Tall Tales Company

Name

Tall Tales Company

Legal name

Stichting Tall Tales Company

Website

https://talltales.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemporary Circus Theater

NAICS

Other Performing Arts Companies (71119)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Circus & Physical Theatre (MPAGABAL)

Keywords

• Contemporary circus theater
• Circus training facilities
• Aerial acrobatics instruction
• Circus arts education
• Performing arts productions

Headquarters

HQ city

Rotterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Theater and festival performance fees: Tall Tales Company earns revenue from performing at theaters and festivals across Europe. Productions are booked through production companies (HH Producties, Van Baasbank & Vos, Alles voor de Kunsten).
2. Studio memberships and course fees: Monthly subscriptions for weekly circus courses (€55-70 per month) and open/autonomous training memberships. Additional revenue from trial lessons and masterclasses.
3. Masterclasses and workshops: Revenue from specialized masterclasses such as Hair Suspension (€500), Cyr Wheel Summer Special (€65), and other intensive workshops.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tall Tales Company creates, produces, and tours contemporary circus theater productions that blend acrobatics, juggling, and object manipulation with theater, dance, visual art, and orchestral music for festivals and theaters across Europe. Through Tall Tales Studio in Rotterdam, it operates a professional circus training facility offering weekly courses, autonomous and open training sessions, masterclasses, and the youth talent program "Sold to the Circus." Together, these two arms combine performing arts creation with structured circus arts education and community building.

Product overview

Tall Tales Company is a Dutch circus theater company founded in 2012 by Maartje Bonarius and Harm van der Laan, offering a dual offering of professional circus theater productions and Tall Tales Studio, the only circus breeding ground in the Netherlands. Their production portfolio includes touring performances such as Droplines, In Your Hands (Bach's Johannes Passion collaboration with B'Rock Orchestra), Square Two (site-specific juggling), Square 2.1 (virtual home-based experience), Facades, Spiegeling, On the Move, A Clockwork Orange, One of These Days, and Langs. Tall Tales Studio provides professional training facilities, autonomous and open training sessions, structured courses in trapeze, partner acrobatics, aerial hoop, handstands, aerial silks, and aerial straps, plus masterclasses in hair suspension, Chinese pole, Cyr wheel, and straps. The studio also runs 'Sold to the Circus,' a national youth talent program (official Fontys preparatory program from 2026/2027).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• In Your Hands: Circus production in collaboration with B'Rock Orchestra presenting Bach's Johannes Passion
• Square Two
• Droplines
• A Clockwork Orange
• Sold to the Circus

Products and services

• Droplines

Quantifiable outcome

• Tall Tales credited with reversing the trend of Dutch circus graduates leaving the Netherlands - now majority stay rather than moving abroad
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• B'Rock Orchestra & Vocal ConsortcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on In Your Hands - a contemporary retelling of Bach's Johannes Passion. Tall Tales provides circus artists while B'Rock provides musicians. Premiered at Bachfestival Dordrecht. Co-production partnership.
• HH ProductiescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProduction company handling bookings and logistics for Droplines and Square Two productions across festival venues in Europe.
• Van Baasbank & Vos / Van Baasbank ProductionscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBooking agent representing Tall Tales Company for productions including A Clockwork Orange, One of these days, Facades, Langs, and Spiegeling.
• Alles voor de KunstencoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBooking agent for the In Your Hands production with B'Rock Orchestra.
• Circus RotjeknorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Sold to the Circus youth talent program (ages 14-21). Classes are held at the same location as Codarts Circus Arts. Collaboration with Fontys Circus and Performance Arts and Codarts Circus Arts.
• Codarts Circus ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership for Sold to the Circus program. Many Tall Tales team members are alumni. Studio located near Codarts. Joint initiatives for youth circus development.
• Fontys Circus and Performance ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership for Sold to the Circus program. From 2026/2027, Sold to the Circus becomes an official pre-education program of Fontys Circus and Performance Art.
• Circusstad FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual partnership for performances. Tall Tales has performed at the festival since its inception. Coproduction partner for One of these days and Square Two. Celebrated 10th anniversary together.
• Korzo TheaterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoproduction partner for One of these days.
• DYNAMOminorOthersResidency partner for Droplines production.
• Espace des Sept Arpents (FR)minorOthersResidency partner for Droplines production in France.
• Espace Périphérique (FR)minorOthersResidency partner for Droplines production in France.
• Gandini Studio (UK)minorOthersResidency partner for Droplines production. Includes 'Outside eyes - Jongleren' by Sean Gandini.
• Schouwburg de LaweiminorOthersResidency partner for Droplines production.
• Theater Møn (DK)minorOthersResidency partner for Droplines production.
• Circuswerkplaats DommelhofminorOthersResidency partner for Droplines production.
• Bachfestival DordrechtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFestival residency partner. Tall Tales performed In Your Hands to open the festival and Square Two at the festival.
• Don SatijnminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVisual artist collaborator on Square Two and Square 2.1. Created mathematical art objects that inspired the performance.
• Kalle KalimaminorOthersGuitarist and composer who created a unique chamber version of the Johannes Passion for In Your Hands, with four singers, strings, flute, vintage synthesizer, and electric guitar.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Cirque du Soleil: Global incumbent in live circus entertainment with far larger scale, touring infrastructure and audience reach; overlaps with Tall Tales in festival and event programming competition but operates a much broader commercial portfolio.

Direct peers

• Motionhouse: UK contemporary circus theater company touring internationally, combining acrobatics with dance, film and physical storytelling — closely aligned with Tall Tales' artistic approach and touring scale.
• Compagnie XY: French acrobatic collective touring contemporary circus productions across European festivals, with a comparable ensemble-based, festival-driven operating model to Tall Tales.
• Gandini Juggling: UK-based juggling and circus theater company touring internationally with a similar aesthetic vocabulary (mathematical patterns, object manipulation). Explicitly cited as a residency and 'outside eyes' collaborator on Tall Tales' Droplines production.
• The 7 Fingers (Les 7 Doigts): Montreal-headquartered contemporary circus theater company that combines acrobatics with narrative, music and theatrical storytelling — closely aligned with Tall Tales' 'circus of life' positioning and European touring model.
• Ockham's Razor: London-based circus theater company known for aerial and physical-theater productions; comparable in scale, aesthetic and reliance on European festival and theater circuits.

Regional players

• National Centre for Circus Arts (NCCA): UK professional circus training institution providing adult courses, professional training and creation space — directly comparable to Tall Tales Studio's role as a national circus training hub.
• Ecole Nationale de Cirque (ENC): Montreal-based professional circus training school combining adult recreational courses, professional training and creation facilities; analogous to Tall Tales Studio's hybrid training/community model in a different geography.
• Circusstad Festival: Rotterdam-based annual circus festival and Tall Tales' anchor Dutch co-production partner since inception; directly comparable as a regional platform for contemporary circus with overlapping audience and artistic ecosystem.

Others

• Codarts Circus Arts: Rotterdam circus conservatoire where Tall Tales' founders trained and which now co-locates with Tall Tales Studio. Comparable as a Dutch circus training institution and a key feeder into Tall Tales' professional pipeline.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tall-tales-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Tall Tales Company