season of Audio Theater.
  • Accessibility Services for Cultural Programs 1 activity
    • Ensure accessibility in theater programming
      Provides accessible theater experiences across all productions through ASL interpreted performances, audio described performances, assisted listening devices, and touch tours for audience members with sensory disabilities.
  • Benefit Events for Arts and Culture 1 activity
    • Host annual benefit gala and fundraising events
      Hosts an annual gala event, including the Midwinter Bash, to celebrate the organization and its programs, honor notable playwrights, and raise funds through tax-exempt sponsorships and one-night-only staged readings featuring prominent actors.
  • Youth Theater Arts Education 1 activity
    • Operate Keen Teens Program
      Runs a free theater education program for New York City high school students (grades 9–12) that commissions professional playwrights to create new plays, mentors teens in collaboration with theater artists, and culminates in Off-Broadway premieres of original one-act plays. The program includes weekly after-school rehearsals and has produced over 55 published and licensed plays through Concord Theatricals.
  • New Play Development Programs 1 activity
    • Support mid-career playwrights through Playwrights Lab
      Runs the Keen Playwrights Lab, an annual capacity-building program that supports three mid-career playwrights in developing new full-length plays through mentorship, culminating in public readings. Alumni include Kia Corthron, Deb Margolin, and Mashuq Mushtaq Deen.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$943K
Contributions & grants$411K44%
Program service revenue$482K51%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$50K
expenses
Total expenses$954K
Program expenses76%
Admin / overhead13%
Fundraising11%
Salaries & benefits$350K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$88K
Cash$53K
Investments$0
Liabilities$161K
Net assets$-73K
Liquid reserves0.7 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue +11.0%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
REED RIDGLEY GENERAL MANA 35 $36K
board members · 12
  • BILL BRADFORD — CO-TREASURER
  • CHISA HUTCHINSON — BOARD MEMBER
  • CHRIS YEGEN — CHAIRMAN
  • ELIZABETH CORRADINO — SECRETARY
  • GEORGE BEAN — CO-TREASURER
  • JASON TAM — BOARD MEMBER
  • LINDA D'ONOFRIO — PRESIDENT
  • MARSHA MASON — BOARD MEMBER
  • NISHA SHETH — BOARD MEMBER
  • PATRICIA STOCKHAUSEN — BOARD MEMBER
  • ROSE COURTNEY — BOARD MEMBER
  • SUSIE GOULD — BOARD MEMBER
relationships · 22

Who they work with

  • Adam Gwon Partner — Co-curates the Mixtape Series with Keen Company
  • Adam Gwon Partner — Composer whose work Ordinary Days was produced by Keen Company; alumnus of Keen Playwrights Lab.
  • Ato Blankson-Wood Partner — Co-curates the Mixtape Series with Keen Company
  • Chisa Hutchinson Partner — Playwright and board member whose play Surely Goodness and Mercy premiered at Keen Company.
  • Concord Theatricals Network — Licensed and releases published scripts for Keen Company.
  • Concord Theatricals Partner — Partners to publish and license plays developed through the Keen Teens program.
  • Concord Theatricals Partner — Partnership to publish and license plays developed through the Keen Teens program globally.
  • Concord Theatricals Partner — Publishes and licenses plays from the Keen Teens Festival of New Work through The Keen Collection.
  • Conwell Cocktail Hall Partner — Venue partner hosting the Season 27 Gala event.
  • Judson Memorial Church Partner — Venue host for Keen Company's Mixtape series performances
  • Kathleen Chalfant Partner — Actor who collaborated with Keen Company on productions including A Walk in the Woods and The Year of Magical Thinking.
  • Kevaughn Harvey Partner — Director for Marquesina (Or How to Throw a Party in this Day and Age) in the Keen Teens program
  • Marsha Mason Partner — Actor, director, and board member who supported Keen Company’s vision and served on its Board.
  • Mayah Lourdes Burke Partner — Director for Stay Awake in the Keen Teens program
  • Mona Mansour Partner — Co-curates the Mixtape Series with Keen Company
  • Monet Hurst-Mendoza Partner — Collaborating playwright in the Keen Teens program
  • Monica Bill Barnes & Company Partner — Co-curates the Mixtape Series with Keen Company
  • Nelson Diaz-Marcano Partner — Collaborating playwright in the Keen Teens program
  • Theater Row Government — Resident company relationship; advocates for Theater Row to adopt anti-racist policies and practices.
  • Theatre Row Partner — Hosts auditions, rehearsals, and performances for the Keen Teens program.
  • Will Eno Partner — Collaborating playwright in the Keen Teens program
  • Zoë Elizabeth Lillis Partner — Director for Every Book is A Yearbook in the Keen Teens program
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Artist-Empowered Programming Model
    methodology: artist-curated programming
    By enabling independent artists to curate one-night-only, immersive, or thematically rich performances, we generate unique audience experiences, because artist autonomy increases creative risk-taking and ephemeral connection.
  • Intimacy as a Mechanism for Human Connection
    methodology: intimate_theater_for_connection
    By using intimate, often site-specific settings and connection-centered artistic practices, we produce deeper engagement between performers and audiences, because proximity and authenticity foster emotional resonance and collective hope.
  • Process-Driven Artistic Culture
    methodology: process-driven artistry
    By prioritizing joyful, kind, and collaborative creative processes, we produce higher-quality artistic outcomes, because positive environments enhance artistic risk-taking and ensemble cohesion.
  • Removes Financial and Experiential Barriers to Access
    methodology: inclusive-access
    By offering free programming and inclusive participation regardless of experience, we increase youth engagement in the arts, because removing structural and financial barriers enables broader, more authentic representation and connection.
  • Youth-Centered Collaborative Creation
    methodology: youth-centered new works development
    By commissioning professional artists to co-create original works with high school students, we produce theater that authentically reflects teen experiences and fosters artistic development, because shared authorship increases engagement, relevance, and voice.