What can you tell me about nonprofit status? Specifically, negotiating a public charity vs. private foundation status for a theatre company?

This question is pertinent to the community theatre company I’m on the board of. We’re having some issues. Ten years ago, it seems a previous iteration of the board incarnated us as a private foundation. We produce shows, sell tickets and ads and run after-school and summer educational programs for kids. Ideally, we think we’d like to have public charity status, but there’s a lot of confusion, since the only expert is our treasurer/accountant and that person is not producing much for us at the moment.