This partial list shows the depth and range of activity in the Twin Cities and includes upcoming shows.

20% Theatre

www.tctwentypercent.org

Founded: By Claire Avitabile in 2006.

Niche: New works by female and transgender artists, often with GLBT themes.

Known for: A regular presence on year-end best-of lists.

Upcoming: The premiere of EB Boatner's "Changes in Time," May 11-25, Minneapolis Theatre Garage.

Cardinal Theatricals

www.cardinaltheatricals.com

Founded: By Andrew Rasmussen in 2004.

Niche: Broadway-style shows.

Known for: "Rocky Horror – Live," featuring Don Shelby.

Upcoming: "Mrs. Smith Live!," "The Donkey Show" and "The Wiz."

Carlyle Brown & Company

www.advent45.com/carlyle

Founded: 2002.

Niche: Provocative work by the playwright/producer/director.

Known for: 2012's "Are You Now or Have You Ever Been."

Upcoming: A surreal new play, "Abe Lincoln and Uncle Tom in the White House," next year.

Dreamland Arts

www.dreamlandarts.com

Founded: By Zaraawar Mistry and Leslye Orr in 2006.

Niche: The 46-seat, artist-owned venue hosts theater and music.

Notable for: Sun Mee Chomet's and Katie Hae Leo's much-lauded "Origins Project" in 2012.

Upcoming: SoulPlay Performance Ensemble's "The Frill Is Gone," April 26-27.

Frank Theatre

www.franktheatre.org

Founded: By Wendy Knox in 1989.

Niche: Artistic, gutsy work, often in raw spaces.

Known for: Last year's "Ajax in Iraq" was unforgettable.

Upcoming: Enda Walsh's "Misterman," April 5-28 at the Southern Theater.

Gremlin Theatre

www.gremlin-theatre.org

Founded: By Peter Christian Hansen, Carl Schoenborn and four others in 1998.

Niche: Frisson-inducing, high-quality productions in its own intimate space in St. Paul.

Known for: Ivey Awards for "Orson's Shadow" and "Burn This."

Upcoming production: "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds," in June.

Live Action Set

www.liveactionset.org

Founded: By Noah Bremer, Galen Treuer, Vanessa Voskuil and Megan Odell in 2003.

Niche: Physical theater and dance.

Known for: Ivey Award for overall excellence for "The 7-Shot Symphony."

Upcoming: Collaboration with Bedlam Theatre in the fall.

Minneapolis Musical Theatre

www.aboutmmt.org

Founded: By Steven Meerdink and Kevin Hansen in 1992.

Niche: Musicals.

Known for: Touring the Upper Midwest.

Upcoming: "Sunset Boulevard," New Century Theatre, May 31-June 23.

Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company

mnjewishtheatre.org

Founded: By Barbara Brooks in 1994.

Niche: Theater rooted in Jewish history and culture.

Known for: Three Iveys, a "flawless" 2012 staging of "Photograph 51."

Upcoming: Comedy "Handle With Care" opens April 13.

Nautilus Music-Theater

www.nautilusmusictheater.org

Founded: As a program of Minnesota Opera in 1986.

Niche: New musical theater.

Known for: Ivey Awards for both "I Am Anne Frank" and "Sister Stories."

Upcoming: "Alice Unwrapped" and "The View From Here."

Off-Leash Area

www.offleasharea.org

Founded: By Jennifer Ilse and Paul Herwig in 1999.

Niche: Interdisciplinary physical theater, dance and visual art.

Known for: Two Ivey Awards.

Upcoming: A remount of "Psst!" June 21-23, Cowles Center, Minneapolis.

Open Eye Figure Theatre

www.openeyetheatre.org

Founded: By Michael Sommers and Susan Haas in 2000.

Niche: Puppet and figure theater.

Known for: Ivey Award for "Faust" and its "driveway tours."

Upcoming: Three-week puppetry-and-performance series, April 4-21.

Pangea World Theater

pangeaworldtheater.org

Founded: By Dipankar Mukherjee and four others in 1996.

Niche: Progressive works that celebrate global culture.

Known for: "House on Mango Street" in 2012.

Upcoming: "Lorca in a Green Dress," with Teatro del Pueblo, April 12-28, the Ritz.

Skewed Visions

www.skewedvisions.org

Founded: By Charles Campbell, Gülgün Kayim and Sean Kelley-Pegg in 1996.

Niche: Site-specific shows.

Known for: Putting audiences in the backseat of a car for "The Car."

Upcoming: An unnamed show in May.

Savage Umbrella

www.savageumbrella.org

Founded: By Laura Leffler-McCabe, Blake E. Bolan, Eric Avery and Ben Mattson in 2007.

Niche: Sharp, often satiric contemporary theater.

Known for: Frequent mentions in year-end top 10 lists.

Upcoming: Workshop of Candace Bilyk's opera "The Golden Carp," April 19-20.

Teatro del Pueblo

www.teatrodelpueblo.org

Founded: By Al Justiano and Amy Paulson in 1992.

Niche: Latin America.

Known for: Joyce Award.

Upcoming: "Lorca in a Green Dress," with Pangea World Theater, April 12-28, the Ritz.

Theatre Novi Most

www.theatrenovimost.org

Founded: By Lisa Channer and Vladimir Rovinsky in 2007.

Niche: Multilingual and physical new theater.

Known for: Working deeply with playwrights and designers.

Upcoming show: Constance Congdon's "Something About a Bear," April 11-21, University of Minnesota.

Theatre Unbound

www.theatreunbound.com

Founded: By Anne Bertram, Stacey Poirier and five other women in 1999.

Niche: Stories by and about women.

Known for: Ivey Award for all-female "Julius Caesar."

Upcoming: Carol Critchley's "girl group," about a '60s rock band.

The Unit Collective

www.unitcollective.org

Founded: By Anton Jones, Kristoffer Diaz, Reginald Edmund and Jessica Huang in 1999.

Niche: Develop underrepresented theater artists.

Known for: Diaz's "The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity" was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

Upcoming: Jessica Haung's "Elysium Blues" at the Fringe Festival, Aug. 1-10.

Urban Spectrum

urbanspectrumtheatre.com

Founded: By Judy Cooper Lyle in 1974.

Niche: Grassroots company with offerings for urban audiences.

Known for: "Honeydripper," adapted from John Sayles' musical drama, sold out.

Upcoming show: A reading of short plays.

Workhaus Collective

www.workhauscollective.org

Founded: By Trista Baldwin, Dominic Orlando and others in 2006.

Niche: Playwright-driven ensemble.

Known for: Luverne Seifert won an Ivey Award for his portrayal of Philip K. Dick in "800 Words."

Upcoming: A new play by Alan Berks, April 18-21, Playwrights' Center.

Yellow Tree Theatre

www.yellowtreetheatre.com

Founded: By Jason and Jessica Peterson in 2008.

Niche: Good plays in a northwest suburb (Osseo).

Known for: Growing artistically and fiscally (to a $300,000 budget).

Upcoming show: Premiere of "Stay Tuned," April 5-May 5.

Rohan Preston