Lume Teatro

What Lume Teatro does

Lume Teatro (legal name: LUME - Núcleo Interdisciplinar de Pesquisas Teatrais da UNICAMP) is a non-profit, interdisciplinary theater research center embedded in the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Barão Geraldo, Campinas, Brazil. Founded in 1985 by Luís Otávio Burnier and now coordinated by Ana Cristina Colla, the nucleus operates as a hybrid research-creation-extension unit with a core team of roughly seven actor-researchers supplemented by post-doctoral, doctoral, and master's students attached to UNICAMP's Postgraduate Program in Performing Arts (PPGADC).

The center's intellectual product is a set of proprietary, codified actor-training methodologies — notably Mímesis Corpórea (corporeal mimesis), Dança Pessoal (Personal Dance), and Technical-Energy Training for the Performer — developed over four decades of continuous practice and documented across 215+ academic publications, two journals (Revista do LUME 1998-2009, Revista Ilinx 2012-2018), books, symposium proceedings, podcasts, and audiovisual archives. Its offerings span theater productions (Espetáculos em Repertório), short courses and formation processes, an annual February Jornada Internacional (combining courses, the Simpósio Internacional Reflexões Cênicas Contemporâneas, and Terra Lume), free public programming (Lume em Casa), an itinerant residency (CasaLume), audiovisual production, and a podcast.

Lume is funded primarily through Brazilian public-sector research and cultural mechanisms — FAPESP thematic and regular project grants (notably 2023-2027), CNPq research-group funding, CAPES support, Lei Paulo Gustavo project allocations, and UNICAMP institutional hosting — with secondary income from February course/workshop registration fees processed through an external producer and Feverestival co-production support. Distribution is community- and event-driven: free monthly HQ presentations, the February annual cycle, the CasaLume regional tour, the Feverestival co-production (since 2003), and a global digital archive. Customers span performing-arts students and practitioners, academic researchers in theater and performance studies, and general audiences in Campinas and the 30+ countries where the group has performed.

Name

Lume Teatro

Legal name

LUME - Núcleo Interdisciplinar de Pesquisas Teatrais da UNICAMP

Website

https://lumeteatro.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lume Teatro is a non-profit interdisciplinary theater research center at UNICAMP (Campinas, Brazil) that develops proprietary actor-training methodologies, produces performances and courses, and serves performing-arts students, practitioners, and researchers across Brazil and 30+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Theater Research & Performing Arts Education

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Fine Arts Schools (61161)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theatre Education, Training & Conservatories (MPAGABAN), Theater & Drama Education (Acting, Improvisation, Musical Theater) (EDAMAAAG), Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB)

Keywords

• Theatrical research
• Actor training
• Performing arts
• Theater performances
• Arts pedagogy

Headquarters

HQ city

Campinas

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Institutional Public Funding: Lume Teatro operates as an interdisciplinary research nucleus at UNICAMP (Universidade Estadual de Campinas), receiving institutional support from the university along with research grants from FAPESP and CNPq for specific research projects and thematic initiatives.
2. Course and Workshop Fees: February courses and short-duration workshops generate revenue through participant registration fees, supplemented by Lei Paulo Gustavo funding for specific extension projects.
3. Feverestival Festival Co-production: Co-production and institutional support for the Feverestival International Theater Festival of Campinas, one of the largest theatrical events in the interior of São Paulo state, created in 2003.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Lume Teatro is an interdisciplinary theatrical research nucleus at UNICAMP that develops proprietary actor-training methodologies (Mímesis Corpórea, Dança Pessoal, Technical and Energy Training for the Performer) and delivers theater performances, short courses, workshops, audiovisual productions, podcasts, and academic publications. It also runs the annual Jornada Internacional Atuação e Presença, the LUME em Casa public presentations series, and the CasaLume itinerant theater residency, while co-producing the Feverestival International Theater Festival of Campinas.

Product overview

LUME Teatro is a theater research group (Núcleo Interdisciplinar de Pesquisas Teatrais) at UNICAMP that operates as a unified research-creation center combining theatrical performances, artistic-pedagogical training, and academic research. The core offerings include: Espetáculos em Repertório (theater performances), Cursos e Processos (courses and workshops), Produção Audiovisual (documentaries and video productions), Podcast LUME, Publicações (publications including the Revista do LUME and Revista Ilinx journals), and extensive extension programs such as the Jornada Internacional (with Terra LUME and Simpósio), LUME em Casa, CasaLume itinerant residences, and Encontros Formativos. The group also maintains three research scenarios—Artistic Investigation, Conceptual Investigation, and Pedagogical Investigation—with eight distinct research lines covering actor training, personal dance, corporeal mimesis, clown work, and performative writing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Espetáculos em Repertório (Repertory Theater Performances) Current and historical theater performances created and maintained by Lume Teatro, presented to general and specialized audiences as part of the group's artistic-pedagogical output.
• Cursos e Processos (Courses and Workshops)
• Produção Audiovisual (Audiovisual Productions)
• Podcast LUME
• Publicações (Publications)
• Jornada Internacional Atuação e Presença Annual international program combining courses, the Terra LUME gathering, and the International Symposium on Contemporary Theatrical Reflections, held at UNICAMP in February.
• Terra LUME
• Simpósio Internacional Reflexões Cênicas Contemporâneas International symposium on contemporary theatrical reflections organized annually since 2016 with support from the Graduate Program in Performing Arts at IA-UNICAMP, drawing academic researchers and practitioners.
• LUME em Casa
• CasaLume
• Encontros Formativos da Arte Presencial
• Revista do LUME Academic journal launched in 1998 by Profa. Suzi Frankl Sperber, with 7 printed editions between 1998 and 2009, now fully digitized and freely accessible online.
• Revista Ilinx Digital journal launched in 2012 in digital format, continuing the documentation work of Revista do LUME and featuring 215 documents on acting art research through 2018.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40+ years of continuous research in theatrical acting
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• UNICAMP - Universidade Estadual de CampinascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1985Host institution and primary institutional partner since LUME's founding in 1985. Provides academic framework, research infrastructure, and administrative support. The nucleus is a fully integrated part of UNICAMP's research ecosystem.
• PPGADC - Programa de Pós-Graduação em Artes da Cena (UNICAMP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose integration with the Postgraduate Program in Performing Arts at UNICAMP's Institute of Arts, where three LUME researchers (Renato Ferracini, Ana Cristina Colla, Raquel Scotti Hirson) serve as credited faculty, teaching courses and supervising master's and doctoral students.
• Universidade Nova de Lisboa (Portugal)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing academic partnership where Renato Ferracini serves as invited professor in the Master's in Performing Arts since 2014, conducting research at the Laboratory for Scenic Investigation and the Laboratory of Aesthetics. Faculty exchange and joint research activities.
• Universidade de Ghent (Belgium)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research partner within the FAPESP Thematic Project 'Pedagogias, Processos e Arquivos da Presença', contributing to the national and international research network along with researchers from UFRN, UFRGS, and Manchester Metropolitan University.
• Manchester Metropolitan University (England)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research partner within the FAPESP Thematic Project 'Pedagogias, Processos e Arquivos da Presença', part of the multi-institutional research network on pedagogies, processes, and archives of presence.
• Feverestival - Festival Internacional de Teatro de CampinasmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLUME co-produces and supports the Feverestival International Theater Festival of Campinas since its first edition in 2003. The festival has presented over 200 unprecedented performances and is one of the largest theatrical events in the interior of São Paulo state.
• Rede Internacional de Estudos da Presença (2015-2019)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research network involving eleven research groups from ten universities and research centers across four countries (Brazil, Portugal, France, Argentina), coordinated by Getepe-UFRGS, resulting in two joint publications.
• Universidad de Antioquia (Colombia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational academic partner in Colombia as part of the Angostura research project, conducting workshops, field research, and open performative actions with the community.
• Universidade de Évora (Portugal)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRenato Ferracini served as invited professor at this university from 2006 to 2009, conducting teaching and research activities.
• Conflux (Scotland) and Legs on the Wall (Australia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational artistic partnerships resulting in the creation of the multimedia spectacle 'PERCH: Uma Celebração de Voos e Quedas' with collaborative creation across Scotland, Australia, and Brazil.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Grupo TAPA: São Paulo-based theater group founded in the 1980s, focused on dramaturgical research, formation, and ongoing production. The most direct Brazilian peer to Lume, sharing an academic-adjacent research posture and São Paulo state context.
• SITI Company: Anne Bogart's New York-based theater company, founded 1992, that integrates a proprietary actor-training methodology (Viewpoints) with production, international workshops, and a summer training program. Highly comparable in combining a defined method with a teaching and international touring practice.
• Théâtre du Soleil: Ariane Mnouchkine's Paris-based research-driven theater company, founded in 1964, combining decades of collective creation, large-scale productions, and pedagogical workshops. Closely comparable to Lume as a long-lived, internationally recognized, research-oriented theater laboratory with a permanent ensemble and educational mission.
• Teatro Oficina: José Celso Martinez Corrêa's long-running (founded 1958) São Paulo-based experimental theater collective. A direct Brazilian parallel to Lume as a decades-old, research-driven, internationally recognized theater group with a strong pedagogical and manifesto-driven identity.
• The Wooster Group: Elizabeth LeCompte's New York-based experimental theater company, founded 1975, known for long-form ensemble research, systematic performance methodologies, and a substantial archival record. Comparable to Lume in its emphasis on a permanent ensemble and systematic, research-driven creation.
• Dell'Arte International: Northern California-based professional school and ensemble producing original physical theater since 1971. Comparable to Lume as a hybrid training-and-creation organization combining rigorous actor formation with ensemble-based production and international programming.
• Odin Teatret: Eugenio Barba's Nordisk Teaterlaboratorium theater laboratory in Holstebro, Denmark, founded 1964. Directly comparable to Lume as a decades-old, internationally touring ensemble built around a proprietary actor-training methodology (Theatre Anthropology) and systematic performance research.
• International School of Theatre Anthropology (ISTA): Eugenio Barba's international research network organizing periodic sessions on principles of pre-expressive performance across multiple companies. Comparable to Lume's Jornada Internacional as a transnational, methodology-focused research gathering for theater practitioners.
• Grotowski Institute: Polish institute dedicated to the research and continuation of Jerzy Grotowski's actor-training work. The closest international parallel to Lume's combination of long-form corporeal research, training programs, and a permanent physical/intellectual base.

Others

• The Magdalena Project: International network of women theater practitioners and researchers founded by Jill Dolan, focused on experimental performance and exchange. Relevant as a parallel to Lume's transnational, research-based theater community-building rather than a directly competing company.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCBxianPUspfkXk22pRAq7FQ
• Instagraminstagram.com/lumeteatro
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lume-teatro

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

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 Lume Teatro