Compagnie ACTA

What Compagnie ACTA does

Compagnie ACTA — formally Association pour la Création Théâtrale et Audiovisuelle, also branded ACTA / ACTA PÉPITE — is a French non-profit performing arts organization founded in 1989 by Agnès Desfosses and headquartered in Villiers-le-Bel, Île-de-France. The organization specializes in theatrical creation for very young audiences (0–5 years) and runs an integrated program of original productions (e.g., L'Autre de Moi), two residency tracks (Pépite for very-young-audience companies; Passerelle for young/general-audience companies), and the Premières Rencontres biennial festival, whose 12th edition in 2026 is programmed at 9 shows and 58 performances across 18 communes. Day-to-day artistic direction has been led by Laurent Dupont since 2014.

The company's revenue model is subsidy-driven rather than commercial. Primary funding is drawn from French public bodies — DRAC Île-de-France, Conseil Départemental du Val-d'Oise, Ville de Villiers-le-Bel, and the Île-de-France Regional Council — supplemented by European programme grants including Erasmus+ (2020–2023 training project) and Europe Creative (CARAVAN, 2024–2026). Touring performance fees and residency fees from partner companies represent secondary, smaller revenue streams. With approximately 5 employees and 35+ years of continuous operation, ACTA operates as a niche cultural producer in the early-childhood performing arts segment, leveraging EU-funded partnerships to extend its European footprint while remaining structurally dependent on a small number of French institutional funders.

Name

Compagnie ACTA

Legal name

Association pour la Création Théâtrale et Audiovisuelle

Website

https://compagnie-acta.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Compagnie ACTA is a French non-profit founded in 1989 that produces theater for children aged 0–5, runs residency programs, and operates the Premières Rencontres biennial festival, funded mainly by French public subsidies and EU grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts / Theatre for Young Audiences

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB), Theater & Drama Education (Acting, Improvisation, Musical Theater) (EDAMAAAG)

Keywords

• Theatre for young audiences
• Early childhood performing arts
• Artistic residency programs
• European cultural cooperation
• Live performance touring

Headquarters

HQ city

Villiers-le-Bel

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Subsidies and Grants: ACTA receives ongoing funding from multiple public sources: DRAC Île-de-France (territory convention), Conseil départementale du Val-d'Oise, Ville de Villiers-le-Bel, and Île-de-France Regional Council (artistic permanence convention). This constitutes the primary revenue stream.
2. Performance Touring Revenue: Revenue generated from touring theatrical performances for young audiences in France and internationally.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Compagnie ACTA creates, produces, and tours theatrical performances for very young audiences (children aged 0 to 5) that combine multiple artistic languages including singing, dance, acrobatics, authored texts, and photography. The organization also operates two artistic residency programs (Pépite and Passerelle) for external young-audience theatre companies, hosts the biennial Premières RencontrES European festival, and runs cultural-action and training projects in territories across France and Europe.

Product overview

Compagnie ACTA is a French theatre company founded in 1989, specializing in performing arts for young and very young audiences. The organization operates as a multi-faceted cultural entity combining: (1) Original productions including 'L'Autre de Moi' and community projects; (2) Two residency programs—Pépite for very young audiences (0-5 years) and Passerelle for young and general audiences—hosting external theatre companies; (3) The biennial Premières RencontrES Festival bringing together European artists and professionals; (4) European training initiatives including the Erasmus+ project (2020-2023) and ongoing CARAVAN project under Europe Creative. The company serves as both a creator and a resource center, supporting artistic creation through residencies, cultural actions, and international cooperation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• L'Autre de Moi

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 2turvenhoog / Stichting 2+ (Netherlands)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Dutch partner in the CARAVAN Europe Creative project. Hosts artistic residencies and participates in the 2Turvenhoog festival for 0-6 year olds in Almere, Netherlands. Contributes to cross-cultural artistic exchange and European early childhood arts network.
• laSala | Festival elPetit (Spain)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Spanish partner hosting CARAVAN residencies in Sabadell, Catalonia. Organizes the elPetit festival for early childhood arts. Participated in Erasmus+ Arts & Early Childhood project that produced the European manifesto.
• DRAC Île-de-FrancecoreOthersDirection Régionale des Affaires Culturelles d'Île-de-France provides ongoing territorial convention funding and support for artistic projects.
• Conseil Départemental du Val-d'OisecoreOthersDepartmental council provides conventioned funding and support for ACTA's operations as a theatre company.
• Ville de Villiers-le-BelcoreOthersMunicipal government provides local support, venues, and co-production for performances. Primary location for festival and residency activities.
• Île-de-France Regional CouncilcoreOthersRegional council provides artistic permanence convention funding to support ACTA's regional activities.
• Starcatchers (Scotland)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScottish organization for early years arts. Partnered in Erasmus+ project, hosted learning activities in Edinburgh. Contributed to European manifesto on artistic awakening.
• CARPF (Centre culturel de Mitry-Mory)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal cultural partner in Roissy Pays de France area. Hosts training sessions and Erasmus+ learning activities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• 2turvenhoog: Dutch foundation organizing the 2Turvenhoog festival for children aged 0-6 in Almere and the CARAVAN project partner. Directly comparable as a national-level early-childhood arts presenter and festival organizer with a similar age-segment focus and European collaboration model.
• Oorkaan: Amsterdam-based theater company creating music-theater productions for young children (starting from 2 years old). Highly comparable as a creator-producer of artistic work specifically designed for very young audiences in the European circuit.
• Théâtre Nouvelle Génération: Lyon-based Centre Dramatique National dedicated to young audiences, producing and presenting theater for children and young people. Comparable as a French national-level institution combining creation, residency hosting, and presentation for young audiences, though at a larger scale.
• Starcatchers: Scottish early-years arts organization that partners with ACTA on the Erasmus+ project and shares a near-identical mission: producing and curating artistic experiences for 0-5 year olds, training early childhood professionals, and advocating for artistic awakening. Starcatchers is the UK counterpart in the same micro-category.
• laSala | Festival elPetit: Catalan organizer of the elPetit festival for early childhood arts in Sabadell, and ACTA's CARAVAN project partner. Operates the same combined creation / residency / festival model for very young audiences, making it a directly comparable European peer.

Emerging players

• BabyCakes London: London-based company producing multi-sensory dance and movement performances for babies and toddlers (0-3). Comparable as an emerging specialist creator in the very-young-audience segment, focused specifically on dance and sensory formats.

Broad incumbents

• Festival d'Avignon: France's largest annual performing arts festival, presenting hundreds of theater, dance, and performance productions across multiple venues. Comparable in festival-presenter function for live performing arts, though at a dramatically larger scale and broader programming scope than ACTA's biennial.
• Théâtre de la Croix-Rousse: Lyon-based national theater hosting touring productions with a young-audience programming strand. Comparable as a French venue combining presentation, residency support, and co-production for performing arts, including work aimed at younger audiences.
• Compagnie Philippe Genty: Long-established French puppet and visual theater company touring internationally with productions that span family and young audiences. Comparable as an established French creator of original visual/theatrical work for young audiences with international touring reach, though broader in age segment.
• Théâtre de la Ville: Major Parisian institution presenting dance, theater, and music across a broad program that includes family and young-audience seasons. Comparable as a French presenter/venue operating at a much larger scale, hosting international touring productions that intersect with ACTA's curatorial territory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat1 record

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/compagnie-acta

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Compagnie ACTA