Théâtre de la Dame de Coeur

What Théâtre de la Dame de Coeur does

Théâtre de la Dame de Coeur (TDC) is a Quebec-based nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1975 and headquartered on a 15-hectare historic domain in Upton, Quebec. It operates one of North America's only permanent giant-puppet theaters, producing, performing, and touring oversized marionettes up to 35 feet tall and 49 feet wide using proprietary harness techniques, aerial puppet methods, 300-degree immersive scenography, integrated multimedia, and large-format 3D printing. The core product is the summer outdoor amphitheater show (currently 'La folle épopée de M. Paul', running July to August in a 500-seat heated pivoting-seat venue), complemented by a dinner-show package at the on-site Le Vieux Moulin restaurant, a CIMBAD cultural mediation and interpretation center, school workshop programs (Découverte, Création, Création ADO), ambulatory and parade performances (Acupunk, lantern parades, marching integration), corporate event commissions, and a 90-hour professional puppetry training program.

TDC serves four primary customer segments: the general public and families attending the summer season; Quebec primary and secondary schools and day camps participating in accredited cultural mediation; municipalities and festival organizers booking touring parade and ambulatory acts; and corporate clients commissioning custom puppet creations and event experiences. Revenue is generated through a mix of per-ticket sales ($37-$72 adult-equivalent), dinner-show packages, per-student cultural mediation fees, corporate commissions, training fees, and accommodation partner referral packages, supplemented by grants from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Canada Council for the Arts, MRC d'Acton, Culture Montérégie, and Tourisme Montérégie. Distribution is primarily direct via the theater's own TuxedoBillet online platform, phone/box office, and a network of accommodation and tourism partners, with the organization employing approximately 15 people.

Name

Théâtre de la Dame de Coeur

Legal name

Théâtre de la Dame de Coeur

Website

https://damedecoeur.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Théâtre de la Dame de Coeur is a Quebec nonprofit giant-puppet theater producing immersive outdoor shows, school cultural-mediation programs, touring parades, and corporate event commissions from a 15-hectare Upton, Quebec domain serving families, schools, municipalities, and corporate clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Performing Arts (Giant Puppet Theater)

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Puppetry & Marionette Theatre (MPAGABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM), Touring Theatre Productions (MPAGABAC), Theatre Services & Design (Scenic/Costume/Props/Stage Management) (MPAGABAO)

Keywords

• Giant puppet theater
• Cultural mediation programs
• Outdoor performing arts
• Oversized marionette production
• Corporate event entertainment

Headquarters

HQ city

Upton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Summer outdoor theater ticket sales: Seasonal outdoor amphitheater performances (July-August) with a main stage show. Ticket prices range from $37-$72 per adult, with Saturday surcharges. The 500-seat venue attracts approximately 20,000 spectators annually over 7-8 weeks of shows.
2. Dinner-show (Souper spectacle): On-site restaurant Le Vieux Moulin operated by a seasonal caterer (BLT BBQ Buffet La Tradition), offering buffet dinners before performances. Additional revenue from on-site food and beverage concession.
3. Touring performances and special events: Theater offers custom performances and parade/tour products (Acupunk, lantern parades, ambulatory puppet shows) for municipalities, festivals, and corporate events. David McDuff is the commercial agent for CIMBAD activities.
4. Cultural mediation activities: School programs at CIMBAD (Centre d'Interprétation des Marionnettes Baroque Alphonse-Desjardins) including Discovery, Creation, and Teen Creation workshops. Also parent-child workshops and school outreach. Priced per student/participant.
5. Corporate event services: Custom event production for corporate clients, including giant puppet appearances, stage design for congresses, and custom creations for special projects.
6. Package deals and accommodation partnerships: Theater partners with hotels and campgrounds to offer bundled show + accommodation packages. Partners include Hôtel et Suites Le Dauphin, Best Western Hôtel Universel, Hôtel Castel, Hôtel Quality Suites, Camping Wigwam, Motel Valois, and others, providing discount packages and affiliate referral revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Théâtre de la Dame de Coeur is a performing arts nonprofit that creates, fabricates, and presents oversized giant puppet theater productions in a covered 500-seat outdoor amphitheater on a 15-hectare domain in Upton, Quebec. Its core offering is the summer mainstage show "La folle épopée de M. Paul" (July-August), paired with a dinner-show package at the on-site Le Vieux Moulin restaurant and supported by year-round cultural mediation programs for schools, ambulatory parade and corporate event services, and a 90-hour professional puppetry training program. All productions are built in-house using proprietary harness techniques, integrated multimedia, and multidisciplinary puppet fabrication workshops.

Product overview

Théâtre de la Dame de Coeur is a Quebec-based performing arts company offering a unified portfolio of giant puppet theater productions and cultural services. The core offering centers on the summer show 'La folle épopée de M. Paul' with dinner package, complemented by cultural mediation programs (Découverte, Création, Création ADO, Atelier parents-enfants) and special event services (Acupunk, Déambulatoire, Intégration de parades, Défilé de lanternes, corporate events). The company operates the CIMBAD interpretation center and provides venue amenities including the Vieux Moulin restaurant, nature park, kayak rentals, and the BaladoDécouverte audio guide app. The portfolio includes a 90-hour professional puppetry training program. All offerings share the company's expertise in oversized puppet fabrication, 300-degree spatial performance, and multidisciplinary theatrical techniques.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• La folle épopée de M. Paul (summer mainstage show) Main summer outdoor giant puppet theater show featuring oversized marionettes that interact with the audience in a 300-degree immersive environment. Aimed at families and general public attending evening performances during July and August.
• Souper-spectacle (dinner-show package) Combined dinner and theater package at Restaurant Le Vieux Moulin, with buffet service on a covered terrace by the river before the show. Aimed at families and adult visitors wanting a full evening experience.
• CIMBAD (Centre d'Interprétation des Marionnettes Baroque Alphonse-Desjardins) On-site interpretation center showcasing giant puppet exhibitions, theater history, and show design process, offering self-guided and guided cultural activities for visitors throughout the show season.
• Programmes de médiation culturelle (cultural mediation workshops) School and family cultural mediation programs (Découverte for primary/day camps, Création for grades 5-6, Création ADO for secondary 1-5, Atelier parents-enfants) where participants create and manipulate giant puppets through a choreographed story. Sold per student/participant.
• Acupunk (poetic parade) Touring poetic parade performance featuring two luminous 18-foot giant puppets, available for hire by municipalities, festivals, and event organizers across Quebec.
• Déambulatoire (ambulatory puppet performances) Ambulatory puppet performances featuring one to four giant puppets (6 to 15+ feet tall) staged over 15-30 minutes for festivals, events, and venues. Sold to municipal and corporate event organizers.
• Défilé de lanternes (lantern parade) Organized lantern parade for 150-300+ participants of all ages carrying lanterns of various sizes through streets after sunset with music, sold to municipalities, festivals, and organizations.
• Événements corporatifs et projets spéciaux (corporate event services) Custom event production services for corporate clients and organizations, including giant puppet installations, stage design for congresses, municipal anniversary celebrations, themed decorations, and bespoke special project creations.
• Formation marionnettiste (professional puppetry training program) 90-hour professional puppetry training program covering giant puppet techniques, harness methodology, and object manipulation, taught by 35-year veteran Sylvain Gagnon and delivered in partnership with Culture Montérégie. Priced at $270 ($3/hour) with subsidized travel and meal allowances.
• Forfaits hébergement (accommodation package deals) Bundled show and accommodation packages offered with partner hotels (Hôtel Le Dauphin, Best Western, Hôtel Castel, Hôtel Quality Suites), campgrounds (Camping Wigwam), motels (Motel Valois), and gîtes providing $10 adult and $5 youth ticket discounts and special Sunday rates.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20,000 annual spectators
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

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

• Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuebec arts council providing funding support for TDC's operations and the 2026 Acupunk tour across 12 Quebec municipalities. Listed as a key partner on TDC's website.
• Conseil des arts du Canada (Canada Council for the Arts)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal arts council supporting TDC's artistic productions. Listed as a key partner on TDC's website.
• MRC (Municipalité régionale de comté) d'ActoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional county municipality listed as a partner on TDC's website. MRC d'Acton hosts the theater's domain in Upton.
• Tourisme MontérégiemoderateGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional tourism organization promoting TDC as a destination attraction in Montérégie region.
• Culture MontérégiemoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional cultural organization co-delivers the 90-hour puppetry training program with TDC and Intervention Compétence Culture Axe 2.
• Hôtel et Suites Le Dauphin (Drummondville)moderateChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFamily hotel 25 minutes from TDC offering special Sunday package deal: show tickets + full breakfast + room at $100 (taxes extra). Part of TDC's accommodation package network.
• Camping Wigwam (Upton)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFamily campground minutes from TDC offering camping + show ticket packages.
• Best Western Hôtel Universel (Drummondville)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFamily hotel 25 minutes from TDC included in accommodation package network.
• Hôtel Castel (Granby)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHotel in Granby, 30 minutes from TDC, in the accommodation package partner network.
• BLT BBQ Buffet La Tradition (Le Vieux Moulin traiteur)moderateOthersSeasonal catering partner operating the on-site Le Vieux Moulin restaurant during the summer performance season, providing dinner-show meals.
• Magasin Général UptonminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal boutique partner near TDC offering 10% discount on adult show tickets and 5% on child/adolescent tickets with purchase of $50 or more.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Cirque du Soleil: Quebec-headquartered global entertainment company famous for large-scale, acrobatic theatrical productions. Directly relevant because TDC has toured with Cirque du Soleil, and Cirque is the benchmark Quebec cultural export that large-scale immersive shows are measured against.
• Ex Machina (Robert Lepage): Quebec-based theatrical creation company led by Robert Lepage, producing large-scale innovative stage performances and scenography. Comparable to TDC as another Quebec-headquartered creator pushing technical boundaries in theatrical staging and immersive scenography.
• Place des Arts (Montreal): Montreal's largest performing arts center, presenting theater, dance, and music year-round. Comparable to TDC as a Quebec venue/presenter ecosystem participant serving similar family and tourist audiences, though operating at much larger scale and across more genres.
• National Arts Centre – Canada: Canada's federal performing arts presenter, funding partner of TDC via Canada Council for the Arts and a producer/presenter of large-scale theater, dance, and music. Comparable as a Canadian institutional arts partner and presenting ecosystem participant.

Direct peers

• Royal de Luxe: French street-theater company famous for its giant marionettes (including the 'Little Giant' and 'Big Giant'). It is the most direct global comparison to TDC because both organizations specialize in oversized, articulated mechanical puppets performed live in public spaces and tours.
• Bread and Puppet Theater: Vermont-based, decades-old puppet theater that creates oversized pageant-style puppets for public performances and political/community events. Comparable to TDC in its DIY ethos, use of large-scale puppets, and outdoor touring performances.

Others

• Festival TransAmériques: Montreal-based international festival presenting contemporary theater, dance, and puppetry (including giant-puppet works). Comparable to TDC as a presenter channel that books and tours the kind of large-scale immersive and puppet-based work TDC produces.
• Culture Montérégie: Regional cultural council for the Montérégie region of Quebec, listed as a TDC partner that co-delivers the 90-hour puppetry training program. Comparable as the regional institutional counterpart that channels public funding and training partnerships to community arts organizations like TDC.

Regional players

• Théâtre de Quat'Sous: Montreal-based theater producing original contemporary works and family programming. Comparable to TDC as another Quebec francophone theater producing original immersive productions for general and family audiences.
• Mégantic Théâtre: Quebec-based summer theater producing original plays for family audiences in a rural setting. Comparable to TDC as a Quebec regional summer theater with a similar family-entertainment value proposition, though without the giant-puppet specialization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/th%C3%A9%C3%A2tre-de-la-dame-de-coeur

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 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 de la Dame de Coeur