Theatre Garonne

What Theatre Garonne does

Théâtre Garonne, legally 'théâtre Garonne – Scène européenne', is a contemporary performing arts venue and production house operating since 1988 in a converted 19th-century water pumping station at 1 avenue du Château d'eau in the Saint-Cyprien quarter of Toulouse, France. The institution operates as an association loi 1901 under a Board of Directors (Conseil d'Administration) presided by Richard Coconnier, with Aurélien Bory as Director since September 2024. It functions both as a presenting venue and a producer/coproducer, offering year-round programming across contemporary theatre, dance, music, circus, and visual arts, and hosting artist residencies, delegated productions, and festivals including SCÉNO (scenography) and Avant-Premières Avant Avignon. Audience segments span the general theatergoing public, school and university groups (including UT2J), professional artists and companies, and accessibility audiences served through Relax performances, French Sign Language interpretation, and audiodescription.

The venue's core products center on a main auditorium with modular staging, two rehearsal ateliers, and 6-meter-deep underground brick-vault galleries used for exhibitions, films, performances, and installations. Production services include coproduction (e.g., This & That, Borda, SEUIL, FURERU) and delegated production (e.g., The Other, Das Was Ist), alongside named residencies for artists such as Aurélien Bory/Compagnie 111, Lucie Lataste, Jur Domingo/Cridacompany, Azusa Takeuchi, and others. Online ticketing runs through theatregaronne.notre-billetterie.com; no proprietary technology platform or AI capabilities are disclosed. Distribution is supplemented by the French national PassCulture app and festival partners (festival-avignon.com, lamanufacture.org).

Théâtre Garonne's revenue model is hybrid and subsidy-anchored. Primary streams are: (1) ticket sales at €9–€27 per ticket with reduced rates for subscribers via 'carnets', school groups, and accessibility audiences; (2) multi-year public subsidies from the Ministry of Culture (DRAC Occitanie), Ville de Toulouse, Région Occitanie/Pyrénées-Méditerranée, and Département de la Haute-Garonne; (3) coproduction and delegated-production fees from partner theaters and touring companies; (4) venue rental and technical services income; and (5) corporate foundation support including Fondation d'entreprise Hermès. Commercial activity is event-driven, anchored by seasonal programming announcements, festival cycles, and European touring exports via Compagnie 111's 18-creation repertoire.

Name

Theatre Garonne

Legal name

théâtre Garonne - Scène européenne

Website

https://theatregaronne.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Théâtre Garonne is a Toulouse-based contemporary performing arts venue and producer, operating since 1988 in a converted 19th-century water station, presenting theatre, dance, music, and scenography festivals while supporting artists through residencies, coproductions, and accessibility programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Venue

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB), Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH), Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG), Touring Theatre Productions (MPAGABAC)

Keywords

• Contemporary performing arts
• Theater productions
• Live performance venue
• Dance programming
• Artist residencies

Headquarters

HQ city

Toulouse

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from ticket sales for performances, with tiered pricing based on subscriber status and performance type. Prices range from €9 to €27 per ticket.
2. Public Subsidies and Grants: Substantial government funding from Ministry of Culture/DRAC Occitanie, Ville de Toulouse, Région Occitanie, and Département de la Haute-Garonne. Additional support from foundations including Fondation d'entreprise Hermès.
3. Coproduction and Production Delegation: Revenue from coproduction arrangements with partner theaters and production delegation fees for shows they produce and tour.
4. Venue Rental and Services: Revenue from providing venue access, rehearsal spaces (ateliers), and technical services to external companies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Theatre Garonne is a contemporary performing arts venue in Toulouse that presents theater, dance, and live performance productions, supports artist residencies and co-productions, and operates ancillary hospitality/venue-rental services. The venue primarily serves general audiences in the Toulouse metropolitan area and the broader Occitanie region, with programming centered on contemporary and experimental works rather than classical repertory.

Product overview

Theatre Garonne is a contemporary performing arts venue in Toulouse, France, operating in a former 19th-century water pumping station. The venue offers a diverse portfolio of productions and services organized around: (1) Main venue programming featuring theatre, dance, and performance works; (2) Production services including coproductions, delegated productions, and artist residencies; (3) Festival programming including SCÉNO (dedicated to scenography) and Avant-Premières Avant Avignon (pre-festival previews); (4) Accessibility services including audiodescription, LSF interpretation, and relaxed performances; (5) Ancillary spaces including underground galleries for installations and workshops for rehearsals. The venue is directed by Aurélien Bory since September 2024.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Contemporary performance season programming

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple Ubu Prize nominations (7 nominations in 2025 for 'La vegetariana')
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Ville de ToulousecoreOthersMunicipal government funder and primary local authority supporting the theater's operations.
• Région Occitanie / Pyrénées-MéditerranéecoreOthersRegional government providing operating subsidies and project funding.
• Département de la Haute-GaronnecoreOthersDepartmental government providing financial support for cultural programming.
• Fondation d'entreprise HermèsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate foundation supporting artistic creation. Listed as supporting specific productions including Bunker by Marion Siéfert and Silence by Mathilde Monnier.
• Festival d'AvignonmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPremier theater festival partnership. Théâtre Garonne serves as coproducer and presenter with 5 IN coproductions and 1 OFF creation in 2026.
• Théâtre de la Cité – CDN de Toulouse OccitaniemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey local coproduction and co-hosting partner. Co-presenting multiple productions including Fusées, Les Gaulois, and aSH.
• Orchestre national du Capitole de ToulousemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor local arts institution. Co-presenting Portrait d'orchestre with Aurélien Bory and coproduction of Eroica symphony.
• Théâtre Sorano – scène conventionnée d'intérêt nationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner theater in Toulouse. Co-presenting Les Gaulois.
• La Place de la Danse – CDCN Toulouse OccitaniecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional dance production center. Cultural partner for dance programming in the region.
• Festival Sign'ÔcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSign language arts festival. Co-presenting Celui qui voit, created with deaf artist Pierre Geagea.
• Abattoirs - FRAC Occitanie ToulousemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContemporary art museum partner. Three-year companionage with Ulla von Brandenburg beginning with SCÉNO festival.
• Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès (UT2J)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for research projects and the organized festival L'Histoire à venir.
• La Cinémathèque de ToulousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFilm archive partner. Hosting ScénoKino film programming with Ulla von Brandenburg.
• ONDA (Office National de Diffusion Artistique)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerNational arts promotion office supporting touring and international distribution of French performances.
• FONDOC / SYNDÉAC / Scènes inclusivescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional network memberships for French performing arts venues, including accessibility-focused network.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Théâtre de Liège: Belgian national theatre presenting contemporary creation with strong French-language programming and European coproductions. Comparable artistic mission, scale, and public subsidy structure.
• MC2 - Maison de la Culture de Grenoble: Scène nationale in Grenoble combining theatre, dance, and music programming with European coproductions and artist residencies. Operates at similar scale and institutional role to Théâtre Garonne with comparable public funding.
• Théâtre National de la Colline: Paris-based national theatre dedicated to contemporary creation with strong focus on emerging artists and international coproductions. Comparable artistic positioning and CDN-style operating model.
• La Manufacture - Lausanne: Swiss venue and school dedicated to contemporary performing arts creation with theatre, dance, and festival programming (Avignon OFF partner). Operates a venue-plus-production model analogous to Théâtre Garonne.
• Schaubühne Berlin: Major European theatre renowned for contemporary and physical theatre productions with extensive international touring. Operates as a producing venue with European coproduction partnerships analogous to Garonne's ambition.
• Le Maillon - Théâtre de Strasbourg: European theatre venue in Strasbourg presenting contemporary creation across theatre, dance, and circus with European Union co-production partnerships. Similar programming scope and international scope.
• Théâtre Sorano: Toulouse scène conventionnée d'intérêt national that co-presents productions with Garonne (e.g., Les Gaulois). Comparable size, scope, and public-funding model, focused on contemporary creation with artist support programs.
• Théâtre de la Cité - CDN de Toulouse: Toulouse-based Centre Dramatique National that co-produces and co-presents multiple shows with Théâtre Garonne (Fusées, Les Gaulois, aSH). Both operate as CDN-style contemporary creation venues with public subsidy models and coproduction activity.
• Théâtre National Populaire (TNP) Villeurbanne: French national theatre in greater Lyon presenting contemporary and classical works with significant European programming and audience development. Comparable CDN-model operations and public funding base.

Broad incumbents

• Odéon - Théâtre de l'Europe: Larger Parisian national theatre explicitly positioned as 'Théâtre de l'Europe', with broader resources and EU-focused programming. Overlaps with Garonne's European positioning at greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCBddO6kny33ajTKcz_7gjqQ/videos
• Facebookfr-fr.facebook.com/tgaronne
• Instagraminstagram.com/theatregaronne
• Xx.com/theatregaronne

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Theatre Garonne