Le Carreau - Scène nationale de Forbach et de l’Est mosellan

What Le Carreau - Scène nationale de Forbach et de l’Est mosellan does

Le Carreau - Scène nationale de Forbach et de l'Est mosellan is a French non-profit cultural association (loi 1901) founded in 1996 and operating under the "Scène nationale" label granted by the French Ministry of Culture. The institution is headquartered in Forbach, in the eastern Moselle region adjacent to the German border, and operates two performance venues: the Bertolt Brecht hall (593 + 13 seats) and the Heiner Müller hall (150 seats). Its programming spans theater, dance, music, and circus, with a deliberate cross-border Franco-German orientation formalized through partnership with the Saarländisches Staatstheater in Saarbrücken and the Interreg-funded GRACE project (2024-2026, €6.465M consortium budget). The venue also runs LOOSTIK, a festival dedicated to young audiences.

The institution's business model blends three revenue streams: public subsidies from DRAC Grand Est, Région Grand Est, Ville de Forbach, and Communauté d'agglomération; ticketing with differentiated pricing (€6-€27 per seat); and subscription packages (ABO 3 €57, ABO 5 €85, ABO 8 €104). It operates with a lean team of 8 employees and is governed by a volunteer board led by President Romain Kotik. Its catchment is supported by a network of 25+ partner communes extending across the Saar-Moselle corridor. A multi-year energy-efficiency renovation was completed between 2019 and 2022, and Nicolas Le Potier has been appointed director for 2026 to lead the institution through its 30th anniversary season.

Name

Le Carreau - Scène nationale de Forbach et de l’Est mosellan

Legal name

Le Carreau – Scène Nationale de Forbach et de l'Est mosellan

Website

https://carreau-forbach.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Le Carreau is a French non-profit Scène nationale in Forbach operating two performance halls, delivering Franco-German cross-border theater, dance, and music programming funded by public subsidies, ticketing, and subscriptions, and serving audiences across the eastern Moselle and Saar regions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Venue

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB), Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG), Multipurpose Event Center Operations (Civic Centers, Community Event Complexes) (MPAGALAE)

Keywords

• Live performing arts
• Performing arts venue
• Cross-border cultural programming
• Arts education programs
• Artist residencies support

Headquarters

HQ city

Forbach

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales and Subscriptions: Revenue generated from single tickets (€27 normal, €22 group, €10 reduced, €8 youth), subscription packages (ABO 3, 5, and 8 show packages with discounts up to 52%), student/youth subscriptions, and school group pricing at €6 per student with free accompanying adults.
2. Public Subsidies: The organization receives ongoing funding from multiple government sources: the French state through DRAC Grand Est, Région Grand Est, Ville de Forbach (municipal funding), and Communauté d'agglomération de Forbach Porte de France (annual grant). This public funding model is typical for Scènes Nationales in France.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Operates a Scène nationale (national stage) presenting live performing arts — theater, dance, circus and multidisciplinary productions — across two halls (Salle Bertolt Brecht with 593+13 seats and Salle Heiner Müller with 150 seats). Supports contemporary artistic creation through coproductions and artist residencies, runs arts and cultural education programs for schools and underserved audiences, and organizes the cross-border LOOSTIK festival for young French-German audiences.

Product overview

Le Carreau is a 'Scène nationale' (national stage), a nonprofit cultural venue that serves as a center for contemporary performing arts in Forbach and the Eastern Moselle region. The organization operates as a single unified venue offering live performance programming, artist residencies and coproductions, educational workshops (theater, cross-border arts), and the annual LOOSTIK festival for young audiences. Ticketing services are provided through a third-party platform. The venue houses two main performance halls (Salle Bertolt Brecht with 593+13 accessible seats and Salle Heiner Müller with 150 seats) and partners with multiple regional venues across the French-German border.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Festival LOOSTIK: Deutsch-französisches Festival für junges Publikum - A French-German festival for young audiences organized by Le Carreau in collaboration with the Foundation for Franco-German Cultural Cooperation.
• GRACE

Products and services

• Season Programming (Programmation)
• Festival LOOSTIK
• Atelier Théâtre (Theater Workshop)
• Coproductions and Artist Residencies
• Arts and Cultural Education Programs (Éducation Artistique et Culturelle) School group performances and cultural education projects targeting students, people with disabilities, and social outreach programs. School group pricing at €6 per student with one free accompanying adult per 10 students.

Quantifiable outcome

• Participation in the GRACE project spanning 01/01/2024 to 31/12/2026 with €6.465M budget from Interreg
• +1 more outcomes

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

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and moderate.

• Réseau de l'Association des Scènes NationalescoreOthers · 1 January 1990Le Carreau is part of the national network of 78 Scènes Nationales, a label created in 1990 by the French Ministry of Culture. This network distributes performing arts institutions across France and overseas territories with defined public service missions including artistic creation, diversity, artist support, and cultural education.
• Ministère de la Culture (DRAC Grand Est)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe French Ministry of Culture, through DRAC Grand Est (Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles), provides state funding and oversight as part of the Scène nationale label requirements. DRAC also co-finances cross-border artistic practice workshops through the Pass Culture program.
• Région Grand EstcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Grand Est region provides ongoing funding as part of the multi-year performance agreement (convention) that supports the Scène nationale's cultural programming and operations.
• Ville de ForbachcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe municipality of Forbach provides annual funding and is a key local government partner supporting the Scène nationale under a multi-year agreement.
• Communauté d'agglomération de Forbach Porte de FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe intermunicipal authority provides annual subsidies to support the Scène nationale's operations in the eastern Moselle region.
• Fondation pour la coopération culturelle franco-allemande (Saarbrücken)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Foundation for Franco-German Cultural Cooperation, based in Saarbrücken, is a key partner in cross-border artistic initiatives including the LOOSTIK festival and the ArtBrücken European project.
• Festival LOOSTIKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA German-French festival for young audiences created through the ArtBrücken project, held annually in November. LOOSTIK #13 took place November 4-9, 2025. The festival enables French and German children to attend cross-disciplinary performances and participate in workshops together.
• Festival PrimeursminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSaison PRIMEURS PUR! festival - a partnership with Institut d'Études Françaises Saarbrücken, SR2 KulturRadio, and Saarländisches Staatstheater.
• Festival MigrationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFestival Migrations - partnership with ASBH (Action Sociale et Sportive du Bassin Houiller) and ATMF (Association des Travailleurs Maghrébins de France).
• Saarländisches Staatstheater (SST)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Saarland State Theater in Saarbrücken is a key German partner for cross-border performances, including shuttle bus connections and joint programming.
• Interreg GRACE Project PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe GRACE project (Greater Region Artistic and Cultural Education) connects 25 cultural institutions, local authorities, and universities across the Greater Region (France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg) with a €6.465M budget funded by Interreg 2021-2027.
• Académie de Nancy-MetzcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe academic authority of Nancy-Metz partners on school-based artistic education projects, with relay teachers like Marjorie Tonnelier coordinating programs between schools and Le Carreau.
• La QueerdomminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation collaborating on drag makeup workshops and cultural programming, particularly for the Cabaret Season 2026.
• Dominique CarboneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhotographer from Forbach partnering on the drag makeup workshop and photo shooting program.
• Maison des Cultures Numériques (Forbach)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital cultures center in Forbach partnering on workshops such as the binaural sound discovery workshop.
• Commune municipalities (25+)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipalities including Alsting, Altviller, Barst, Behren-lès-Forbach, Cappel, Cocheren, Etzling, Farébersviller, Folschviller, Forbach, Freyming-Merlebach, Guenviller, Hombourg-Haut, L'hôpital, Macheren, Morsbach, Oeting, Petite-Rosselle, Rosbruck, Saint-Avold, Schoeneck, Seingbouse, Stiring-Wendel, Théding, and Vahl-Ebersing support the Scène nationale.
• Saarländischer Rundfunk (SR2)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSaarland public broadcasting corporation partner for the Primeurs festival and media coverage.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Théâtre National de Strasbourg: A Scène nationale (and Centre Dramatique National) in Strasbourg with a similar Franco-German cross-border mandate. It offers comparable contemporary performing arts programming, school-based artistic education, and serves as a model for the kind of bilingual, EU-engaged regional theater that Le Carreau aspires to be.
• Théâtre du Nord (Lille): CDN-Théâtre National in Lille, similar in mission (contemporary theater, coproductions, touring) and operating model. Comparable as a multi-hall national stage with strong educational programming and a public-service remit anchored in its region.
• La Comédie de Reims: A Scène nationale in Reims with two performance halls (one large, one studio) analogous to Le Carreau's Bertolt Brecht and Heiner Müller halls. Comparable in scale, audience-development focus, subscription tiers, and educational outreach to schools.
• La Comédie de Clermont-Ferrand: A Scène nationale in Clermont-Ferrand with a similar two-hall structure and educational/subscription model. Comparable as a publicly funded mid-sized national stage in a post-industrial French region seeking to broaden audiences through contemporary programming.
• TNP - Théâtre National Populaire (Villeurbanne): A major French national theater with similar Scène nationale/label status, large multipurpose hall, and mission to diffuse contemporary creation to broad audiences. It is comparable as a publicly funded regional anchor institution with comparable subscription and education programming models.
• Théâtre National de Bretagne (Rennes): A French national theater and CDN offering drama, dance, and music with comparable public service obligations, coproduction activity, and touring/audience-development work. Comparable institutionally to Le Carreau even though larger in scale.
• Scène nationale 61 (Alençon): A Scène nationale of comparable small/medium scale in Alençon, Normandy. Comparable in label status, public funding mix, two-hall venue configuration, and outreach-driven programming for schools and underserved audiences.
• Saarländisches Staatstheater (SST): Saarland's state theater in Saarbrücken is Le Carreau's direct cross-border partner and closest competitor. It operates multi-disciplinary programming (drama, opera, ballet) with comparable mission scope, and the two institutions jointly coordinate shuttle buses, surtitling, and festivals like LOOSTIK and Primeurs.
• Théâtre National de la Colline (Paris): One of France's five national theaters, dedicated to contemporary creation with multiple performance spaces. It is comparable in mission (supporting living artists, coproductions, residency programs) and in its public-service remit as a publicly subsidized national stage.

Broad incumbents

• Opéra National de Lorraine: The regional opera house in Nancy, a publicly subsidized performing arts venue in the same Grand Est region. Comparable in funding model (state + region + city) and role as a Grand Est cultural anchor, though it specializes in opera rather than Le Carreau's contemporary theater/dance/circus mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/le-carreau---sc%C3%A8ne-nationale-de-forbach-et-de-l%E2%80%99est-mosellan

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Le Carreau - Scène nationale de Forbach et de l’Est mosellan