Théâtres en Dracénie

What Théâtres en Dracénie does

Théâtres en Dracénie is a French cultural association (loi 1901) founded in 1995 in Draguignan, Var, operating a multi-venue performing arts platform for the Dracénie Provence Verdon agglomeration. Following the 2018 renovation of the Théâtre de l'Esplanade (735-seat Grande Salle with Cluster sound system, full HD laser projection, and integrated lighting), the association manages a portfolio of venues including the modular Salle Lily Pons (300 standing / 150 seated), the Auditorium du Pôle Culturel Chabran (271 seats), and the Église Saint-Michel for sacred music. Core programming spans theater, dance, music, circus, and contemporary performance, anchored by the annual L'impruDanse dance festival (10th edition in 2026) and a 100% Éducation Artistique et Culturelle (EAC) mission reaching 12,000+ students per season through 61 school-time performances and 650+ hours of artistic practice workshops.

Revenue mechanics are diversified across five streams: transactional ticket sales (€8-€28 across three tariff categories), subscription carnets and adhesion memberships, corporate mécénat with 60% tax reduction incentives, venue rental and technical services for touring productions, and ancillary services including the privately operated Café de l'Esplanade, Ted Bus shuttle, and babysitting. Distribution runs through the Mapado online ticketing platform, on-site box office, and institutional EAC partnerships with schools, conservatories, and INSPE for teacher training. Marketing is multi-channel: official website, season brochure, social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), Sibforms newsletter, and earned media via La Strada and institutional partners.

The organization is led by Director Maria Claverie-Ricard and President Antoine Rophé, with a 19-person team including Technical Director Christophe Cheldi and General Stage Manager Maxime Moreddu. Governance is anchored by a municipal convention with Draguignan and core institutional funding from DRAC Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Département du Var, and Dracénie Provence Verdon agglomération. Auxiliary partnerships include CGR Draguignan (cinema), Musée des Beaux-Arts, Festival EntreLivres, Covoiturage-Simple, Domaine du Dragon, and Luné Soleil. Technology infrastructure is conventional venue IT with no proprietary AI or ML components.

Name

Théâtres en Dracénie

Legal name

Théâtres en Dracénie

Website

https://theatresendracenie.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Théâtres en Dracénie is a French cultural association founded in 1995 that operates a multi-venue performing arts platform in Draguignan, serving regional schools, families, and general audiences through theater, dance, music, and circus programming anchored by the annual L'impruDanse festival.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Venue and Cultural Programming

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB), Dance Performances (THAJAFAD), Venue Guest Services & Front-of-House Operations (Ushers, Box Office, Accessibility) (MPAGALAK)

Keywords

• Performing arts venue
• Theatrical programming
• Cultural event management
• Arts education programs
• Live performance venue

Headquarters

HQ city

Draguignan

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Individual ticket sales across multiple tariff categories (A, B, C) ranging from €8 to €28 for performances at multiple venues including Théâtre de l'Esplanade, Salle Lily Pons, Auditorium du Pôle Culturel Chabran, and external venues.
2. Season Subscriptions and Carnets: Prepaid season packages, multi-show bundles (carnets), and membership/adhesion programs offering discounts and priority access to subscribers.
3. Mécénat and Sponsorship: Corporate patronage and sponsorship program offering tax benefits (60% tax reduction on donations up to 0.5% of company revenue), branding opportunities, private events, and exclusive access to performances.
4. Venue Rental and Technical Services: Rental of performance spaces, technical equipment, and support services for touring productions and external events.
5. Café de l'Esplanade Operations: Privately managed café/restaurant operated by two restaurateurs serving bio cuisine in short supply chain, generating additional venue revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Théâtres en Dracénie is a French cultural association (loi 1901) that operates and programs multiple performing arts venues in Draguignan, primarily the Théâtre de l'Esplanade (735 seats, renovated in 2018). It delivers year-round multi-disciplinary season programming (La Saison) spanning theater, dance, music, circus, and contemporary performance, anchored by the annual L'impruDanse dance festival, alongside educational outreach (EAC program reaching 12,000+ students), ticketing, venue rentals, corporate sponsorship, and ancillary visitor services.

Product overview

Théâtres en Dracénie is a performing arts center and venue operator managing multiple theaters in Draguignan, France — notably the Théâtre de l'Esplanade (735-seat main hall renovated in 2018 with state-of-the-art sound, video, and lighting), the modular Salle Lily Pons (up to 300 persons), and the Auditorium du Pôle Culturel Chabran (271 seats). Its core product is the annual season programming (La Saison) across genres including theater, dance, circus, music, and exhibitions, anchored by the L'ImpruDanse annual dance festival. Supporting services include arts education (EAC program), patron/sponsorship programs, and ancillary services such as Ted Bus shuttle, babysitting, carpooling, and on-site café catering. Ticketing is handled via the Mapado platform. The organization positions itself as a cultural hub serving both general public and school audiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• L'impruDanse: Annual dance festival organized by Théâtres en Dracénie, now in its 10th edition, dedicated to contemporary dance.

Products and services

• Théâtre de l'Esplanade The main performance venue in Draguignan managed by Théâtres en Dracénie through a convention agreement with the municipality. Features a 735-seat main hall (416 parterre + 307 balcony) with state-of-the-art sound (Cluster system), video (laser full HD projector), and traditional theater lighting kit, plus 6 dressing rooms across 2 levels and freight elevator access.
• Salle Lily Pons A modular hall in the basement of the Théâtre de l'Esplanade with capacity for 300 standing or 150 seated, supporting front, bi-frontal, tri-, and quadri-frontal configurations. Used for intimate concerts, small-form performances, young audience shows, rehearsals, and workshops. Fully equipped with sound, lighting, video, and staging.
• Auditorium du Pôle Culturel Chabran A 271-seat auditorium at the Pôle Culturel Chabran with combined sound/video/lighting control booth at the back of the hall. Used for dance, theater, and intimate performances.
• L'ImpruDanse Festival

Quantifiable outcome

• 12,000+ students reached annually through school programming
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered secondary, core and minor.

• Institut National Supérieur du Professorat et de l'Éducation (INSPE)secondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2024Educational partnership providing training for current and future teachers in artistic and cultural education methodologies as part of the 100% EAC commitment.
• DRAC Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional cultural authority providing governmental support and funding for performing arts programming, coproductions, and educational initiatives across the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region.
• Département du VarcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDepartmental council providing regional cultural funding, institutional recognition, and administrative support for Théâtres en Dracénie's cultural programming and community outreach.
• La StradaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing press coverage, promotional support, and visibility for cultural events and performances.
• Dracénie Provence Verdon agglomérationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInter-municipal community providing core institutional support, funding, and territorial coordination for the cultural venue serving the Dracénie region.
• Covoiturage-SimpleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRidesharing partnership integrated with the L'impruDanse festival, connecting spectators for shared transportation to performances.
• CGR DraguignanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCinematic partner venue for cross-disciplinary events such as film projections complementing live performance programming.
• Musée des Beaux-Arts de DraguignansecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for JEUDIS DOCU DANSE documentary screenings held at the museum's amphitheater during the L'impruDanse festival.
• Festival EntreLivresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiterary festival partnership hosting author encounters and cross-disciplinary events connecting literature and performing arts.
• Domaine du DragonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWine domain providing complimentary cocktail reception beverages for season presentation events.
• Luné SoleilminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCatering partner providing buffet services for season presentation cocktail events.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Théâtre National de Nice (CDN Nice): Centre Dramatique National serving the Alpes-Maritimes / Côte d'Azur region with comparable multi-venue performing arts programming, EAC-style educational outreach, and public-subsidy-driven operating model in the same Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur macro-region.
• Comédie de Saint-Étienne (CDN): Centre Dramatique National in a mid-sized French city with multi-venue programming, public-subsidy funding, and dedicated education/youth programming closely analogous to the Théâtres en Dracénie model.
• Théâtre Les Salins — Scène Nationale de Martigues: Scène Nationale in a smaller Provençal town running multi-venue theater/dance/music programming with EAC, sponsorship, and venue rental — essentially a same-scale operational peer in southern France.
• Centre Dramatique National d'Orléans: CDN in a mid-sized French city presenting theater, dance, and music across multiple venues with strong educational outreach and public funding — closest structural analog in size, mission, and operating model outside southern France.
• Maison de la Culture de Bourges (MCB) — Scène Nationale: French Scène Nationale operating a mid-sized city venue with multi-disciplinary season programming, educational outreach, and public-institutional funding — directly analogous in mission and operating model to a regional venue operator.
• La Criée — Théâtre National de Marseille: National theater (CDN) in Marseille operating a similar venue-based presenting/producing model with multi-genre programming, coproductions, and EAC-style school outreach in the same regional southern France market.
• Théâtre National Populaire (TNP) Villeurbanne: National theater (TNP) and CDN operating a large presenting venue plus secondary spaces, with comparable season programming across theater, dance, and music, plus an established festival/season brand analogous to L'impruDanse.

Regional players

• Théâtre du Chêne Noir (Avignon): Avignon-based theater operating a single primary venue with multi-genre season programming, festival integration, and public-private funding mix; overlaps directly on venue-based presenting model in the same macro-region.
• Opéra de Toulon Provence Méditerranée: Var-department performing arts institution (opera and ballet) in the same county as Draguignan, with publicly subsidized multi-venue programming, education programs, and a similar south-of-France catchment — partial overlap on performing arts presenting and EAC outreach.
• Théâtre du Jeu de Paume (Avignon): Historic theater venue in Avignon hosting season programming and festivals, with public-institutional governance analogous to Théâtres en Dracénie's convention-based venue access model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/theatresendracenie
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/theatres-en-dracenie
• Instagraminstagram.com/theatresendracenie/?hl=fr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Théâtres en Dracénie