Théâtre Parminou

What Théâtre Parminou does

Théâtre Parminou is a non-profit touring theatre cooperative (legal name: Coopérative des travailleuses et travailleurs de théâtre des Bois-Francs) founded in 1973 and headquartered in Victoriaville, Quebec. The cooperative operates with approximately 19 worker-members and specializes in socially engaged theatre that travels directly to schools, CPEs (early childhood centres), senior residences, community organizations, and events across Quebec and occasionally beyond. Its portfolio is segmented by audience: preschool (ages 4–5), primary school (ages 6–12), secondary school (ages 12–17), and adults/seniors, with each segment served by purpose-built productions addressing social issues such as bullying, cyberbullying, mental health, sexual exploitation, immigration and inclusion, worker rights, and financial fraud against seniors. Notable productions include Tralala, Cœur de porc-épic, C'est à ton tour, Cent mille heures, Trajectoires, Invisibles, Embrasse-moi (si tu veux), and En quête de votre argent.

The cooperative's underlying methodology is a structured creative process called "documentation vivante" (living documentation), in which the company conducts in-depth interviews and workshops with the populations affected by each social issue, then layers collaborative writing, validation, staging, and live performance on top of that material. Productions are created in close partnership with specialized organizations — suicide prevention centres, police services, hearing-impaired associations, regional education tables, and federal/provincial ministries — to ensure topical accuracy and educational credibility. The cooperative also offers a bespoke creation service called "Créer avec nous" for organizations, ministries, foundations, and enterprises that commission custom theatre pieces on specific concerns.

Commercially, the organization earns revenue through three streams: (1) bookings of touring performances by educational institutions, CPEs, senior residences, and community groups via an online reservation form; (2) fees from custom creation partnerships; and (3) donations collected through the Zeffy online platform. The organization's repertoire is integrated into Quebec's "Culture à l'école" program, making it eligible for the PassepART and ImmersART microsubvention programs at $1,500 per school per activity. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, reflecting both the cooperative's non-profit status and its reliance on negotiated institutional agreements and public co-financing from entities such as Sécurité Publique Canada, the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux, and the Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration.

Name

Théâtre Parminou

Legal name

Coopérative des travailleuses et travailleurs de théâtre des Bois-Francs

Website

https://parminou.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Théâtre Parminou is a non-profit workers' cooperative founded in 1973 in Victoriaville, Quebec, that creates and tours socially engaged theatre productions addressing bullying, mental health, financial fraud, immigration, and other social issues for preschool, primary, secondary, and senior audiences across Quebec.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts / Educational Theatre

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Touring Theatre Productions (MPAGABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Children’s & Youth Theatre (MPAGABAE), Community & Amateur Theatre (MPAGABAD), Accessible Media Production (Alt Formats, Captioning, Audio Description) (EDALAGAC)

Keywords

• Educational theatre productions
• Socially engaged theatre
• Touring theatre performances
• Interactive theatre workshops
• Custom theatre creation

Headquarters

HQ city

Victoriaville

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Theatre Performance Bookings: Schools, CPEs, residences for seniors, organizations, and events book theatre performances. The company travels to perform at client locations throughout Quebec.
2. Custom Theatre Creation Partnerships: Organizations, ministries, foundations, and enterprises can commission custom theatre pieces designed specifically to address their concerns. This is a collaborative partnership process.
3. Donations and Support: The organization accepts donations through Zeffy platform to support their mission of socially engaged theatre.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Théâtre Parminou is a socially engaged worker cooperative that creates and tours theatrical productions and interactive workshops on social issues (bullying, cyberbullying, mental health, financial fraud, immigration, sexual health, living together) to preschool, primary, secondary, and adult/senior audiences throughout Quebec. Productions are developed through a "Documentation vivante" (Living Documentation) process involving affected individuals and partner organizations, and the company also creates bespoke theatre pieces for organizations, ministries, foundations, and enterprises through its "Créer avec nous" service.

Product overview

Théâtre Parminou is a theater cooperative founded in 1973 in Victoriaville, Quebec, specializing in socially engaged touring theater. The organization offers a portfolio of theatrical productions organized by audience segment: preschool (4-5 years), primary school (6-12 years), secondary school (12-17 years), and adults/seniors. Productions address social issues including bullying, cyberbullying, mental health, financial fraud, immigration, living together, and sexual health. The portfolio includes both standalone theatrical performances (ranging from 25-60 minutes) and interactive workshops. Additionally, the organization offers a custom theater creation service ('Créer avec nous') for organizations seeking bespoke productions addressing specific social issues. The company travels to present productions in schools, community centers, youth centers, and seniors' residences throughout Quebec.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• D'ailleurs, maintenant d'ici: A virtual quilting project and cultural initiative exploring stories of immigration and community through an interactive virtual quilt.

Products and services

• Tralala A preschool theatre production for children ages 4-5 that transforms daily dental hygiene routines into an entertaining theatrical adventure, featuring puppets and an intimate set design. Includes a 25-minute show followed by a 20-minute workshop. Created for CPEs, daycares, and kindergartens.
• Cœur de porc-épic A primary school theatre production for children ages 6-12 focused on bullying prevention and building self-confidence. The 45-minute performance helps schools meet anti-bullying plan and prevention obligations.
• L'envers du décor An interactive theatre initiation workshop for primary schools and day camps ages 5-12 that explores the different stages of creating a theatrical production through games and exercises.
• Le martin-pêcheur A primary school theatre production for children ages 6-9 about living together and respecting differences, teaching children to embrace cultural diversity.
• Maintenant d'ici An interactive theatre workshop for primary schools ages 8-12 on immigration and inclusion, using short theatrical scenes and interactive games to fight racism and promote intercultural understanding.
• Le bruit des coquillages A theatre production for primary schools and adult audiences ages 6-12 about empathy and inclusion, featuring a story about a young boy who discovers his grandmother's hidden stories through a new friend with hearing differences.
• C'est à ton tour A secondary school theatre production for ages 12-17 about cyberbullying prevention, featuring a 50-minute performance about a girl whose compromising photomontages are shared online.
• Cent mille heures A secondary school theatre production for ages 14-17 about work-school-life balance and workers' rights, featuring a 55-minute performance about a teenager juggling work, school, and personal life.
• Trajectoires (secondary version) A theatre production about mental health and solidarity created for secondary schools, a 60-minute performance about a young man struggling with mental health who finds his way through the support of family and friends.
• Invisibles A theatre production for secondary schools ages 15-17 about sexual exploitation prevention, featuring three original texts inspired by real events presented in a theatrical reading format.
• Embrasse-moi (si tu veux) A secondary school theatre production for ages 14-15 about sexual health, contraception, and healthy relationships, featuring characters exploring romantic relationships through their shared passion for hockey.
• En quête de votre argent A theatre production for adults and seniors about financial fraud and abuse prevention, a 60-minute performance featuring stories that demonstrate how to recognize warning signs and protect oneself.
• Trajectoires (adult version) An adult and senior theatre production about mental health, solidarity, and psychological distress, designed for retirement residences, FADOQ events, and intergenerational audiences.
• Créer avec nous (custom theatre creation) A bespoke theatrical creation service offered to organizations, ministries, foundations, and businesses, involving a collaborative partnership process with documentation, writing, validation, staging, and performance phases.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Les Petites GéantescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative creation partnership with this collective to create Tralala, a preschool theatre piece combining puppetry and intimate set design for children aged 4-5. The partnership merged artistic forces to develop the production.
• Centre de prévention suicide Arthabaska-ÉrablecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreation partnership for the Trajectoires play on mental health and suicide prevention. Provided expertise and input during the living documentation process for accurate representation of mental health issues.
• Centre de prévention suicide l'AccalmiecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreation partnership for Trajectoires play on mental health and suicide prevention, contributing expertise during the documentation phase.
• Centre d'écoute et de prévention du suicide DrummondcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreation partnership for Trajectoires play, providing mental health and suicide prevention expertise during the collaborative creation process.
• Service de police de Saint-Jean-sur-RichelieucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with the police service for the creation of En quête de votre argent, a play about fraud prevention for adults and seniors.
• Table Régionale de l'Éducation de la Mauricie (TREM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Cent mille heures production addressing work-study balance, providing educational expertise.
• Table Régionale de l'Éducation Centre-du-Québec (TRECQ)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on Cent mille heures production, contributing regional educational perspective.
• Carrefour d'Aide aux Non-Syndiqués (CANOS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on Cent mille heures production addressing worker rights for non-unionized youth.
• Association des personnes malentendantes des Bois-FrancscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose collaboration and financing for Le bruit des coquillages, a play created with and for hearing-impaired communities, promoting empathy and inclusion.
• Espace Centre-du-QuébecminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Cœur de porc-épic production addressing bullying prevention.
• CSS Coeur-des-ValléesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose collaboration and financing for Le martin-pêcheur production on living together and respecting differences.
• ZeffyminorOthersOnline donation platform used for accepting supporter contributions to the theatre's mission.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Youtheatre: Montreal-based English-language theatre company producing shows for young audiences with a focus on social issues and school touring — directly comparable in mission and audience segments (school-age youth).
• Carousel Players: St. Catharines, Ontario theatre company that creates and tours productions for young audiences across Canada; similar touring-to-schools model with socially engaged themes for youth.
• Theatre Direct: Toronto-based theatre company creating and touring performances for young audiences, with strong focus on social themes and educational outreach — comparable school-tour model and audience segments.
• Imago Theatre: Montreal-based socially engaged theatre company that creates original works with community partners and tours to schools and community venues — directly comparable in co-creation methodology and social-issue programming.
• Théâtre Bouches Décousues: Quebec-based socially engaged theatre company that tours productions across Quebec addressing social issues through live performance — closely comparable in mission, regional focus, and touring-school model.
• Geordie Theatre: Montreal-based theatre company producing live performances for young audiences, with a comparable touring-theatre-to-schools model and focus on socially relevant content for school-age children and families.
• Mosaik Theatre: Edmonton-based company creating immersive and interactive theatre addressing social issues for young audiences, with school touring and custom workshop offerings comparable to Parminou's Crée avec nous service.

Regional players

• Théâtre de Quat'Sous: Montreal-based contemporary theatre producing socially engaged and experimental work for adult audiences; comparable in Quebec cultural-sector positioning and socially engaged orientation, though venue-based rather than touring.
• Théâtre du Rideau Vert: Long-established Montreal-based French-language theatre producing seasons of theatrical works for adult audiences; broader producing-theatre comparison in the Quebec market, though without Parminou's social-issue/school-touring specialization.

Broad incumbents

• Cirque du Soleil: Montreal-headquartered global live entertainment company and the dominant Quebec-based performing arts brand; comparable only as a Quebec performing-arts peer with a much larger scale and international touring footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/theatre-parminou

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Parminou