Live events & performance

Books and taxes for community theaters.

Subscription sales, single tickets, a grant from the arts council, and a sponsor's logo in the program. Gus sorts each apart, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
OctoberExample month
$7,800
what you made

October cleared $7,800. The new stage lighting board from B&H went in as equipment, not a rental cost.

  • OvationTix payoutTicket sales
  • Regional arts council grantGrants
  • Set builder, day laborProduction labor
  • B&H, lighting boardEquipment
  • Costume shop suppliesSets and costumes
Money in$41,000
Money out$33,200
Set aside for taxes$1,600
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A theater's books go wrong the same way every season.

A generalist sees ticket money and a grant deposit. Your season is subscriptions sold months ahead, a show-by-show budget, actors and designers paid per production, and a sponsor line that is not quite a donation. When the books do not separate those, you cannot tell which show actually paid for itself.

  1. 1

    Season subscriptions get booked the day they are sold

    A patron who buys a five-show season pass in August has really paid for shows that will not open until next spring. Counted as August income, the books show a strong month that is really next season's money arriving early.

    What we doHolds subscription money against the season it covers, so a slow single-ticket month is not hidden behind next spring's advance sales.
  2. 2

    Every show shares one blended budget

    A theater running five productions a year that tracks one lump sum cannot tell whether the summer musical carried the season or the studio play with a small cast quietly lost money.

    What we doTags ticket sales and production costs to the show they belong to, so each production gets its own bottom line.
  3. 3

    Grants get spent before the reporting requirement is tracked

    A grant from a state arts council or a local foundation often comes with rules on what it can pay for and a report due after the fact. Spent like general revenue, it is easy to lose track of what still needs documenting.

    What we doKeeps grant money in its own category from the deposit forward, so what it paid for is easy to pull together for the funder's report.
  4. 4

    Sponsorship reads like a plain donation when it is not

    A sponsor who gets a full-page program ad and a lobby banner is getting more than a thank-you, and treating that payment exactly like a tax-free donation can be the wrong call.

    What we doKeeps sponsorships apart from donations and flags agreements that include real advertising, so the accountant can make the right call.
  5. 5

    Stipends for actors and designers look like one wage line

    A show that pays a director, a few designers, and a cast stipend can bury how much of the budget is people versus sets, costumes, and rentals, so nobody can see what a production really costs to mount.

    What we doKeeps production labor separate from materials, so you can see what each show costs to stage before you budget the next one.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a community theater.

Set up once for how a season makes money and where it goes. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Season subscriptionsMulti-show passes sold ahead of the season through OvationTix or Spektrix.
  • Single ticket salesWalk-up and advance sales for one show at a time.
  • GrantsArts council, foundation, and municipal grant money.
  • Donor contributionsIndividual gifts and annual fund donations.
  • SponsorshipsProgram ads and lobby banners paid for by local businesses.
  • Concessions and program salesLobby snacks, drinks, and printed programs sold at the door.

Money out

  • Production laborDirectors, designers, and cast stipends paid per show.
  • Sets and costumesLumber, paint, fabric, and rentals for each production.
  • Royalties and licensingScript and score rights paid to the publisher for each show.
  • Venue and rehearsal spaceRent or upkeep for the theater and any rehearsal hall.
  • MarketingSeason brochures, local ads, and social promotion.
  • Box office feesWhat the ticketing app keeps before your payout lands.
  • InsuranceGeneral liability and coverage for volunteers and cast.
  • Front-of-house staffUshers, box office, and concessions staff paid per show.

What we watch for you

  • Per-show margin

    What each production cleared once royalties, sets, and stipends are paid, not just the season total.

  • Subscription renewal rate

    How much of next season is already funded before a single ticket goes on sale.

  • Grant coverage

    How much of the budget depends on grants versus tickets, so a lost grant does not surprise you.

  • The set-aside

    What the theater will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number already known.

Ask Gus

Things theater managers ask Gus.

Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.

A sponsor bought a full-page program ad and a lobby banner. Is that a donation?

Not quite the same thing. I keep it as a sponsorship, separate from donations, since it comes with real advertising. The accountant can confirm how it should be treated on the return.

Why does August look so strong? We barely had a show running.

Season subscription sales came in early. I hold that money against the shows it actually pays for, so it will show up spread across the season instead of all at once.

Do our guest directors and designers need 1099s?

If you pay one $2,000 or more for the year and they are not on payroll, yes, by January 31. I keep that list show by show.

The tax side

The tax side of running a theater.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels: subscription money booked too early, a sponsorship treated like a donation, and a guest artist owed a form nobody tracked.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Contractor 1099s for guest artistsA guest director, designer, or performer paid $2,000 or more over the year outside payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list show by show.
  • Sponsorships versus donationsA sponsor's payment that includes real advertising, like a program ad or a banner, can be treated differently on the return than a plain donation. It is worth confirming each season rather than assuming.
  • Depreciation of lighting and sound equipmentA lighting board, sound system, or set-building tools bought for the theater can usually be written off the year they are purchased, with bonus depreciation at 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
  • Worker classification for front-of-house staffAn usher or box office worker who works your schedule and follows your rules for every show is usually an employee, even for a part-time or seasonal role.

Deductions community and regional theaters miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Script and score royalties
  • Set lumber and paint
  • Costume fabric and alterations
  • Lighting gel and lamp replacement
  • Wireless mic batteries
  • Program printing
  • Box office software fees
  • Rehearsal space rental
  • Stage rigging inspection
  • Volunteer and cast insurance
  • Marquee and lobby signage
  • Concessions supplies

General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.

All year, not just April

A theater's year, kept every month.

A season runs on its own calendar of openings and strikes. Taxes run on their own. Gus keeps both in view. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for guest artists is ready, and the theater gets a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    The return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where the theater stands, what it will owe, and whether the spring season changed the number.

  4. October

    Before the fall opener

    Fall usually brings the season's biggest show and a fresh subscription push. Before it opens, Gus looks at equipment plans and anything worth doing before December.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.

Book a call
  • Monthly bookkeeping

    Every transaction sorted into categories set up for community and regional theaters. You never categorize a thing.

  • An accountant checks every transaction

    Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.

  • Your business tax return, filed

    Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.

  • The monthly number

    What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.

  • Your own bookkeeper

    A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.

  • On your books all year

    Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.

  • Cancel any time

    No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.

Straight answers

Questions theater managers ask first.

We are a nonprofit. Does Gus handle our 501(c)(3) filing?

No. Gus keeps the monthly books and gets the business return ready, but nonprofit status filings and annual information returns are handled separately, and the accountant can point you to what that needs.

Our grant money can only be spent on certain things. Can Gus track that?

Yes. Gus keeps grant money in its own category from the deposit forward, so what it paid for is easy to pull together when the funder asks for a report.

We sell season subscriptions months before the shows open. How is that handled?

Gus holds that money against the season it covers instead of counting it the day it is sold, so an early sales rush does not make a slow month look stronger than it is.

Do our volunteer stipends count the same as a real wage?

A small stipend and a real wage are treated differently, and it matters how regularly someone works and what control the theater has over their schedule. Gus flags stipend arrangements for the accountant to confirm.

Can Gus split our books out by show?

Yes. Ticket sales, royalties, sets, and labor all get tagged to the production they belong to, so you can see what each show actually cost to stage.

Our books are behind after a busy season. Can Gus catch up?

Yes. Send the bank statements you have and Gus sorts them month by month. Most theaters know where they stand inside a week.

Is a real accountant checking my books?

Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.

What does it cost, and can I cancel?

It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.

More in live events & performance

We keep books for the business next door too.

What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for

Book a call

Pick a time. That's the whole signup.

Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.

  • $197 a month to start
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever