Théâtre des Blancs-Manteaux

What Théâtre des Blancs-Manteaux does

Théâtre des Blancs-Manteaux is a privately operated comedy and improvisation venue located at 15 rue des Blancs Manteaux in the Marais district of Paris (75004). Founded around 1970, it operates two intimate performance spaces — Salle Jacques Higelin (80 seats, basement level) and Salle Michèle Laroque (60 seats, street level) — alongside a small bar area. The theater has built a 50+ year reputation as a launching pad for now-established French comedians and musicians including Jacques Villeret, Anne Roumanoff, Renaud, and more recently Arnaud Tsamère, Fabrice Eboué, and Caroline Vigneaux. Programming focuses on humor, improvisation, and emerging comedy talent.

The venue generates revenue through ticket sales, venue rentals, gift voucher sales, and bar service. Ticketing is sold direct via the third-party Themisweb platform on the theater's own website, at the on-site box office (cash/check only), and through resellers Fnac Spectacles, Theatre Online, and Ticketmaster France. The pricing model is unit-based with a €1.50 service fee per ticket and tiered discounts (under-18s, unemployed, seniors, students, families, promotional rates for events such as Valentine's Day or New Year's Eve). Group bookings for 25+ persons and private venue rentals for corporate seminars, performances, and film shoots represent secondary revenue streams. There is no proprietary technology stack — operations rely on standard third-party ticketing infrastructure, social media (TikTok), and an email newsletter for marketing.

In June 2008, Frédéric Cagnache, a humor producer active since 1996, acquired and assumed directorship of the venue; the current operating team comprises approximately 5 staff members. The theater receives no subsidies from the French Ministry of Culture, the City of Paris, or Paris Centre municipality. In 2022 the venue publicly disclosed severe financial stress, having been compelled to advance over €80,000 in rent payments, and launched a crowdfunding appeal seeking €16,000 to remain solvent — explicitly referencing the recent closures of comparable independent venues such as Don Camillo and Chez Michou.

Name

Théâtre des Blancs-Manteaux

Legal name

Théâtre Les Blancs Manteaux

Website

https://blancsmanteaux.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Théâtre des Blancs-Manteaux is a privately operated Paris comedy and improvisation venue in the Marais district, with 140 seats across two performance spaces, serving individual theatergoers and corporate event clients since 1970.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Performance Venue

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Comedy Clubs (Nightlife Venues) (MPAGAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nightclub & Small Live Venue Operations (Clubs, Bars with Stages) (MPAGALAF), Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)

Keywords

• Live comedy performances
• Venue rental services
• Theatrical improvisation shows
• Group ticket bookings
• Comedy performance venue

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from ticket sales for comedy and improvisation performances. Tickets sold through online platform, box office, and third-party partners (Fnac, Ticketmaster, Theatre Online).
2. Venue Rental: Private event rentals for corporate functions, seminars, conferences, performances, and filming. Spaces available: Salle Jacques Higelin (80 seats underground), Salle Michèle Laroque (60 seats on street), and bar area (25 standing/10 seated).
3. Gift Vouchers: Sale of gift vouchers valid for one year from purchase date. Recipients redeem by phone for performance reservations.
4. Bar Sales: Beverage and refreshment sales at the theater bar before performances and during events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Théâtre des Blancs-Manteaux is a privately operated live comedy and performance venue in Paris's Marais district that produces and sells tickets to comedy, improvisation, and music shows across two small halls (Salle Jacques Higelin, 80 seats underground; Salle Michèle Laroque, 60 seats street-level). Beyond ticketed performances, the venue sells one-year gift vouchers, rents its spaces for private corporate and filming events, takes group bookings of 25+ people, and operates an on-site bar serving beverages before shows and during events.

Product overview

Théâtre Les Blancs Manteaux is a private comedy and performance venue located in the Marais district of Paris, offering live shows primarily in humor and improvisation. The venue operates two performance spaces—Salle Jacques Higelin (80 seats underground) and Salle Michèle Laroque (60 seats on street level)—along with a bar and event spaces. The theatre sells tickets through its online platform (themisweb.fr) and partner channels, offers gift cards valid for one year, and provides venue rental services for private events including corporate functions and film shoots.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Live Comedy and Improvisation Performances Ticket-admission live comedy, improvisation, and music shows staged in two intimate Parisian halls, with the on-site bar open before performances and during intermissions. Targeted at individual comedy and culture enthusiasts in Paris and Île-de-France.
• Venue Rental (Location de Salle) Private hire of the theater's two performance halls and bar for spectacles, training, conferences, seminars, film shoots, and other events. Targeted at corporate event organizers, agencies, and production companies needing a distinctive central-Paris venue for 10 to 80 attendees.
• Group Bookings (Demande de Groupe) Dedicated group reservation service for groups of 25 or more attendees, including Comités d'Entreprises, with customized scheduling, partnership preferential rates (e.g., €21.50), and invoicing for CE clients.
• Gift Cards (Bons Cadeaux Spectacles) One-year-valid gift certificates for theater performances, purchased online and redeemed by phone for show reservations. Targeted at consumers seeking a gifting experience of live comedy.
• Bar Service On-site bar serving cocktails and house specialties before performances and during intermissions, available to ticket-buying audiences and private-event clients.

Named customers3 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

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Fnac SpectaclesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial resale partner for ticket sales. Tickets sold through Fnac Spectacles website and physical points of sale with additional booking fees charged to customers.
• Theatre OnlineminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial resale partner for online ticket sales through Theatre Online platform.
• Ticketmaster FranceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial resale partner for ticket sales through Ticketmaster. Card payments only available through this channel.
• Marais District Restaurants and BrasseriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInformal partnerships with nearby restaurants and brasseries in the Marais for post-show dining recommendations to theater-goers.
• Committees d'Entreprises (CE)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of corporate committees and employee benefit programs that promote theater performances to their members.
• Festival and Production NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of festivals, venue directors, and production companies that collaborate with the theater for artist development and programming.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Café de la Gare: Historic 1968 Parisian café-théâtre that itself launched careers of major French comedians (Coluche, Dewaere, Miou-Miou). Architecturally and culturally comparable as a small, intimate Paris venue with a track record of artist discovery.
• La Nouvelle Seine: Small independent venue on a barge in central Paris combining comedy, music and dinner formats with similar intimate capacity and direct-to-consumer ticketing via its own site plus partner platforms.
• Théâtre du Palais Royal: Long-established Parisian boulevard theater with an active humor/comedy repertoire; similar dual role as presenter-and-venue operator, though larger and more institutional.
• Le Comedy Club: Paris-based comedy club dedicated to stand-up and improvisation in an intimate cabaret-style room, directly comparable in product offering, ticket pricing and audience segment to Théâtre des Blancs-Manteaux.
• Théâtre Trévise: Small Parisian theater in the 9th arrondissement historically focused on humor and emerging stand-up talent, with a similar two-room operating style and frequent artist-discovery positioning.
• Théâtre du Point-Virgule: Long-running intimate Parisian comedy venue on the rue Sainte-Anne, focused on humor and one-person shows in a small-room format. Highly comparable in scale, programming style and ticket price range to Théâtre des Blancs-Manteaux.
• Théâtre Michel: Small Parisian boulevard theater (Salle Michel and adjacent rooms) with a comparable intimate-room comedy repertoire, mid-range ticket pricing, and direct online ticketing to consumer audiences.

Broad incumbents

• Théâtre du Gymnase: Large historic Parisian boulevard theater presenting commercial comedy, plays and tours. Comparable only in product category; competes for ticket buyers on the same Paris evening-out occasion but with materially larger capacity.
• Théâtre Edouard VII: Established mid-sized Parisian theater near the Opéra with a significant comedy and contemporary repertoire. Operates at greater scale but addresses overlapping audiences seeking Parisian humor programming.
• Le Splendid: Major established Parisian theater-restaurant chain presenting mainstream comedy and revue shows. Larger and more commercial than Théâtre des Blancs-Manteaux but competes for the same 'night out in Paris' spend.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• TikToktiktok.com/@lesblancsmanteaux
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/th%C3%A9%C3%A2tre-des-blancs-manteaux

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 Théâtre des Blancs-Manteaux