Openluchttheater Hertme

What Openluchttheater Hertme does

Openluchttheater Hertme is a Dutch nonprofit open-air theater located in Hertme, in the Twente region of the Netherlands (Overijssel province). Founded in 1952 by pastor Veeger and formalized into a permanent theater in 1955, the venue is operated by Stichting Theater & Cultuur Hertme, an ANBI-registered foundation, and runs almost entirely on a volunteer base of 250+ community members. The site features a distinctive medieval-themed set constructed from Bentheimer sandstone and is the home of recurring cultural brands including the Afrika Festival (35 editions since 1988), Passiespiele passion plays (revived in 2011 with 'De Strijd'), and the Metropool Open Air concert series (in partnership with Poppodium Metropool since 2013).

The theater operates an event-driven programming model spanning Dutch pop concerts, children's performances, the Afrika Festival, and special events such as Halloween programming. Revenue is generated through direct ticket sales via the venue's website (with pricing examples such as €7.50 per person for children's shows), venue rental of on-site facilities (the Spookhoes, Theaterhoes, and main Theater) for B2B meetings and small gatherings, and a broad base of local corporate sponsors known as 'Noabers'. Distribution combines direct online ticketing with a co-branded channel via Metropool for headline concerts.

The go-to-market approach is local and community-rooted, leveraging the venue's website, Facebook, Instagram, an email newsletter, and word-of-mouth to drive attendance. The organization does not rely on technology as a differentiator — its only disclosed integrations are Google Analytics, Hotjar, and Google Ads for web analytics and remarketing. Its core competitive positioning rests on a 70+ year heritage, a unique medieval open-air setting, a deep volunteer ecosystem, and recurring marquee productions that have historically drawn 8,000+ visitors in peak years.

Name

Openluchttheater Hertme

Legal name

Stichting Theater & Cultuur Hertme

Website

https://openluchttheaterhertme.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Openluchttheater Hertme is a volunteer-run Dutch nonprofit open-air theater in Hertme (Twente) hosting pop concerts, the Afrika Festival, Passiespiele passion plays, and children's events, with ticket sales, venue rental, and local sponsors as revenue streams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Entertainment Venue

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Outdoor Amphitheater & Open-Air Venue Operations (MPAGALAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Concert Venue Operators (Arenas, Amphitheaters, Clubs) (MPAGAAAC), Event Operations & Venue Services (Box Office, FOH/BOH, Concessions) (MPAIAFAL), Venue Guest Services & Front-of-House Operations (Ushers, Box Office, Accessibility) (MPAGALAK)

Keywords

• Open-air theater venue
• Live music concerts
• Cultural festival programming
• Passion play performances
• Venue rental services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hertme

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket sales: Revenue generated from selling tickets to various events including concerts, children's performances, and special events.
2. Venue rental: Rental income from letting the Spookhoes (meeting venue), Theaterhoes (small gatherings), and main Theater for external events, meetings, and conferences.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Openluchttheater Hertme operates an open-air theater venue in Hertme, Netherlands, hosting an annual calendar of live cultural events including concerts, children's performances, the Afrika Festival, Metropool Open Air concerts, and periodic Passiespiele (passion play) productions. The venue is also rented out for meetings, conferences, and small gatherings. The organization is entirely volunteer-run under the Stichting Theater & Cultuur Hertme nonprofit foundation.

Product overview

Openluchttheater Hertme operates an open-air theater venue in Hertme, Netherlands, distinguished by its medieval setting. The core offering is the Openluchttheater itself as a performance venue, supplemented by Passiespiele (Passion Play) productions. The venue hosts cultural performances and events in an outdoor medieval environment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Afrika Festival: A major two-day African music and culture festival held annually at the theater since 1988, celebrating its 35th edition in 2024. Features African market and world-class African musicians.
• Metropool Open Air
• Passiespiele Hertme
• 't Spookhoes

Products and services

• Openluchttheater concert and event series Annual open-air theater event series held in Hertme, Netherlands, featuring concerts (Metropool Open Air with Dutch pop artists such as BLØF, Ilse DeLange, Guus Meeuwis, Davina Michelle), children's shows, festivals, and special performances for the general public and families in a medieval-themed outdoor setting.
• Children's theater performances Family-oriented children's theater shows (such as 'De pest aan pesten') held at the open-air venue, aimed at children aged approximately 6-12 with a runtime of around 45 minutes and family-friendly flat pricing including a beverage.
• Passiespiele (Passion Play) productions Periodic large-scale passion play productions held at the open-air theater, performed approximately every several years by hundreds of volunteer actors, singers, and extras (180 in the 2019 production). The 2011 'De Strijd' production attracted more than 8,000 visitors across seven performances.
• Afrika Festival Major two-day African music and culture festival held annually at the theater since 1988, celebrating its 35th edition in 2024, featuring African market and world-class African musicians.
• Metropool Open Air concert series Outdoor concert series in partnership with Poppodium Metropool featuring big-name Dutch pop artists such as BLØF, Ilse DeLange, Guus Meeuwis, Davina Michelle, Froukje, Racoon, De Dijk, and Golden Earring, held between May and September with ticketing managed by Metropool.
• Venue rental (Spookhoes, Theaterhoes, Theater) Rental of meeting and event spaces including the Spookhoes (a 10x14 meter historic barn), the Theaterhoes (small gatherings), and the main Theater for external events, meetings, training sessions, team building events, and conferences, targeted at companies and organizations seeking unique meeting venues in a green, inspiring environment.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8,000+ visitors attracted across seven Passion Plays performances in 2011
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Poppodium MetropoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership since 2013 for Metropool Open Air concert series held between May and September featuring major Dutch pop artists including BLØF, Racoon, De Dijk, and Golden Earring. Poppodium Metropool organizes and manages ticketing for these concerts.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Openluchttheater Caprera: An open-air theater in the Bloemendaal dunes near Haarlem running a summer concert series featuring Dutch artists, comparable in scale and programming model to Openluchttheater Hertme's Metropool Open Air series.
• Openluchttheater Lochem: An open-air theater in Lochem (Achterhoek region) offering summer theater, music, and family programming in a similar regional, volunteer-supported model. Closely comparable in scale, regional positioning, and event mix.
• Openluchttheater Diever: A long-running open-air theater in Drenthe (Diever) known for summer Shakespeare-style productions and a broad summer concert calendar. Comparable as a regional Dutch open-air venue mixing theatrical productions with pop concerts in a wooded setting.
• Poppodium Metropool: The Enschede/Hengelo-based pop venue that has been the strategic programming partner of Openluchttheater Hertme since 2013, organizing and ticketing the Metropool Open Air concert series. Directly comparable as the upstream booking/promoter partner with overlapping artist relationships and audience.
• Openluchttheater De Goffert: The largest open-air theater in Nijmegen, hosting a summer concert program with Dutch and international artists in an outdoor amphitheater setting. Directly comparable as a regional Dutch open-air theater venue with summer pop/rock programming and ticketed events.

Regional players

• Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam: The municipal theater of Amsterdam presenting theater, dance, and performance programming year-round. Comparable as a Dutch theatrical venue institution, but focused on indoor stage productions and serving an urban national audience rather than rural Twente.

Broad incumbents

• AFAS Live: A large indoor concert hall in Amsterdam operated by MOJO, hosting major Dutch and international touring acts. Represents the broader Dutch live-music venue category that competes for the same artist pool that drives Hertme's Metropool Open Air programming.
• Mojo Concerts: One of the largest concert promoters in the Netherlands, operating AFAS Live and Ziggo Dome and promoting tours by major artists. A broader incumbent in the Dutch live-entertainment ecosystem with overlapping artist relationships.
• Theater Carré: One of the most prominent historic theaters in Amsterdam, hosting large-scale musicals, concerts, and shows. A broader incumbent in Dutch live entertainment; not a direct outdoor competitor but represents the upper-bound of theatrical venue scale and brand recognition.
• Tivoli Vredenburg: A major multi-venue music complex in Utrecht hosting concerts across genres. Comparable as a venue operator that books mid-to-top-tier Dutch and international artists, but indoor and at much larger scale than Hertme.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC4NF6LmD4YZH1OnAU8DYqcA
• Facebookfacebook.com/openluchttheaterhertme
• Instagraminstagram.com/openluchttheaterhertme
• Xx.com/OpenluchtHertme
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/openluchttheaterhertme

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 Openluchttheater Hertme