La Virgule

What La Virgule does

La Virgule, Centre Transfrontalier de Création Théâtrale, is a French non-profit association (Association loi 1901) founded in 1982 as the Compagnie Jean-Marc Chotteau and reconstituted as an autonomous cross-border entity in 2008. It operates as a theatrical creation and programming centre based in Tourcoing, France, with primary venues including Le Salon de Théâtre (an 81-seat chamber theatre) and the larger Théâtre Municipal Raymond Devos (870 seats), plus the Centre Marius Staquet in Mouscron, Belgium. Under the continuous direction of Jean-Marc Chotteau, the company produces original theatrical works — both contemporary creations and adaptations of European literary heritage — that tour across France, Belgium, and internationally to 20+ countries. It also hosts 50+ visiting theatre companies per season and runs an annual season of approximately 10 mainstage productions.

The company generates revenue through three principal streams: ticket sales and season subscriptions (Abonnement Liberté and Privilège, priced 5–23€ per show), ongoing public subsidies from Région Hauts de France, Département du Nord, Ville de Tourcoing, and Ville de Comines-Warneton (plus historical EU Interreg and FEDER support), and workshop/training fees from amateur theatre programs (ATV at 200–400€/year), social insertion workshops (TAT at 15€/trimester), and school sensitization programs (9€/student). Distribution channels include an in-person box office, Mapado online ticketing, Pass Culture integration, and dedicated group booking portals. The company has approximately 20 permanent staff supplemented by intermittent artists, service civique volunteers, and administrative personnel.

La Virgule's customer base spans individual theatre-goers via subscriptions and single tickets, educational institutions across France and Belgium (collèges, lycées, universities), social and community groups participating in insertion workshops, and co-producing theatre companies. Marketing relies on a multi-channel mix including the company website, email newsletter, social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), printed season brochures, press coverage in regional and national media, YouTube content via La Virgule en Ligne, and institutional partner referrals. The organization has no proprietary technology products, no AI/ML capabilities, and operates as a mission-driven cultural entity rather than a commercial enterprise.

Name

La Virgule

Legal name

La Virgule, Centre Transfrontalier de Création Théâtrale

Website

https://lavirgule.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

La Virgule is a cross-border theatrical creation centre in Tourcoing, France, founded in 1982. It produces original live theatre, hosts touring companies, and runs workshops for schools and community groups, funded by French, Belgian, and EU public sources.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Theatre / Performing Arts

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Touring Theatre Productions (MPAGABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

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

Keywords

• Live theatrical productions
• Cross-border theatre creation
• Performing arts programming
• Educational theatre workshops
• Theatrical season subscriptions

Headquarters

HQ city

Tourcoing

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket sales and subscriptions: Revenue from individual show tickets (full, reduced, student/job seeker pricing) and season subscriptions (Liberté and Privilège plans). Box office operates in-person, online, by phone, and by mail. School performances generate additional per-student revenue.
2. Public subsidies and institutional funding: La Virgule receives ongoing funding from Région Hauts de France, Département du Nord, Ville de Tourcoing, and Ville de Comines-Warneton. Initial creation and structuring was supported by EU Interreg programs (Interreg II, III, IV France-Wallonie-Vlaanderen) and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER).
3. Workshop and training fees: Revenue from Atelier-Théâtre de La Virgule (annual membership fees: 400€ full, 300€ student/job seeker, 200€ social minima beneficiaries) and TAT Theatre-Action Transfrontalier workshops (15€ per trimester). School sensitization workshops charged at 9€ per student.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

La Virgule is a cross-border theatre creation center (Centre Transfrontalier de Création Théâtrale) that creates, produces, and stages live theatrical performances at two venues in Tourcoing, France — Le Salon de Théâtre (81 seats) and Théâtre Municipal Raymond Devos (870 seats) — and at Centre Marius Staquet in Mouscron, Belgium. The company sells individual show tickets, season subscriptions (Abonnement Liberté and Privilège), amateur theatre workshops (ATV), social-inclusion workshops (TAT), school performance packages, and tours original productions across France, Belgium, Europe, and internationally. It also distributes filmed recordings of productions and reading series through La Virgule en Ligne on YouTube.

Product overview

La Virgule is a cross-border theatre creation center operating primarily from Tourcoing, France, with two main venues: the intimate Salon de Théâtre (81 seats) and the larger Théâtre Municipal Raymond Devos (870 seats). The organization offers a diverse portfolio including original theatrical productions created and toured internationally, annual season programming hosting visiting companies, digital content through La Virgule en Ligne platform, educational workshops (ATV, TAT, school programs), and published works. The core offering centers on live theatrical performances combining contemporary writing with adaptations of European literary classics, supplemented by digital recordings and amateur theatre education programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Season Subscriptions (Abonnements Liberté & Privilège)

Quantifiable outcome

• Productions tour across France, Belgium, Europe, and worldwide — reaching audiences in 50+ cities across multiple continents.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 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

Integration4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Centre Culturel Mouscronnois (Mouscron, Belgium)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999Founding cross-border partner of La Virgule since 1999. The Centre Culturel Mouscronnois and the Compagnie Jean-Marc Chotteau united their competencies and resources to create La Virgule as a Centre Transfrontalier de Création Théâtrale. The collaboration continues with some season performances presented at the Centre Marius Staquet in Mouscron.
• Région Hauts de FrancecoreOthersPrimary public funder of La Virgule alongside other institutional partners. Provides ongoing operating subsidies supporting the theatre's creative and programming activities.
• Département du NordcoreOthersMajor departmental public funder of La Virgule. Provides ongoing operating subsidies alongside the Region and the City of Tourcoing.
• Ville de TourcoingcoreOthersHost city of La Virgule since 1989. Provides ongoing municipal subsidies, venue access (Le Salon de Théâtre and Théâtre Municipal Raymond Devos), and institutional support.
• Ville de Comines-WarnetoncoreOthersMunicipal partner in the cross-border territory. Provides ongoing subsidies and venue access (Centre Culturel de Comines-Warneton) for La Virgule's activities.
• European Union / Interreg France-Wallonie-VlaanderencoreOthersLa Virgule was created and structured with support from the European Union's Interreg II, III, and IV programs France-Wallonie-Vlaanderen, and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). These cross-border EU programs were instrumental in establishing the cross-border theatre centre.
• Théâtre du Prisme (Villeneuve d'Ascq)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegularly hosted company by La Virgule. Co-producer of Le Songe d'une nuit d'été in the 2026-2027 season. Long-standing artistic relationship with multiple co-productions.
• Thec / Antoine Lemaire (Cambrai)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted company and co-production partner. Co-produced Ces petits riens and Spoliation (2026-2027 season). Active in La Virgule's programming for sensitizing and educational activities.
• Cie Franche Connexion / Stéphane Titelein (Montigny-en-Gohelle)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for L'École des femmes and D'Eckmühl à Eckmühl (2026-2027 season). Regular collaborator on La Virgule programming.
• Cie Joker / Barbara Monin & Hacid Bouabaya (Lille)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for L'École des femmes. Regular company in La Virgule's programming from the Hauts de France region.
• Cie Triple AAA / LilleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for L'École des femmes. Regional theatre company from Lille.
• Centre Culturel de Comines-WarnetonminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCross-border cultural partner providing venue access and co-producing/producing performances including Le Cas Martin Piche tour dates.
• Université de Lille — Service CulturelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership for organizing theatre practice workshops and facilitating student attendance at La Virgule season performances.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Théâtre du Peuple: Historic independent theatre in Bussang (Vosges) founded in 1895 by Maurice Pottecher, producing original and adapted works with a touring repertoire and a strong audience-development ethos. Comparable as a long-running, mid-sized French theatre producing its own creations outside the Paris-centric national-theatre network.
• Centre Dramatique National de Valence: CDN producing original creations and touring across France. Functions as a publicly-funded regional creation centre analogous to La Virgule, with comparable scale, mixed repertoire of heritage and contemporary writing, and educational outreach as part of its mission.
• Centre Dramatique National - Les Tréteaux de France: National touring CDN focused on disseminating theatrical works across French territories. Comparable to La Virgule's touring-repertoire mission and its role in bringing theatre to non-metropolitan audiences through a publicly-funded production-and-diffusion model.
• Centre Culturel Mouscronnois: The Belgian founding partner of La Virgule since 1999. Both structures share resources, co-produce, and present works at the Centre Marius Staquet in Mouscron, making it a sister cultural organisation operating across the same cross-border geography and serving overlapping audiences.
• Théâtre du Prisme: Villeneuve d'Ascq-based theatre company that is regularly hosted at La Virgule and is a co-producer of Le Songe d'une nuit d'été (2026-2027 season). Operates at a similar regional scale in the Hauts de France performing-arts ecosystem with comparable artistic mission and touring cadence.
• Théâtre de Sartrouville et des Yvelines - CDN: Centre Dramatique National with a strong educational and youth-theatre programme, comparable to La Virgule's school workshop and sensibilisation work. Operates as a publicly-funded creation and dissemination centre serving a regional catchment with both original productions and visiting-company programming.
• Théâtre de la Manufacture - CDN de Nancy: Centre Dramatique National in Nancy producing and touring original theatrical creations under public subsidy. Operates at a comparable scale with a similar mix of creation, programming, and educational outreach in a regional French urban context.
• Comédie de Béthune - Centre Dramatique National: Centre Dramatique National (CDN) in Béthune, Hauts de France, producing and touring theatrical works at a comparable regional scale. Shares La Virgule's model of operating as a publicly-funded creation centre serving a post-industrial northern French territory with both original productions and visiting-company programming.

Broad incumbents

• Théâtre National de Strasbourg: One of France's five national theatres (TNS), combining an école (higher education theatre school) with mainstage production and touring. Larger in scale than La Virgule but overlapping in mission: creation, training, public-service dissemination, and touring of a literary and contemporary repertoire.

Regional players

• Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg (KVS): Brussels-based Flemish national theatre producing and touring original and international works. Operates as a publicly-funded creation-and-dissemination centre in Belgium, sharing a Belgian institutional context with La Virgule and engaging the same cross-border Franco-Belgian cultural-policy ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/la_virgule
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@theatrelavirgule
• Facebookfacebook.com/lavirgulectct
• Instagraminstagram.com/lavirgule.ctct
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/la-virgule

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 La Virgule