Théâtre la Seizième

What Théâtre la Seizième does

Théâtre la Seizième, founded in 1974 and headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, is the only professional French-language theatre company in British Columbia. Operating as a registered charitable organization with a team of 8, the company produces, creates, presents, and promotes Francophone theatre for general adult audiences, young audiences (grades 2-12), Francophone and immersion students, and emerging Canadian theatre artists. Programming consists of up to six mainstage productions per season, dedicated young audience productions, and a national artistic development program that supports playwrights and theatre-makers from across Canada. Productions are made accessible to non-Francophone audiences via English surtitles, and the company maintains a 40+ production repertoire with institutional recognition including 4 Jessie Richardson Awards for Le Soulier (2019) and 8 Jessie Award nominations during the 2024-25 season.

The company operates a diversified revenue model combining earned income (ticket sales through its owned box office and the Tuxedo online ticketing platform, season subscriptions, and school performance bookings priced at $910-$975 per show), contributed income (a tiered individual donation program from $50 to $1,000+, securities, and planned gifts), and public funding from federal bodies (Canada Council for the Arts, Canadian Heritage), provincial sources (BC Arts Council, Quebec government), the City of Vancouver, and private foundations. Pricing is set per ticket and per school performance; institutional bookings and season subscriptions create predictable early-season revenue, while grants underwrite the majority of production costs.

Théâtre la Seizième maintains a pan-Canadian co-production network including L'UniThéâtre, Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario, Théâtre français de Toronto, Théâtre Rouge Écarlate, Satellite Théâtre, and the National Arts Centre, alongside institutional partners such as Green Thumb Theatre and the Centre de la Francophonie de UBC. The company is led by Artistic and Managing Director Cory Haas (appointed December 2022) and Communications Manager Marie Lagarde. Recent initiatives include the 2023 evolution of its dramaturgical development program into the Artistic Incubator for Creative Practice and a 50-episode documentary series titled [résonances] marking its 50th season in 2024-25.

Name

Théâtre la Seizième

Legal name

Théâtre la Seizième

Website

https://seizieme.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Théâtre la Seizième is British Columbia's only professional French-language theatre company, producing mainstage and young audience productions from Vancouver since 1974. It serves Francophone communities, schools, and emerging artists through a charitable nonprofit funded by ticket sales, donations, and government grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Theatre and 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

Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH), Children’s & Youth Theatre (MPAGABAE)

Keywords

• French-language theatre
• Performing arts productions
• Young audience theatre
• School performance programs
• Artistic development incubator

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket sales: Individual performance tickets sold through box office and online via Tuxedo platform. Box office open Monday to Friday 10am-5pm.
2. Season subscriptions: Annual subscriptions to full season with subscriber perks including priority access, exclusive benefits, and discounted rates compared to individual tickets.
3. School performances: Paid performances for school groups including young audience productions. Pricing varies by show with early bird and regular rates.
4. Donations: One-time and monthly donations from individual supporters. Tax receipts provided. Donation tiers with specific impacts: $50 for student programs, $100 for solidarity tickets, $250 for author royalties, $500 for cultural outreach activities, $1000 for surtitling.
5. Securities and planned gifts: Stock donations and planned giving programs for major donors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Théâtre la Seizième produces, creates, presents, and promotes French-language theatre in British Columbia. Its core offerings include a mainstage season of professional productions for adult audiences, theatre for young audiences including school performances for grades 2-12, cultural outreach programs such as Projet Pont for Francophone and immersion students, and the Artistic Incubator for Creative Practice supporting Francophone playwrights and theatre-makers from across Canada.

Product overview

Théâtre la Seizième is a French-language theatre company in Vancouver, BC that produces, creates, presents, and promotes Francophone theatre in British Columbia. Their offerings include mainstage theatrical productions for adult audiences, theatre for young audiences (including school performances), cultural outreach programs, an artistic incubator for emerging playwrights and theatre artists, educational programs such as Projet Pont for schools, and subscription-based season tickets. The company operates as a single performing arts organization rather than a platform with modular products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Incubateur artistique pour la pratique théâtrale: Artistic incubator for creative practice - a dramaturgical development program supporting playwrights and theatre-makers with commissions, independent project support, and professional development opportunities.

Products and services

• Mainstage Season Productions
• Season Subscriptions

Quantifiable outcome

• 50th season milestone celebrated with [résonances] documentary series featuring 50 testimonials
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

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

• Tree CanadaminorOthersNon-profit receiving annual donations to compensate for greenhouse gas emissions and plant trees in BC.
• Radio-Canada | ICI Colombie-BritanniquemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing coverage and promotion of French-language theatre to Francophone audiences.
• L'UniThéâtre (Edmonton)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey co-production partner for Boréalis (Triptyque gothique boréal). Franco-Albertan theatre company collaborating on creative development.
• Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario (Sudbury)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for Triptyque gothique boréal. Franco-Ontarian theatre company collaborating on creative development.
• Théâtre français de TorontocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for Triptyque gothique boréal. Major Franco-Ontarian theatre company.
• Théâtre Rouge Écarlate (Ottawa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for Triptyque gothique boréal. Franco-Ontarian theatre company.
• Satellite Théâtre (Moncton)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for Triptyque gothique boréal. Francophone theatre company in New Brunswick.
• National Arts Centre / Centre National des Arts (Ottawa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for multiple productions including Triptyque gothique boréal. Canada's national performing arts centre.
• Théâtre DuBunkercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-producing Dilemme with Théâtre la Seizième. Franco-Vancouver theatre company led by François Bernier.
• Centre de la Francophonie de UBCmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for young audience production Micah et la maison sous les arbres scheduled for 2027-28.
• Green Thumb TheatremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVancouver-based young audience theatre company. Co-commissioned Extra-Céleste and L'Élection.
• Société de développement économique de la Colombie-Britannique (SDECB)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerBusiness association providing sponsorship and support for Francophone economic development.
• Georgia StraightminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVancouver media outlet providing cultural coverage and promotion.
• STUDIO FUNFUGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVancouver-based conceptual arts studio founded by Patrick Blenkarn and Milton Lim, collaborating on DRAGONS project.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Théâtre DuBunker: Franco-Vancouver theatre company led by François Bernier and co-production partner on Dilemme. Directly comparable as a Vancouver-based French-language theatre company operating in the same local market.
• Green Thumb Theatre: Vancouver-based young audience theatre company and co-commissioning partner on Extra-Céleste and L'Élection. Directly comparable as a Vancouver theatre producing work for young audiences, including shared artistic co-development.
• Théâtre français de Toronto: Toronto-based professional French-language theatre company and co-production partner. Highly comparable as a Canadian Francophone theatre with overlapping touring and co-production strategies.
• Satellite Théâtre: Francophone theatre company in Moncton, New Brunswick, and a co-production partner. Directly comparable as a regional Canadian Francophone theatre with co-production and touring activities.
• Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario: Franco-Ontarian theatre company in Sudbury and a co-production partner. Directly comparable as a regional Canadian Francophone theatre with co-production model and touring ambitions.
• Théâtre Rouge Écarlate: Franco-Ontarian theatre company in Ottawa and a co-production partner. Directly comparable as a Canadian Francophone regional theatre producing original work for touring.
• L'UniThéâtre: Franco-Albertan theatre company in Edmonton and a co-production partner on Triptyque gothique boréal. Directly comparable as a Canadian Francophone regional theatre serving a Western Canadian minority Francophone audience.

Broad incumbents

• National Arts Centre - Théâtre français: Canada's national performing arts centre with a French Theatre department and co-production partner on multiple projects. Comparable as a broader institutional player in Canadian Francophone theatre that co-produces and hosts touring productions.
• Théâtre de Quat'Sous: Montreal-based French-language theatre producing contemporary and original work. Comparable as a Canadian Francophone theatre producing scripted dramatic productions, though larger in scale and based in Quebec.
• Théâtre du Rideau Vert: Long-established francophone theatre company in Montreal operating a year-round season. Comparable as a Canadian Francophone theatre producing plays and original work, but operating at a larger scale and based in Quebec's larger Francophone market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/theatre-la-seizieme

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 la Seizième