De Nieuwe Toneelbibliotheek

What De Nieuwe Toneelbibliotheek does

De Nieuwe Toneelbibliotheek (DNTB) is an independent Dutch theater text publishing house and library founded in 2009 and headquartered in Amsterdam. The organization publishes theatrical texts (toneelboekjes) as physical booklets and PDFs, with a catalog of over 1004 titles spanning Dutch, Flemish, Norwegian, and translated works, including plays, operas, monologues, dance theater, and youth theater. The catalog is organized through extensive metadata taxonomy covering cast size, series, genre, theme, language, and production company, exposed through a searchable website catalog and a developing digital reading platform (Digitheek), with a specialized dance library (Dansbibliotheek) as a vertical extension.

The business model is direct-to-consumer and direct-to-business commerce through the organization's e-commerce website, selling individual booklets at a standardized €15 price for both private consumers (incl. BTW) and business customers (excl. BTW), plus a printed catalog at €5. A subscription tier (Abonnementen) is offered for both particulier and zakelijk customers. Distribution is single-country domestic shipping within the Benelux region, with no app, no public API, and no disclosed AI capabilities. Marketing is conducted through the website itself, leveraging its filterable catalog and highlighted new releases.

The customer base is fragmented across theater writers and playwrights (who publish through the platform), theater companies and makers (who perform the texts), theater students and educators, and theater-reading enthusiasts. Named co-publishing and production partners include Antigone, URLAND, Theater Artemis, KVS, De Nationale Opera, Theater na de Dam, and many other Dutch and Flemish companies listed on the site. The organization was inspired and driven by Marian Boyer (1954-2013), and remains privately held with no parent company, no disclosed funding rounds, and a 5-employee team.

Name

De Nieuwe Toneelbibliotheek

Legal name

De Nieuwe Toneelbibliotheek

Website

https://denieuwetoneelbibliotheek.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

De Nieuwe Toneelbibliotheek is an Amsterdam-based independent Dutch theater text publishing house that has published over 1004 physical and digital theater booklets since 2009, selling directly to individual readers, theater companies, and educators across the Benelux market at €15 per title.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Theater Script Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), All Other Publishers (513199)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Self-Publishing & Author Platforms (BPAMAJAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Author Website, Storefront & Direct-to-Reader Commerce (D2C Sales) (MPAJAJAE), Editorial & Production Services (Copyediting, Proofreading, Formatting, Typesetting) (MPAJAJAG)

Keywords

• Theater script publishing
• Dutch drama library
• Play text catalog
• Theatrical text distribution
• Dance script library

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Theater Text Booklet Sales: Sale of physical and digital theater text booklets (boekjes) priced at €15.00 per unit for individual titles. Also offers a catalog for €5.00. Both retail (incl. VAT) and business (excl. VAT) pricing available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

De Nieuwe Toneelbibliotheek is a Dutch publishing house and library founded in 2009 that publishes and distributes Dutch-language theater texts in physical booklet format, with a catalog of over 1,000 titles. The organization operates the Digitheek digital theater text platform and the Dansbibliotheek (dance library), and sells to both private individuals (particulier, prices incl. BTW) and business customers (zakelijk, prices excl. BTW).

Product overview

De Nieuwe Toneelbibliotheek is a Dutch theater publishing house and library that publishes theatrical texts (toneelboekjes) in booklet and PDF formats. The company operates both a physical catalog and a digital library (Digitheek), offering over 1000 titles including plays, operas, monologues, and dance theater texts. The collection is organized by series (such as Stoffige Stukken, Sleutelteksten, and Tien Nieuwe Vlaamse), thematic collections (Vrouwelijke schrijvers, Klassiek repertoire, Vlaamse schrijvers), and categories like cast size, genre, and theme. The company also maintains a Dansbibliotheek for dance theater and offers subscription services for both individual and business customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Verse Tekst: A publication series alongside De Nieuwe Toneelbibliotheek, also left behind by Marian Boyer.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Sternheim UitgeverscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009De Nieuwe Toneelbibliotheek collaborates with Sternheim Uitgevers for certain publications, such as the reissue of Edward Gordon Craig's 'De kunst van het theater'. This partnership enables the publication of important theater texts through combined distribution networks.
• Theater na de DamcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTheater na de Dam commissions and produces theater works based on texts published by De Nieuwe Toneelbibliotheek, including 'Schuldig Landschap' and 'Stuk Stoppelman'. The partnership provides a production outlet for published texts.
• AntigonecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAntigone, led by Haider Al Timimi as artistic director since 2020, collaborates with De Nieuwe Toneelbibliotheek for publications like 'Wavelength'. The theater company focuses on theater, dance, and performance.
• URLAND Performance CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerURLAND is a Rotterdam-based performance collective that publishes texts with De Nieuwe Toneelbibliotheek. The collective works autonomously with no hierarchy, designing images, creating sound, writing text, and performing on stage.
• Theater ArtemiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTheater Artemis, led by Jetse Batelaan, works with De Nieuwe Toneelbibliotheek for the publication of various theater texts. The company challenges children and young people with anarchist and interactive performances.
• KVS (Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKVS collaborates with De Nieuwe Toneelbibliotheek for theater texts. The Brussels theater company produces and publishes various dramatic works through the platform.
• De Nationale OperamajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDe Nationale Opera commissions and stages productions based on opera libretti published by De Nieuwe Toneelbibliotheek, including Rigoletto, Simon Boccanegra, and La Traviata.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Suhrkamp Verlag: Major German literary publisher with a substantial theater publishing program (publishing authors like Peter Handke and Botho Strauss). Overlaps DNTB's theater publishing function but operates as part of a much broader literary house.
• De Bezige Bij: Major Dutch general publisher with a literary list that includes plays and theater-adjacent titles. Comparable to DNTB as a Dutch publisher touching theater, but not specialized in script publishing.

Others

• Platform Onafhankelijke Theaterauteurs: Dutch advocacy and support organization for independent theater writers, co-founded by Marian Boyer. Ecosystem peer adjacent to DNTB rather than a direct competitor, serving overlapping writer community.
• Perdu: Amsterdam-based literary organization programming theater, poetry, and performance with a small publishing program. Thematically adjacent to DNTB in the Dutch theater-literature ecosystem, with overlapping writers and audiences.

Direct peers

• Concord Theatricals: The world's largest play-licensing and theatrical-publishing house (formerly Samuel French), cataloging and licensing plays and musicals worldwide. Directly comparable to DNTB as a dedicated theater-script publisher and licensor, though operating at vastly larger scale and global reach.
• Oberon Books: Leading UK publisher of new plays and theater writing, with extensive catalog of contemporary drama. Comparable to DNTB as a national-language theater publisher with curated series and direct writer relationships.
• Verlag der Autoren: Frankfurt-based theater text publisher founded in 1969, focused on German-language contemporary drama. Closest structural analog to DNTB: a national-language, author-centric theater publishing house serving a single-language market.
• Dramatists Play Service: U.S. play licensing and publishing agency representing thousands of titles for amateur and professional production. Mirrors DNTB's core function of acquiring, publishing, and licensing theatrical texts to producing organizations.
• Éditions Lansman: Belgian francophone publisher specializing in theater texts for young readers and contemporary playwrights. Highly comparable to DNTB as a small, mission-driven Benelux theater publisher serving a national-language market.
• Theater der Zeit: German performing-arts publisher combining a leading theater magazine with a book-publishing program for theater texts and critical writing. Comparable as a German-language theater publishing institution with adjacent editorial/critical mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/de-nieuwe-toneelbibliotheek

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 De Nieuwe Toneelbibliotheek