De Wijk De Wereld
De Wijk De Wereld is a Groningen-based nonprofit foundation founded in 2017 that annually embeds professional theatre makers in northern Dutch neighbourhoods to co-create performances with residents. It serves neighbourhood residents, municipalities, and cultural venues including SPOT Groningen, De Tamboer, and De Molenberg.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersGroningen, Netherlands
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What De Wijk De Wereld does
De Wijk De Wereld (DWDW) is a Dutch nonprofit foundation, Stichting De Wijk De Wereld, founded in 2017 and headquartered in Groningen, Netherlands. The organisation produces an annual community theatre project in which a team of professional theatre makers is embedded in a specific neighbourhood for several months to collect personal stories from residents and co-create a multi-day stage performance blending theatre, dance, music, spoken word, and film. Each edition focuses on one or more neighbourhoods — typically in Groningen (Selwerd, Paddepoel, Vinkhuizen, De Wijert, Oosterparkwijk, Beijum, Lewenborg, Korrewegwijk/de Hoogte) and, since 2022, in surrounding municipalities including Hoogeveen (Wolfsbos), Muntendam, and Delfzijl (Tuikwerd). Performances are staged at SPOT Groningen (Stadsschouwburg / De Oosterpoort) or at host regional theatres (De Tamboer, De Molenberg, Kielzog).
The core technology is a community theatre-making methodology rather than a software product: months-long neighbourhood presence, participatory story collection, and co-creation with professional makers, supported by sub-programmes such as Wijkspotters (residents attend twelve SPOT performances per season), De Wijk Kookt (community cooking), DWDW Invites (foyer morning programming), podwalks (audio neighbourhood tours), and post-edition legacy work with Vrijdag in de Buurt / Cultuurcoaches. The operating team comprises an artistic leader, head of production, project leader, business leader, head of design, communications, intercultural neighbourhood connector, artistic assistants, and an intern, supplemented by freelance professional makers contracted per edition and partners including video producer OOSTBLOK and Forum Groningen.
Revenue is generated through municipal subsidies (primarily from Gemeente Groningen and other host municipalities), public cultural grants, ticket sales at €7.50–€15 with discounts for residents of the featured neighbourhood, a Vriend membership scheme at €30/year (or €60+/year for Goede Vriend), and donations. Distribution is regional and venue-based, with tickets sold through SPOT, De Tamboer, De Molenberg, and the foundation's own channels. There is no software, app, or AI component; competitive advantage rests on the depth of community embeddedness, the trust built over nearly a decade, the methodology, and the recurring bench of professional makers.
De Wijk De Wereld firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- De Wijk De Wereld
- Legal name
- Stichting De Wijk De Wereld
- Website
- https://dewijkdewereld.nl
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- De Wijk De Wereld is a Groningen-based nonprofit foundation founded in 2017 that annually embeds professional theatre makers in northern Dutch neighbourhoods to co-create performances with residents. It serves neighbourhood residents, municipalities, and cultural venues including SPOT Groningen, De Tamboer, and De Molenberg.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
De Wijk De Wereld industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Performing Arts
- NAICS
- Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community & Amateur Theatre (MPAGABAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB), Community Theatre & Storytelling Festivals (MPAGAEAI)
Keywords
Where De Wijk De Wereld is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Groningen
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
De Wijk De Wereld business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Subsidies and public grants: Core funding from public cultural subsidies, including municipal grants from the municipality of Groningen and other municipalities where projects take place.
- Vriend membership (Friends scheme): Annual membership 'Vriend' at €30/year includes a free ticket for the member and a ticket for someone else; 'Goede Vriend' at €60+/year adds invitations to community activities and exclusive backstage tours during the performance week.
- Ticket sales: Standard tickets at €15; €12.50 or €10 for residents of the featured neighbourhood; €7.50 for residents at some editions.
- Donations: Donations solicited through the Vriend membership and one-time giving.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Standard ticket — De Wijert edition |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | DWDW Tuikwerd — Molenberg edition |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | DWDW Wolfsbos — De Tamboer edition |
| Subscription | Annual | Vriend (Friend) annual membership |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
De Wijk De Wereld product offering
Product offeringCore offering
De Wijk De Wereld immerses a team of professional theatre makers in a specific neighbourhood for several months, partnering them with local residents to collect personal stories and co-create a montage theatre production combining theatre, dance, music, spoken word and film. The neighbourhood takes over a professional theatre (most often the Stadsschouwburg Groningen or a regional venue such as De Molenberg, De Tamboer or Kielzog) for a multi-day public performance run, complemented by ancillary programmes such as the Wijkspotters attendance scheme, De Wijk Kookt community meals, DWDW Invites foyer programming and audio podwalks.
Product overview
De Wijk De Wereld is a community theater project that operates as a single unified program with several complementary sub-initiatives. The core product is the main neighborhood theater production (De Wijk De Wereld), where professional theater makers collaborate with residents to create performances based on their personal stories. Supporting initiatives include Wijkspotters (a theater attendance and engagement program), De Wijk Kookt (community cooking), DWDW Invites (morning cultural programming), and a friend/membership program. The project works with neighborhood editions each year in different areas of Groningen and surrounding regions, creating productions in the Stadsschouwburg and other local theaters.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- De Wijk De Wereld (annual neighbourhood theatre production)
- Vriend van De Wijk De Wereld (annual Friend membership)
- Wijkspotters attendance programme
- De Wijk Kookt community cooking initiative
- DWDW Invites foyer programme
- Podwalk (audio neighbourhood walks)
Quantifiable outcome
- Wijkspotters programme enables residents to attend 12 performances per season at SPOT, increasing theatre accessibility for non-traditional audiences.
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use De Wijk De Wereld
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
De Wijk De Wereld technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
De Wijk De Wereld partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Theater de Molenberg, DelfzijlcoreDe Molenberg in Delfzijl hosted DWDW Tuikwerd (December 2024), with performances spread throughout the entire building rather than on a single stage, creating an immersive experience.
- Kielzog (Kunst- en cultuurcentrum Hoogezand)coreKielzog in Kolham hosted DWDW Muntendam and DWDW Sappemeer editions, serving as the theatre venue for these village editions. Free shuttle bus transport is provided for Muntendam residents.
- De Tamboer (Theater, Hoogeveen)coreDe Tamboer in Hoogeveen hosted DWDW Wolfsbos (2023), serving as the theatre venue for this municipality outside of Groningen province.
- Mohamed Yusuf Boss / X_YUSUF_BOSScoreChoreographer Mohamed Yusuf Boss participated in multiple editions of DWDW. He won the BNG Bank Dansprijs 2022 for his choreography 'Líx' developed with hip-hop dancers from the Oosterparkwijk.
- Vrijdag in de Buurt / CultuurcoachescoreCultural coaches from Vrijdag in de Buurt collaborate with De Wijk De Wereld to help sustain (borging) some of the projects and activities initiated in a neighbourhood after the project moves to a new area.
- Gemeente Groningen (Municipality of Groningen)corePrimary public funding partner and host municipality. The municipality of Groningen has supported De Wijk De Wereld since its inception in 2017 and its privacy policy is aligned with the project's own policy. The project works across multiple city neighbourhoods.
- SPOT Groningen (Stadsschouwburg / De Oosterpoort)coreMain venue partner for city editions of De Wijk De Wereld. SPOT also hosts the Wijkspotters programme where DWDW residents attend twelve performances per season and receive personal introductions to makers and performers.
- Professional theatre makers (various)coreEach edition engages a team of professional theatre makers, artists, filmmakers, choreographers, and musicians who co-create performances with residents. Notable makers include Karin Noeken, Karel Hermans, WERC, Ada Daniele, Shara Maaskant, Vida Kashani, Amir Komelizadeh, Eva van Barneveld, Filip Riško, Dušan Dobias, Hannan van Rooij, Sjoerd Meijer, Sijas de Groot, Tristan Stäbler, Vera Wielhouwer, and many others.
- OOSTBLOKcoreOOSTBLOK is the video production partner for De Wijk De Wereld, producing aftermovies, maker profile videos, and neighbourhood music videos for each edition.
- Forum Groningen (Library)minorForum Groningen collaborated with DWDW on activities such as the voorleesexpress (read-aloud programme) during the Vinkhuizen edition and presented films during the Oosterparkwijk edition.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
De Wijk De Wereld competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Theater Babel: Dutch community-theater company producing participatory performances with residents in Dutch neighbourhoods, sharing DWDW's methodology of co-creation between professional makers and local communities.
- Maatschappij Discordia: Amsterdam-based theater collective operating as a non-profit foundation producing work with and for communities — the closest Dutch analog to DWDW's community-led, foundation-structured model.
- Toneelgroep Oostpool: Dutch regional repertory and community-oriented theater company based in Arnhem/Nijmegen, mixing contemporary productions with location and community work, comparable in scale and Dutch public-subsidy profile.
Emerging players
- Stichting Nieuwe Helden: Dutch makers' collective producing socially engaged performance work outside traditional venues — comparable as a small, project-driven Dutch cultural organization with social-impact orientation.
- De Parade: Traveling Dutch theater festival that moves between cities with a tented village format — comparable in its city-to-city touring model and Dutch audience-development approach, though commercially ticketed rather than community-co-created.
- Festival Oerol: Annual site-specific performing arts festival on Terschelling drawing Dutch audiences to location-based work — comparable as a Dutch cultural festival leveraging place-based storytelling, albeit at substantially larger scale.
Broad incumbents
- Internationaal Theater Amsterdam (ITA): Netherlands' largest repertory theater company and Stadsschouwburg operator — operates at a far larger scale and commercial profile but shares the Dutch public-theater ecosystem and venue partnerships.
- Het Nationale Theater: Major Dutch subsidized theater company combining production, venue operation, and community programming in The Hague — a broader, established player that intersects with DWDW's institutional-theatre network.
Others
- Theater Na de Dam: Nationwide Dutch theater event held annually on Remembrance Day with locally produced performances — shares DWDW's community-driven, place-based production model at a national-coordination scale.
- Karavaan Festival: Dutch performing arts festival focused on public space and community locations — thematically aligned with DWDW's place-based, neighbourhood-rooted cultural programming.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
De Wijk De Wereld social profiles
Digital presenceDe Wijk De Wereld financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
De Wijk De Wereld leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
De Wijk De Wereld funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
De Wijk De Wereld M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about De Wijk De Wereld
What does De Wijk De Wereld do?
De Wijk De Wereld immerses a team of professional theatre makers in a specific neighbourhood for several months, partnering them with local residents to collect personal stories and co-create a montage theatre production combining theatre, dance, music, spoken word and film. The neighbourhood takes over a professional theatre (most often the Stadsschouwburg Groningen or a regional venue such as De Molenberg, De Tamboer or Kielzog) for a multi-day public performance run, complemented by ancillary programmes such as the Wijkspotters attendance scheme, De Wijk Kookt community meals, DWDW Invites foyer programming and audio podwalks.
Is De Wijk De Wereld a public or private company?
De Wijk De Wereld is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was De Wijk De Wereld founded?
De Wijk De Wereld was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is De Wijk De Wereld based?
De Wijk De Wereld is headquartered in Groningen, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does De Wijk De Wereld make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Subsidies and public grants are the primary driver. The others are vriend membership (Friends scheme), ticket sales and donations.
Who are De Wijk De Wereld's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Theater Babel, Maatschappij Discordia and Toneelgroep Oostpool. Emerging players are Stichting Nieuwe Helden, De Parade and Festival Oerol. Broad incumbents are Internationaal Theater Amsterdam (ITA) and Het Nationale Theater. Others are Theater Na de Dam and Karavaan Festival.
Does De Wijk De Wereld have an API?
No public API is recorded for De Wijk De Wereld.
What industry is De Wijk De Wereld in?
De Wijk De Wereld's product category is Community Performing Arts. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGABAD, Community & Amateur Theatre, with a secondary code of MPAGABAB, Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies. Its NAICS code is 71111 and its SIC code is 7900.