Theatre Lab Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
204610606
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2020
Location
New York, NY, USA
Phone
2129292545
Rating
68
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Theater

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$345,578
Expenses
$349,630
Assets
$31,871
Liabilities
$22,960

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ORIETTA CRISPINO (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • ORIETTA CRISPINO (President): $26,864 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Since 2006, Theaterlabs mission is to serve New Yorks diverse communities of artists and the general public by presenting and developing new theater works. Theaterlab is a women and artist-led laboratory dedicated to researching the nature of live performance across all disciplines, not only theater. We focus on audience development as a creative project, regarding the theatrical experience as a creative public assembly and the audience as a key partner in fulfilling our mission.

What it reported doing in 2025

The core of our programming this year included our long standing short residency programs MOTHERS MYTHS MONSTERS, The GALLERY Series dedicated to solo works and the Creation of a new program, FIRST LOOK for never before seen work, to be presented in our newly created space, THE ATELIER. Through these thre programs we engaged over 30 artists and 450 audiences.Through NYSCA's targeted opportunities support, we offered a subsidized rental program for 40 weeks of the 2024 year, during the hours of 10am - 4pm in our Gallery Space. Anyone was able to book the space for $10/hr, first come first serve. Of the 1200 available hours, 862 were booked, providing accessible, clean, and inspiring spaces to the greater NYC artistic community. We served 64 independent organizations with over 500 undred artists. Two artists in residence, cybernetic sculpture MAFE IZAGUIRRE and JOEY MERLO developed their work throughout the year becoming part of our season Poetic Machine. Their performances were free to the public and included post show talks and social gatherings. Through our presenting and co-production program, this year we presented The Mill's The Employees by Olga Ravn and The Hearth's Push Party by Nia Akilah Robisnson. Both productions ran for 16 performances engaging 1200 audiences and 40 between actors, technicians and designers. Tickets were ranging from $20-$45 with more options for students and groups.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 64% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 65
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 44
  • Sustainability: 21
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 73.2%; rating input score 73
  • Program expense ratio: 72.3%; rating input score 72
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 66.7%; rating input score 67; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Fail
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -1.2%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.09; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.72; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.7%; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7.4% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.7% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.8% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 73.2% of revenue deployed · 72.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 2 of 3 board members independent · 1 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $253K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $27K · 3 people listed
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2018 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 7 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 32/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 6/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 6/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 29/100.