CIRQUE THEATRE D ELBEUF

What CIRQUE THEATRE D ELBEUF does

The Cirque-Théâtre d'Elbeuf is a French public cultural cooperation institution (EPCC — Établissement Public de Coopération Culturelle) operating one of the eight remaining permanent circus buildings ("cirques en dur") in France, originally constructed in 1892 and registered as a Historical Monument in 1998. The venue uniquely combines a circular circus ring with an Italian-style theater stage, supporting a 900-seat capacity, and has held national Pôle National des Arts du Cirque (PNC) designation from the French Ministry of Culture since 2011. Its operations span seasonal contemporary circus programming, artist residencies, coproductions, heritage visits, and educational outreach, with the annual Festival SPRING co-organized alongside La Brèche Cherbourg through the Plateforme 2 Pôles Cirque en Normandie.

Revenue is generated through four streams: ticket sales (€5–€19 per ticket with a €6 young-audience and school rate), institutional public subsidies from Métropole Rouen Normandie, DRAC Normandie, Région Normandie, and Ville d'Elbeuf, planned individual patronage (Mécénat) launching autumn 2026 with a 66% tax deduction, and private venue hire. Customer segments include individual public and families, school and educational groups, medical-social structures, corporate/CE members under the Carte Relais program (30€ annual), and live performance professionals.

The institution is governed by a board of directors representing its four public funders plus qualified individuals and staff, with Nicolas Rouly as President (also Vice-President of Métropole Rouen Normandie in charge of culture) and Hélène Debrix as interim director. The team includes approximately 20–30 permanent staff across administration, communications, technique, reception, and cultural action.

Name

CIRQUE THEATRE D ELBEUF

Legal name

EPCC Cirque-Théâtre d'Elbeuf

Website

https://cirquetheatre-elbeuf.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cirque-Théâtre d'Elbeuf is a French public cultural institution operating one of eight surviving 1892 permanent circus buildings in France, hosting contemporary circus performances, artist residencies, and educational outreach as a designated Pôle National des Arts du Cirque in Normandy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Venue

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG)

Keywords

• Contemporary circus performances
• Cultural venue operations
• Artist residencies
• Circus education programs
• Performing arts venue

Headquarters

HQ city

Elbeuf, Normandie

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Ticket sales and admissions: Primary revenue from ticket sales for performances and events. Standard tickets range from 5€ to 19€, with young audience tickets at 6€.
2. Public subsidies and institutional funding: EPCC receives ongoing subsidies from Métropole Rouen Normandie, Ville d'Elbeuf, Région Normandie, DRAC Normandie (Ministry of Culture), and other public partners as a national circus arts pole.
3. Patronage and donations (Mécénat): Individual donations with 66% tax deduction (effective cost of 34% for donors). Planned patronage program launching autumn 2026.
4. Private events and venue hire: Corporate events, private presentations ('Soirées complices'), and venue hire for external organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Cirque-Théâtre d'Elbeuf is a historic 1892 performance venue (an Établissement Public de Coopération Culturelle - EPCC) that operates as the Pôle National des Arts du Cirque de Normandie. It hosts contemporary circus performances across an annual season, provides artist residencies and coproductions, delivers cultural mediation and educational programs, and runs ancillary services such as venue rental, heritage visits, and workshops.

Product overview

Cirque-Théâtre d'Elbeuf is a historic circus-theater venue (built 1892) that functions as the Pole National des arts du cirque for Normandy. The venue offers a unified experience centered on its seasonal programming of contemporary circus performances featuring guest touring productions. The portfolio includes core performance programming, educational initiatives (school shows, En Piste workshops), cultural outreach (Action Culturelle), heritage visits, and specialized events like Family Fun Days, Nuit du Cirque, and the Festival SPRING. The venue also provides rental options and operates an online ticketing system. As one of the last eight surviving 'cirques en dur' (permanent circus buildings) in France, the venue uniquely combines a circular arena with an Italian-style theater stage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Festival SPRING: Annual contemporary circus festival organized by the Plateforme 2 Pôles Cirque en Normandie.
• Cirque-Théâtre Quartier d'été

Quantifiable outcome

• Hosting capacity: up to 900 spectators
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• La Brèche, CherbourgcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Strategic partnership since 2015 between the two National Circus Poles of Normandy (Cirque-Théâtre Elbeuf and La Brèche Cherbourg) through the 'Plateforme 2 Pôles Cirque en Normandie'. Jointly supports circus creation through coproduction funding, artist residencies, and the annual Festival SPRING. La Brèche focuses on residencies while Cirque-Théâtre concentrates on performance diffusion.
• Festival SPRINGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual international contemporary circus festival organized in Normandy through the 2 Poles Platform partnership with La Brèche. Showcases French and international circus creations.
• Plateforme 2 Pôles Cirque en NormandiecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative structure uniting the two National Circus Poles of Normandy for joint programming, coproduction, and artist support activities.
• Métropole Rouen NormandiecoreOthersMain local government authority providing institutional funding and governance. The EPCC structure is administered with the Métropole as primary public partner.
• DRAC Normandie (Ministry of Culture)coreOthersRegional directorate of the Ministry of Culture providing national recognition (PNC designation) and state funding to the venue.
• Région NormandiecoreOthersRegional council providing institutional funding and support for cultural activities in Normandy.
• Ville d'ElbeufcoreOthersHost city providing local funding and governance support to the EPCC structure.
• Centre National des Arts du Cirque (CNAC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual hosting of CNAC graduation show (spectacle de fin d'études) featuring the current student promotion.
• La Main de l'HommeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction company residency and coproduction of 'MAHAMAT' by Mahamat Fofana, co-produced with Transversales Verdun and other partners.
• Métropole Rouen Normandie (heritage visits)minorOthersPartner for European Heritage Days programming with qualified guides from the Métropole.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Théâtre National de Chaillot: Major national theater in Paris with circus and dance programming, much larger scale and Paris catchment. Not a direct competitor for touring acts but serves as a reference point for the upper bound of French publicly-funded performing arts venue operations.
• Maison de la Culture de Clermont-Ferrand: Major French Scène nationale with broader programming mandate across performing arts (theater, dance, music, circus). Comparable in EPCC-era governance and public-subsidy model, but larger scope than a single-discipline PNC.

Direct peers

• Le Channel — Scène Nationale de Calais: French Scène nationale of comparable size and footprint in a mid-sized northern French city. Shares the multi-disciplinary performing arts venue mission, EPCC-adjacent governance, and dependence on regional/state cultural subsidies.
• Le Sirque (Pôle National Cirque, Nexon): National Circus Pole in Limousin dedicated to creation, training, and diffusion. Comparable in size, mandate, and rural-French setting; one of the 14 PNCs in the national coordination network.
• CIRCa — Pôle National Cirque (Auch, Gers): National Circus Pole in southwest France running its own dedicated circus festival. Highly comparable institutional structure, with similar small-city dynamics and public funding backbone.
• La Brèche (Pôle National Cirque de Cherbourg): Direct sibling PNC partner under the Plateforme 2 Pôles Cirque en Normandie since 2015. La Brèche focuses on artist residencies while Cirque-Théâtre focuses on diffusion; together they co-organize Festival SPRING and share coproduction risk on the same contemporary circus mission.
• Cirque Jules Verne — Pôle National Cirque et Arts de la Rue (Amiens): Another national PNC dedicated to contemporary circus and street arts, housed in its own historic venue. Comparable scale and mission, providing a near-perfect benchmark for PNC operating model, programming mix, and funding structure.
• ARCAOS — Pôle National Cirque Méditerranée (Marseille): National circus pole serving southern France with a similar mandate of creation, diffusion, and public mediation. Directly comparable as a sister PNC venue, albeit with a larger Mediterranean audience catchment.
• TOHU (Cité des arts du cirque, Montréal): Canadian national-scale contemporary circus venue and creation center, founded as a national circus heritage project. Functions as a near-direct international analog of a French PNC, sharing the mission of venue operation, artist creation, and audience development.
• PRAC — Pôle de Résidence et d'Action Culturelle (Lanester): National Circus Pole in Brittany focused on creation residencies and territorial cultural action. Sister PNC with comparable EPCC-style governance and small-city footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCNmK02yF_UewOOLhIvFC1Hg
• Facebookfacebook.com/cirque.theatre.elbeuf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cirque-theatre-d-elbeuf
• Instagraminstagram.com/cirquetheatre_delbeuf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CIRQUE THEATRE D ELBEUF