Vidy Theater

What Vidy Theater does

Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne is a performing arts institution operating as a foundation under private law since 1981, located on a single Lake Léman campus in Lausanne, Switzerland. It was designed by artist-architect Max Bill for the 1964 Swiss National Exhibition and is now anchored by five performance venues — Salle 64 (428 seats, named Charles Apothéloz), Salle 96 (115 seats, René Gonzalez), Salle 17 / Le Pavillon en bois (252 seats, a demountable all-wood venue designed by EPFL's IBOIS lab and inaugurated September 2017), Salle 76 / La Passerelle (97 seats), and Salle 23 (rehearsal studio) — totaling 892+ seats. The institution produces and hosts contemporary theater, dance, music, circus, and multidisciplinary performances, with approximately 50 spectacles and 270+ representations per season, of which two-thirds are new creations, and operates an active international touring program across France, Portugal, Spain, the UK, Italy, and Belgium. Vincent Baudriller, the former 10-year director of the Festival d'Avignon, has led the theater since December 2012.

The institution is supported by roughly 100 permanent employees spanning artistic direction, technical stage departments (lighting, sound, video, machinery, costumes, props, set construction), production and tour management, audiences and communication, mediation, IT, accounting, HR, and box office. Revenue is generated through five streams: ticket sales and seasonal subscriptions (with monthly pay-what-you-can pricing), institutional public funding from the Ville de Lausanne and Canton de Vaud, patronage and sponsorships via Cercle des mécènes, Club des entreprises, Les Ami·e·s du Théâtre and a network of foundations (Ernst Göhner Stiftung, Famille Sandoz, Loterie Romande, UBS pour la culture, Edmond de Rothschild, Wölfermann Nägeli-Stiftung), venue rentals with Kantina catering, and ancillary retail (Kantina bar-restaurant and La Librairie bookshop). Distribution combines on-site attendance (billetterie.vidy.ch and physical box office), international touring via coproduction networks (PEPS platform with Annecy, Chambéry, and Saint-Gervais-Genève; CDuLaB with Les 2 Scènes Besançon under the Interreg France-Switzerland program), and educational/mediation outreach including the Vidy+Migrations professional integration program with EVAM and La Manufacture. The Autumn/Winter 26-27 season is currently announced and active, with multilingual programming in English, Spanish, and Italian.

Name

Vidy Theater

Legal name

Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne

Website

https://vidy.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne is a Swiss performing arts foundation that produces, hosts, and tours contemporary theater, dance, and music across five on-site venues (892+ seats) and throughout Europe, serving general audiences, schools, migrant communities, and corporate patrons with public, subscription, and sponsorship funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Theater

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH), Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB), Touring Theatre Productions (MPAGABAC), Screening Rooms & Cinematheques (Nonprofit/Institutional) (MPADAKAF)

Keywords

• Performing arts venue
• Contemporary theater productions
• Dance and music performances
• Theater subscriptions
• Cultural event hosting

Headquarters

HQ city

Lausanne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket sales: Single tickets and seasonal subscriptions sold through online billetterie and at the box office for performances across five venues.
2. Institutional funding: Public funding from Ville de Lausanne, Canton of Vaud, and other institutional partners to support operations and programming.
3. Patronage and sponsorships: Support from Cercle des mécènes (patronage circle), Club des entreprises (corporate club), Les Ami·e·s du Théâtre (friends of the theater), and institutional partners including Ernst Göhner Stiftung, Fondation philanthropique Famille Sandoz, Loterie Romande, UBS pour la culture, Wölfermann Nägeli-Stiftung.
4. Venue rentals: Spaces available for rental for meetings, conferences, and events, with Kantina catering service for aperitifs, meals, and cocktails.
5. Restaurant and retail: Kantina bar-restaurant and La Librairie bookshop operations on site.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne is a Swiss performing arts institution that produces, presents, and tours contemporary theater, dance, and music productions across five venues (892+ seats combined) in Lausanne. Beyond performances, it operates the Kantina bar-restaurant, an on-site bookshop, venue rentals for events, seasonal subscriptions, and educational outreach programs including migrant integration initiatives. Productions also tour internationally across Europe.

Product overview

Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne is a Swiss theater company operating as a live performing arts institution with five distinct venues: the 428-seat Salle 64 (Charles Apothéloz), 115-seat Salle 96 (René Gonzalez), 252-seat wooden Salle 17 Pavilion, 97-seat Salle 76 (La Passerelle), and a rehearsal studio. The theater produces and hosts theater, dance, and music performances, operates hospitality services (The Kantina restaurant-bar, The Bookshop), offers venue rentals, sells season subscriptions, and provides educational outreach programs including migrant integration initiatives. The company also tours productions through its 'Vidy on the Move' program and presents multilingual programming.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Salle 64 (Charles Apothéloz)
• Salle 96 (René Gonzalez)
• Salle 17 (Le Pavillon en bois)
• Salle 76 (La Passerelle)
• Salle 23 (Rehearsal Studio)
• The Kantina
• The Bookshop (La Librairie)

Quantifiable outcome

• 50+ spectacles per season with 270+ representations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and moderate.

• Ville de Lausanne (City of Lausanne)coreOthersPrimary institutional partner and project owner for renovation work. Service de la Culture and Service d'architecture manage theater operations and renovation projects. Main public funding source.
• Canton of VaudcoreOthersRegional institutional partner providing public funding and support for theater operations and cultural programming.
• Les 2 Scènes, Scène nationale de BesançoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-border collaboration through CDuLaB project combining culture and sustainability. Joint artistic experiences, training, research, and mediation actions around sustainability themes. Part of Interreg France-Switzerland program.
• EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBOIS laboratory directed by Professor Yves Weinand designed the innovative wooden pavilion. Project serves as reference work for architecture course. 120 undergraduate students design variations based on the pavilion structure.
• Cinémathèque SuissemoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural partner in the dense Lausanne cultural and research network. Collaborations on programming and audience development.
• Arsenic (contemporary performing arts)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Lausanne cultural network. Co-initiated 'Programme Commun' festival in 2015 with other partner structures in Lausanne.
• La Manufacture (Haute Ecole de Théâtre de Suisse romande)moderateOthersSchool partner for professional training and theater education. Part of network of educational institutions supporting the theater.
• UNIL (Université de Lausanne)moderateOthersUniversity partner in cultural and research network, contributing to international dimension of Lausanne's cultural ecosystem.
• Blumer-Lehmann (Gossau)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPioneer in innovative wood construction and sustainable development. Manufactured and pre-assembled wood panels for the wooden pavilion in Switzerland.
• Association 1951moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on socio-professional and cultural integration projects including theater workshops and sound creation for migrants.
• EVAM (Etablissement Vaudois d'Accueil des Migrants)moderateOthersPartner for theater and writing courses for unaccompanied minors and integration programs for migrants.
• PEPS (European Stage Production Platform)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-border production hub bringing together French theaters (Annecy, Chambéry) and Swiss theaters (Saint-Gervais-Genève, Vidy-Lausanne). Combines resources to produce, distribute and promote 14 productions over four seasons. One of the most active production platforms in Europe.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Festival d'Avignon: France's largest annual theater festival where Baudriller previously served as director for a decade. Functions as both a peer programming platform and a major touring destination for Vidy productions; comparable as a flagship performing arts institution but operates seasonally rather than year-round.

Direct peers

• Théâtre National de Chaillot: Parisian national theater focused on dance, theater, and contemporary performance with multiple performance spaces. Comparable to Vidy in multi-venue operation, dance and theater programming breadth, and national theater funding model.
• Comédie de Genève: Geneva's national theater producing French-language drama, dance, and contemporary performance with multiple venue spaces. Closest geographic and linguistic peer to Vidy in French-speaking Switzerland with a comparable producing theater model and public funding structure.
• Théâtre National de Strasbourg (TNS): French national theater combining production, touring, and theater school (similar to La Manufacture partnership). Comparable to Vidy as a publicly funded national theater with European touring, artist development, and co-production activities.
• HEBBEL AM UFER (HAU) Berlin: Berlin performing arts center operating three venues with strong international contemporary theater, dance, and performance programming. Comparable to Vidy in multi-venue operation, international contemporary performance focus, and European coproduction activity.
• Les 2 Scènes - Scène nationale de Besançon: A French scène nationale with which Vidy runs the cross-border CDuLaB project under Interreg France-Switzerland. Operates as a similar regional producing and presenting venue with shared programming, audience development, and mediation activities.
• Théâtre de la Ville: Historic Parisian performing arts institution presenting dance, theater, and music with strong international co-production orientation. Comparable to Vidy in programming breadth (theater, dance, music, multidisciplinary), international artist network, and subscription-based audience model.
• Théâtre National Populaire (TNP) Villeurbanne: French national theater based in Villeurbanne/Lyon producing theater and hosting touring productions with an explicit European and international scope. Comparable institutional scale, public funding model, and repertory producing identity to Vidy.
• Schaubühne Berlin: Berlin's leading repertory theater with international touring, ensemble producing model, and contemporary performance focus. Comparable to Vidy in international orientation, modern repertoire emphasis, and European tour circuit activity.
• MC93 - Maison de la Culture de Seine-Saint-Denis: A French national theater and cultural center in Bobigny that produces and presents contemporary performing arts across multiple venues. Directly comparable to Vidy as a multi-venue producing theater with strong international co-production activity and similar European touring footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theatredevidy
• YouTubevimeo.com/theatredevidy
• Facebookfacebook.com/theatredevidy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/theatredevidy
• Instagraminstagram.com/theatredevidy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Vidy Theater