La Manufacture

What La Manufacture does

La Manufacture (legal name: La Manufacture - Haute école des arts de la scène) is a Swiss public higher education institution located in Lausanne and specialized in performing arts training. Founded circa 2002 and operating within the HES-SO (Haute école spécialisée de Suisse occidentale) network of universities of applied sciences, the school offers accredited Bachelor programs (180 ECTS) in Contemporary Dance and Theatre, a Master en Arts scéniques (120 ECTS, launched 2025 as an interdisciplinary successor to the discontinued Master Théâtre), a CFC Techniscéniste vocational track, and a continuing education catalog anchored on public-speaking workshops. Admission is highly selective through a competitive concours process, with cohort sizes capped at 16 (Theatre), 14 (Dance), and 12 (Master). The institution is government-funded and not privately owned.

The school's revenue mechanics combine standardized HES-SO tuition (700 CHF per semester for Swiss AHES students, 1,050 CHF for international students) with predominantly public financing, while its go-to-market relies on institutional branding, open days, public graduation productions, and Swiss-French media coverage rather than paid acquisition. Core operational assets include a faculty of recognized practitioner-teachers (e.g., Thomas Hauert for Dance, Valeria Bertolotto for Theatre), an in-house production pipeline feeding regular stage output, and a research mission executed in collaboration with IRMAS. Strategic positioning is reinforced through the Master-Campus consortium with HKB, ZHdK, and ATD, the Prix Tremplin Leenaards emerging-artist funding partnership, and the Association des Artisan·x·es graduate network that supports professional integration in French-speaking Switzerland.

Name

La Manufacture

Legal name

La Manufacture - Haute école des arts de la scène

Website

https://manufacture.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

La Manufacture is a Swiss public performing arts school in Lausanne, part of the HES-SO network, offering Bachelor and Master programs in Theatre, Contemporary Dance, and Scenic Arts, plus vocational and continuing education for aspiring and working performing arts professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Higher Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Fine Arts Schools (611610), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Theatre Education, Training & Conservatories (MPAGABAN)

Keywords

• Performing arts education
• Higher education programs
• Contemporary dance training
• Theatre school programs
• Scenic arts curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Lausanne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

La Manufacture is a Swiss public higher education institution (Haute école spécialisée) that delivers accredited Bachelor and Master degree programs in theatre, contemporary dance, and scenic arts, alongside a vocational CFC Techniscéniste apprenticeship and continuing education workshops. Programs combine studio-based technical training, on-stage production work, theory and artistic research, and are capped at small cohort sizes (Bachelor Theatre 16, Bachelor Dance 14, Master 12) to enable individualized coaching. Instruction is delivered on the Lausanne campus within the HES-SO network and culminates in professionally staged graduation productions.

Product overview

La Manufacture is a Swiss higher education institution (Haute école des arts de la scène) offering a comprehensive portfolio of performing arts education programs. The core offerings include two Bachelor programs (Contemporary Dance and Theatre, both 180 ECTS), a Master program in Scenic Arts (120 ECTS, launched 2025 to replace the discontinued Master Théâtre), and a vocational CFC Techniscéniste program. The institution also provides continuing education workshops and conducts artistic research. Operating within the HES-SO (Haute école spécialisée de Suisse occidentale) university of applied sciences system, La Manufacture is located in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bachelor en Contemporary Dance Three-year undergraduate HES-SO degree (180 ECTS) training contemporary dancers in technique, creativity, autonomy, and active participation in choreographic processes, combining technical studio work with theoretical reflection and artistic practice. Designed for aspiring professional dancers, typically aged 18+ with prior secondary education (maturité/bac or equivalent). Cohort size is 14 students.
• Bachelor Théâtre Three-year undergraduate HES-SO degree (180 ECTS) training actors through practice constantly nourished by theory, research, and experimentation, aimed at developing autonomous, responsible, and inventive performers able to master technique and assert creative singularity. Designed for aspiring professional actors with prior secondary education (maturité/bac or equivalent). Cohort size is 16 students.
• Master en Arts scéniques Two-year graduate degree (120 ECTS) launched in 2025 to replace the Master Théâtre, offering interdisciplinary training that unites stage direction, choreography, and scenography to address contemporary challenges in performing arts. Designed for artists seeking to develop interdisciplinary projects integrating dance, theatre, and visual scenography. Cohort size is 12 students.
• CFC Techniscéniste Federal Certificate of Competency (CFC) vocational program for stage technicians, combining vocational school training and apprenticeships in technical theater arts. Targets students pursuing technical careers in stage production such as lighting, sound, and stagecraft.
• Formation continue (Continuing Education) Continuing education catalogue featuring short-format workshops such as public speaking (art oratoire), discourse construction (Construire son discours), and other professional development modules for artists and practitioners. Targeted at working professionals seeking modular skills development.
• Recherche & Innovation (Research) Artistic research mission encompassing research projects, publications, and collaborations with the IRMAS research institute (Institut de recherche du Domaine Musique et Arts de la scène), supporting doctoral research and integrating inquiry into the Master curriculum. Coordinates the school's Les Rencontres de la Recherche day.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• HES-SO (Haute école spécialisée de Suisse occidentale)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLa Manufacture is a member institution of HES-SO, the largest university of applied sciences in Switzerland. This affiliation provides institutional legitimacy, standardized accreditation, and access to the broader HES-SO network of resources and collaborations.
• Master-Campus (MCTS) - HKB, ZHdK, ATDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaster-Campus is a network of Swiss higher education institutions in performing arts: HKB (Bern), ZHdK (Zurich), and ATD (Verscio). La Manufacture participates in this consortium, particularly for the Master en Arts scéniques program, enabling cross-institutional collaboration and student exchanges.
• Fondation LeenaardsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Prix Tremplin Leenaards / La Manufacture is a flagship initiative supporting emerging artists. The Leenaards Foundation provides funding to help young graduates transition into professional careers, demonstrating a significant institutional partnership for talent development.
• IRMAS (Institut de recherche du Domaine Musique et Arts de la scène)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLa Manufacture collaborates with IRMAS, the research institute for Music and Performing Arts. This partnership integrates research into the Master curriculum and supports doctoral research, linking the school to academic networks in artistic research.
• Association des Artisan·x·escoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Association of Artisans provides a network for graduates and professionals, supporting professional integration and ongoing connections between the school and the performing arts industry in French-speaking Switzerland.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hochschule der Künste Bern (HKB): Swiss University of the Arts in Bern, part of the same Master-Campus performing arts network as La Manufacture. Offers comparable Bachelor and Master programs in theatre and dance with overlapping student exchange and faculty collaboration.
• Accademia Teatro Dimitri (ATD): Swiss theatre school in Verscio specializing in physical theatre and performing arts. Member of the Master-Campus network with La Manufacture, offering comparable professional training in scenic arts.
• Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (ZHdK): Major Swiss arts university in Zurich, member of the Master-Campus network. Provides competing theatre, dance, and scenography programs at Bachelor and Master levels, targeting a similar applicant pool across Switzerland.
• Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique (CNSAD): Paris-based national drama school offering professional actor training at Bachelor/Master-equivalent levels. Direct international peer for La Manufacture's Bachelor Théâtre program in curriculum scope and graduate career outcomes.
• P.A.R.T.S. (Performing Arts Research and Training Studios): Brussels-based contemporary dance and performing arts school founded by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. Closest international peer to La Manufacture's Bachelor en Contemporary Dance program in pedagogy and artistic orientation.
• Royal Central School of Speech and Drama: London-based performing arts conservatory offering undergraduate and postgraduate programs in acting, dance, and scenography. Comparable to La Manufacture in faculty research integration and HES-style applied training model.
• École supérieure de théâtre (UQAM): Montreal-based French-language professional theatre school offering comparable Bachelor-equivalent actor training. Comparable to La Manufacture in francophone pedagogy, cohort size, and public-university affiliation.
• Folkwang Universität der Künste: German performing arts university offering integrated dance, theatre, and scenography training. Comparable to La Manufacture in interdisciplinary performing arts pedagogy and HES-equivalent applied arts university status.
• École nationale supérieure des arts et techniques du théâtre (ENSATT): Lyon-based French national school specializing in theatre crafts including acting, directing, and scenography. Closest French-language peer to La Manufacture's interdisciplinary Master en Arts scéniques in scope and technical-vocational orientation.

Regional players

• Haute école de musique de Lausanne (HEMU): Lausanne-based HES-SO sister institution focused on music rather than theatre and dance. Shares the same HES-SO accreditation framework, public funding pool, and Lausanne campus ecosystem as La Manufacture.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/manufacture.ch
• Facebookfacebook.com/manufacture.ch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/manufacture---hetsr-hes-so-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about La Manufacture