A Contemporary Theatre Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
910787792
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Seattle, WA, USA
Phone
2062927660
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Theater

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,965,830
Expenses
$7,848,729
Assets
$1,832,581
Liabilities
$3,610,768

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • ALYSSA MONTGOMERY (GENERAL MANA): $136,129 total reported compensation
  • ASTRID RIERA (DIR. PEOPLE/): $117,230 total reported compensation
  • MIRNA Y FRITZ (FINANCE DIRE): $61,171 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Organization mission: act is a contemporary theatre where artistic ambition and civic engagement unite. Organization vision: act envisions a world where the power of theatre expands our collective understanding of community and our own humanity. Founded in 1965, act is a seattle landmark and has made a significant and lasting contribution to the vitality of seattles downtown neighborhood and arts community. For more than fifty years, the organization has valued and elevated the work of local artists, fostered community connection, and transformed individual lives through the power of storytelling. Act is committed to making theatre an act of citizenship by engaging audiences in dialogue about the issues of our time and connecting authentically with new audiences, partners, and communities. On july 1, 2025, subsequent to the end of the fiscal year, act merged with seattle shakespeare company to form union arts center.

What it reported doing in 2024

During the 20242025 fiscal year, act produced a five-play season. The season included potus by selina fillinger; two world premieres, mrs. Loman is leaving by katie forgette and golden by andrew lee creech; the last five years by jason robert brown; and twelfth night by william shakespeare. Twelfth night was a co-production with seattle shakespeare company and marked the first joint production as the organizations moved toward their july 1 merger. Act continued to fulfill its mission of captivating, challenging, and inspiring audiences through high-quality theatrical programming. In november 2024, act staged the second annual new works northwest festival, featuring readings of new plays by regional and nationally recognized playwrights, including underwater weather by holly arsenault; legacies: a ghost story by amontaine aurore; home by naghmeh samini; uhuru by gloria majule; and refugee rhapsody by yussef el guindi. To advance economic accessibility and reduce financial barriers to participation, act continued its pay-what-you-choose ticketing program. Every performance offered a minimum of twenty (20) pay-what-you-choose seats across all seating sections, available for advance purchase. During the 20242025 fiscal year, 31,908 tickets were distributed free of charge or at a reduced price, furthering acts charitable purpose by ensuring access to live theatre for individuals across diverse economic backgrounds.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 10
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 69.2%; rating input score 69
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.06 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -58.1%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.23; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.97; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.7%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.8% per year; rating input score 0; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -1.8% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.1% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 69.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $5.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $136K · 14 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $160K reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 9/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 2/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 7/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 1/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.