Teatro Metaphora

What Teatro Metaphora does

Teatro Metaphora – Associação de Amigos das Artes is a Portuguese non-profit association founded in 2009 and headquartered in Câmara de Lobos, Madeira. It operates as a community-based cultural, educational, and environmental organization that delivers non-formal education programs to approximately 7,000 youth beneficiaries annually, supported by a volunteer base of roughly 60 regular and 100 occasional contributors alongside 6 paid employees. Its core methodologies are Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed (Forum Theatre, Image Theatre, Legislative Theatre, Newspaper Theatre, Invisible Theatre) and non-formal education frameworks.

The organization's programmatic portfolio centers on three flagship pillars: (1) the long-running Green Steps environmental-artistic project, which transforms urban waste into street art installations to promote sustainable behavior; (2) Theatre of the Oppressed workshops and performances aimed at social awareness and community development; and (3) international youth mobility projects under Erasmus+, European Solidarity Corps, Creative Europe, and Culture Moves Europe. Ancillary programs include the Ocean Studio artistic residency, the Eco Screen Fest educational film festival, an annual E-zine publication, and a library of educational tools/manuals produced through Erasmus+ partnerships spanning 22+ European countries plus selected African partners.

Teatro Metaphora functions as a grant-funded NGO. All activities are provided free to participants. Primary revenue comes from coordinating and participating in EU youth programs (Erasmus+, European Solidarity Corps, Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs, Creative Europe), supplemented by donations via PayPal and bank transfer and occasional prize money. The customer base is split among (a) local Madeira youth and community members, (b) youth with fewer opportunities across Europe participating in mobility exchanges, and (c) international volunteers. The organization has accumulated substantial reputational capital, including the European Sustainability Award (2019), Gulbenkian Prize for Sustainability (2019), SALTO Awards 2021, Emperor-Maximilian-Prize 2023 (€10,000), Marsh Award for Excellence in Visual Arts Engagement (2023), ENERGY GLOBE Award Portugal 2023, Erasmus+ Good Practice Awards 2024 Honorable Mention, CT Award Connecting Cultures 2026, and a 2026 Global Arts Prize shortlist from 10,000+ nominations.

Name

Teatro Metaphora

Legal name

Teatro Metaphora – Associação de Amigos das Artes

Website

https://teatrometaphora.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Teatro Metaphora is a Portuguese non-profit association founded in 2009 on Madeira that delivers non-formal education, Theatre of the Oppressed, and environmental-art programs to roughly 7,000 youth beneficiaries annually, funded primarily by Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps grants across 22+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-formal Youth Education

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (711510)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAHAC

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Arts, Culture & Heritage Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPAGAHAB

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Arts, Culture & Heritage Nonprofits

SECONDARYEDAMAAAG

Theater & Drama Education (Acting, Improvisation, Musical Theater)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Arts & Creative Enrichment (Visual Arts, Music, Theater, Dance)

SECONDARYMPAGABAH

Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Theater, Broadway & Performing Arts

Keywords

• Non-formal education
• Youth mobility programs
• Environmental theatre projects
• Community theatre workshops
• Erasmus+ youth exchanges

Headquarters

HQ city

Câmara de Lobos

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. European Funding Programs: Primary revenue from coordinating and participating in Erasmus+ Programme, European Solidarity Corps, and other EU funding programs. Also cooperates with Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs and Creative Europe programmes.
2. Donations: Accepts donations via PayPal and bank transfer to support cultural and educational activities for community development

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Teatro Metaphora is a non-profit arts association (NGO) based in Madeira, Portugal, founded in 2009. It delivers cultural, educational, and environmental programs using non-formal education methodologies, most notably the Theatre of the Oppressed, alongside environmental awareness initiatives such as Green Steps, international youth exchanges under Erasmus+, and European Solidarity Corps volunteering placements.

Product overview

Teatro Metaphora is a non-profit arts association (Associação de Amigos das Artes) that offers a portfolio of cultural, educational, and environmental programs. The core offerings include the Green Steps environmental-artistic project (upcycling waste into art), Theatre of the Oppressed workshops, and international youth mobility projects under Erasmus+. Additional programs include the Ocean Studio artistic residency, Eco Screen Fest film festival, E-zine annual publication, and educational tools/manuals. The organization operates primarily through non-formal education methods and serves around 7,000 youth beneficiaries annually in the Madeira region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Green Steps: A long-term environmental-artistic project that collects urban waste and transforms it into art pieces, raising awareness about environmental protection in an innovative and creative way.
• Ocean Studio
• Eco Screen Fest

Products and services

• Green Steps Environmental theatre program that uses performative and educational methods to raise ecological awareness among youth and the local community.
• Theatre of the Oppressed Workshops Forum theatre and non-formal education workshops rooted in Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed methodology, delivered to young people and community groups.
• Erasmus+ Youth Exchanges International youth mobility exchanges funded through the Erasmus+ programme, enabling young people from Madeira and partner countries to participate in cross-border cultural and educational projects.
• European Solidarity Corps Volunteering Volunteering placements coordinated through the European Solidarity Corps, sending and hosting international volunteers engaged in local cultural, educational, and environmental activities.
• Ocean Studio #24 Creative studio project producing film, photography, and media content linked to environmental and cultural themes.
• Eco Screen Fest Environmental film festival screening works tied to ecological and sustainability themes, organized as part of the Green Steps programme.
• Street Art Projects Community-based public art and mural projects carried out with youth and local participants to engage audiences in shared urban spaces.
• Theatre Shows and Productions Theatrical performances and forum-theatre productions staged for local audiences in Madeira, often tied to social and environmental themes.
• Educational Tools and Manuals Educational publications and toolkits produced as outputs of the association's projects, intended for use by youth workers, educators, and partner organizations.
• E-zine Online magazine publishing articles, interviews, and project documentation tied to the association's cultural, educational, and environmental work.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reaches approximately 7,000 beneficiaries annually in the youth sector alone
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 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

42 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SEIKLEJATE VENNASKOND (Estonia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinator of Include! Involve! Improve! strategic partnership project (2016-2018) involving 10 countries with focus on youth participation and inclusion
• A.D.E.L. - Association for Development, Education and Labour (Slovakia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership in Include! Involve! Improve! project for exchange of good practices in youth work
• ASOCIACION JUVENIL INTERCAMBIA (Spain)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership in Include! Involve! Improve! project
• ASOCIATIA D.G.T (Romania)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership in Include! Involve! Improve! project
• Associazione Attiva-Mente (Italy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership in Include! Involve! Improve! project
• Diyarbakir Cevre ve Kalkinma Dernegi (Turkey)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership in Include! Involve! Improve! project
• Europejska Fundacja Edukacyjno-Sportowa (Poland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership in Include! Involve! Improve! project
• NEOI ELLADOS SE EYROPAIKI DRASI (Greece)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership in Include! Involve! Improve! project
• Youth Discovery Ventures Ltd (UK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership in Include! Involve! Improve! project
• ASOCIATIA A.R.T. FUSION (Romania)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinator of You Are The Engine of Change project (2017-2019) building Theatre of the Oppressed capacity across 8 countries in Europe and Africa
• AFRICAN CENTRE FOR DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH LTD (UK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in You Are The Engine of Change capacity building project for Theatre of the Oppressed
• BIEDRIBA EUROFORTIS (Latvia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in You Are The Engine of Change project
• RAVNOVESIE (Bulgaria)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in You Are The Engine of Change project
• TANZANIA YOUTH CULTURAL ORGANIZATION (Tanzania)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in You Are The Engine of Change project bringing Theatre of the Oppressed to Africa
• VOLUNTEER ACTION FOR CHANGE KENYA (Kenya)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in You Are The Engine of Change project
• YOUTH EMPOWERMENT AND LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE (Burundi)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in You Are The Engine of Change project
• CREATIVE CONNECTIONS NORWAY (Norway)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Using Theatre to Make Politics project for European Youth Together
• HANG-KEP KULTURALIS EGYESULET (Hungary)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Using Theatre to Make Politics project
• INTER ALIA (Greece)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Using Theatre to Make Politics project
• STOWARZYSZENIE NA RZECZ DZIECI I MLODZIEZY USKRZYDLAMY (Poland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Using Theatre to Make Politics project
• FUNDACJA WSPIERANIA ROZWOJU MEDEINA (Poland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinator of Euro-HIKE sport partnership project (2019-2021) for youth empowerment through outdoor sport
• ASOCIACION CULTURAL Y MEDIOAMBIENTAL PERMACULTURA CANTABRIA (Spain)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Euro-HIKE project for outdoor sport youth empowerment
• CLUB PES LIVRES - ASSOCIAÇÃO DE MONTANHISMO (Portugal)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Euro-HIKE project hosting hiking training course in Madeira
• JAUNATNES ATTISTIBAS UN SADARBIBAS MULTIKULTURALA APVIENIBA (Latvia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Euro-HIKE project
• ASOCIACIJA KURYBINES ATEITIES IDEJOS (Lithuania)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinator of Interactive and Creative Learning of Adults project (2019-2022) for creativity training methodology development
• CENTRO INTERNAZIONALE PER LA PROMOZIONE DELL'EDUCAZIONE E LO SVILUPPO ASSOCIAZIONE (Italy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Interactive and Creative Learning of Adults project
• EESTI PEOPLE TO PEOPLE (Estonia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Interactive and Creative Learning of Adults project
• MITRA FRANCE (France)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Interactive and Creative Learning of Adults project
• BALKANIDEA NOVI SAD UDRUZENJE (Serbia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in InclusiOFF project for social inclusion and critical thinking
• Sdrujenie Nadejda-CRD (Bulgaria)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in InclusiOFF project
• Udruga za poticanje razvoja ljudskih potencijala i kreativnosti - Prizma (Croatia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in InclusiOFF project - developed Creative Learning Environment for Environmental Protection manual
• ASOCIACIJA TAVO EUROPA (Lithuania)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Take Action - Together Against Discrimination! project (2020-2023) involving 9 countries
• Asociación Mojo de Caña (Spain)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Take Action - Together Against Discrimination! project
• ASSOCIAZIONE DI PROMOZIONE SOCIALE KORA (Italy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Take Action - Together Against Discrimination! project
• Ludbreška udruga mladih entuzijasta (Croatia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Take Action - Together Against Discrimination! project
• Skref fyrir Skref ehf (Iceland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Take Action - Together Against Discrimination! project
• Telsiu kurciuju ir neprigirdinciuju draugija (Lithuania)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Art Therapy project for personal development of youth with disabilities
• ASOCIATIA DEMETRIUS (Romania)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Art Therapy project
• LUETEC (Italy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Art Therapy project hosting training events
• SIA RK VILORI Inovaciju izglitibas centrs IDEJA (Latvia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Art Therapy project
• Andreea-Loredana Tudorache / A.R.T. Fusion (Romania)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrainer and activist who developed several manuals for Teatro Metaphora's educational tools
• Udruga Prizma (Croatia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCroatian partners who developed the Creative Learning Environment for Environmental Protection manual

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• SALTO-YOUTH: EU-funded network of resource centres supporting Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps quality and strategy. Functions partly as a funding/infrastructure peer and partly as a disseminator of Teatro Metaphora's project outputs; not a direct competitor but a key ecosystem participant.

Direct peers

• CESIE: Italian-based European NGO coordinating Erasmus+, European Solidarity Corps, and Creative Europe projects across 20+ countries with a focus on youth, education, and social inclusion. Highly comparable as a similarly-sized European NGO operating in the same funding pools and delivery mechanisms.
• SEIKLEJATE VENNASKOND: Estonian non-profit and Erasmus+ strategic partner of Teatro Metaphora on the 'Include! Involve! Improve!' project across 10 countries. Comparable in operational scale and youth engagement focus.
• Inter Alia: Greek non-profit focused on political and civic engagement of youth through art, education, and advocacy, and a documented strategic partner of Teatro Metaphora on the 'Using Theatre to Make Politics' project. Directly comparable in methodology and Erasmus+ project scope.
• Platoniq: Spanish (Catalan) non-profit combining cultural production, youth education, and European project work. Direct comparator in the European cultural-youth NGO space with similar working methods.
• Associazione Kora: Italian social promotion association and strategic partner on Teatro Metaphora's 'Take Action - Together Against Discrimination!' Erasmus+ project. Direct comparator in youth social inclusion and European mobility work.
• A.R.T. Fusion Association: Romanian non-profit specializing in Theatre of the Oppressed methodology and Erasmus+ capacity-building projects, including co-coordinating the 'You Are The Engine of Change' project with Teatro Metaphora. Nearest methodology peer in the network.
• ASOCIACION JUVENIL INTERCAMBIA: Spanish youth non-profit and Erasmus+ strategic partner of Teatro Metaphora on the 'Include! Involve! Improve!' project. Comparable in scale, mission, and Erasmus+ project coordination profile.

Broad incumbents

• Cardboard Citizens: UK-based theatre company that specifically uses Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed methods for social change with marginalized communities. Closest international methodology peer though with a more established national profile.
• Jana Sanskriti: Indian movement of Theatre of the Oppressed practitioners and one of the largest global Boal-methodology organizations. Comparable methodological anchor at much larger scale, with broader international footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/teatro-metaphora

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Teatro Metaphora