What Schweigman& does

Schweigman& is a Utrecht-based non-profit performing arts company, legally organized as Stichting Stuim and registered as a Dutch cultural ANBI, that creates wordless, sensory, phenomenological theater productions. Founded in 2008 by artistic director Boukje Schweigman, a graduate of the Mime School at Amsterdam's Academie voor Theater en Dans, the company develops approximately one new production per year and maintains a touring repertoire that includes Klei (2026), Prikkels (2026, with BonteHond), Binnenste Buiten, Lichtgang, Wervel, Tussen, Spiegel, and For The Time Being. Its core methodology combines abstract mime with phenomenological research into bodily perception, producing immersive visual performances often built around large-scale physical installations, such as the 10 tons of clay and 500 liters of water in Klei or the deep-pressure proprioception suits in Binnenste Buiten.

The company generates revenue across five streams: live performance and production fees from festivals and theaters, workshops and training programs (Taijiwuxigong, Kungfu, EROS, Smelting Body) held at its De Snijzaal studio, studio and office rental at the same venue, education programs for primary, secondary, higher-education, and corporate clients, and structural government subsidies from Fonds Podiumkunsten (since 2009) and Gemeente Utrecht (since 2012). Pricing follows a sliding scale with pay-what-you-can options. Distribution is primarily through the Dutch festival circuit (Theaterfestival Boulevard, Oerol, SPRING, Zeeland Nazomerfestival), regional theaters, the company's own website and box office, and partnerships with educational and cultural institutions such as Buitenplaats Doornburgh, HKU, UMC Utrecht, HIIIT, and Zoro Feigl. The organization operates with a small team of 1-10 led by artistic director Boukje Schweigman and managing director Puck Mathot, supported by a five-person board.

In 2026 Schweigman& marked its approximately 20-year jubilee by premiering Klei at SPRING, moving into the De Snijzaal monument in central Utrecht, and receiving recognition including the Zilveren Krekel award for Prikkels and admission of Boukje Schweigman to the Akademie van Kunsten (KNAW). The Prikkel project, a multi-year initiative on neurodiversity and stimulus processing running since 2023, has extended the company's footprint into installations, podcasts, educational workshops, and Prikkeltalks lectures.

Name

Schweigman&

Legal name

Stichting Stuim

Website

https://schweigman.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Schweigman& is a Utrecht-based non-profit performing arts company founded in 2008 that creates wordless, sensory, phenomenological theater productions. It serves Dutch audiences through festivals, theaters, education programs, workshops, and a youth-theater partnership, funded largely by structural government subsidies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Theater / Performing Arts

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Dance Companies (711120), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

akta.pro primary industry

Dance Theatre (Narrative/Experimental) (MPAGADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH), Contemporary & Modern Dance (MPAGADAB), Theatre Services & Design (Scenic/Costume/Props/Stage Management) (MPAGABAO), Dance Festivals & Dance Series (MPAGADAJ)

Keywords

• Physical theater productions
• Sensory immersive theater
• Mime performance company
• Performing arts education
• Wordless theatrical experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Utrecht

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, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Performance and Production Fees: Revenue from live theater performances at festivals, theaters, and special events. Productions are booked for touring venues and receive rental/performance fees.
2. Workshops and Training: Revenue from workshops and training programs including Taijiwuxigong, Kungfu, EROS workshops, and The Melting Body workshop series conducted at De Snijzaal studio.
3. Studio and Venue Rental: Rental income from studio space and office desks in De Snijzaal monument, available for workshops, rehearsals, movement training, and small gatherings.
4. Education Programs: Revenue from educational workshops for primary schools, secondary schools, higher education, and corporate training programs.
5. Subsidies and Grants: Structural subsidies from Fonds Podiumkunsten and Gemeente Utrecht. Additional project funding from various cultural foundations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Schweigman& creates sensory, wordless live theater productions that combine mime, dance, visual art, and music theater, developed through a proprietary phenomenological methodology. The company also runs multi-day workshops, youth programs, the Winter School, and rents out its De Snijzaal rehearsal and performance studio in Utrecht.

Product overview

Schweigman& is a Utrecht-based theater company led by Boukje Schweigman that creates visual, physical, and musical performances without spoken language. The portfolio centers on sensory and phenomenological theater, with key productions including 'Klei' (a clay performance with Zoro Feigl and HIIIT), 'Lichtgang' (light/afterimage installation), 'Binnenste Buiten' (proprioception experience), and the multi-year 'Prikkel' project on neurodiversity. Educational offerings include the Prikkel Workshop, Winter School, and various movement workshops (Taijiwuxigong, Kungfu). The company also offers studio rental at De Snijzaal and produces the Prikkelpodcast series.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Prikkel: Long-term project on neurodiversity and stimulus processing, including exhibitions, performances, installations, talks, and a podcast series

Products and services

• Klei Upcoming Schweigman& sensory, wordless theater production premiering in May 2026, aimed at broad general audiences and presented through festival and touring circuits.
• Lichtgang Immersive sensory light-based installation/production in Schweigman&'s repertoire, designed for general audiences and festival presentation.
• Binnenste Buiten Immersive sensory installation/production in Schweigman&'s repertoire, presented for general audiences and at festivals.
• Prikkels (youth production) Sensory, wordless theater production specifically developed for young audiences and family programming.
• Prikkel Workshop Sensory workshop program designed for neurodivergent participants and offered to schools, institutions, and community groups.
• Taijiwuxigong, Kungfu, and EROS Workshops Multi-day embodied movement and training workshops (Taijiwuxigong, Kungfu, EROS) led within Schweigman&'s phenomenological method, offered to individuals, schools, and corporate/organizational groups.
• Winter School Intensive multi-day educational program in Schweigman&'s phenomenological method, delivered as a Winter School for participants seeking deeper training.
• De Snijzaal Studio Rental Rehearsal and short-performance studio rental at Schweigman&'s De Snijzaal facility in Utrecht, marketed to independent artists and small companies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 9000 visitors to the Prikkel exhibition in 2023-2024
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Buitenplaats DoornburghcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Key partner in the Prikkel project - a multi-year initiative on neurodiversity and stimulus processing. Doornburgh served as venue for the 2023 exhibition and hosts residencies for artists and scientists.
• HKU (Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Academic partner in the Prikkel project, contributing research and educational expertise on neurodiversity and stimulus processing.
• UMC UtrechtcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Scientific partner in the Prikkel project, providing medical and neuroscientific research perspective on stimulus processing.
• Johannes BellinkxcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated maker and long-term collaborator on Prikkel project installations including Binnenste Buiten, Lichtgang, and continuing theatrical experiences. SoAP Maastricht affiliated performance artist.
• Jeugdtheatergezelschap BonteHondcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for the youth performance Prikkels. BonteHond is the youth theater company of Almere/Flevoland, creating anarchist physical theater.
• Zoro FeiglcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVisual artist and co-creator of the Klei production, creating the earthen and unpredictable clay landscape.
• HIIIT (formerly Slagwerk Den Haag)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPercussion group serving as co-producers and live musicians for Klei, playing ceramic instruments during performances.
• Kamerkoor JIPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUtrecht-based chamber choir providing musical accompaniment for Binnenste Buiten installation.
• Theun MoskminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-time collaborator and fixed designer, worked together since Boukje's studies at mime school.
• Theaterfestival BoulevardcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor Dutch performing arts festival hosting Schweigman& performances including Klei, Binnenste Buiten, and other productions.
• Oerol FestivalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSite-specific theater festival on Terschelling hosting Schweigman& productions.
• SPRING Performing Arts FestivalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUtrecht-based international performing arts festival hosting premieres including Klei 2026.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Jakop Ahlbom Company: Dutch theater company led by Jakop Ahlbom creating wordless, illusion-driven physical and visual theater with mime and magic-theater influences. Explicitly listed by Schweigman& as a partner/peer ('verwante makers'), and the closest Dutch counterpart in terms of mime-rooted, visual, non-verbal performance.
• ISH Dance Collective: Amsterdam-based contemporary dance and physical performance collective working at the intersection of dance, mime and theater. Comparable in scale, methodology (embodied/physical storytelling) and target of Dutch festival circuits.
• Jeugdtheatergezelschap BonteHond: Almere/Flevoland-based youth theater company creating anarchist physical theater. Co-production partner with Schweigman& on the award-winning Prikkels youth production and operates in the same physical-theater-for-young-audiences niche.
• Mummenschanz: Internationally renowned Swiss mime/visual theater troupe performing wordless, mask-and-movement-based shows for decades. The closest international stylistic analogue to Schweigman&'s wordless, phenomenological theater, sharing the same niche of wordless, visual, sensory-driven performance.
• Het Houten Huis: Dutch theater company focused on young audiences and site-specific/immersive work. Explicitly named by Schweigman& as a collaborator and overlapping in the family/youth-theater and immersive-installation segments.
• Club Guy & Roni: Groningen-based contemporary dance company known for visually striking, multidisciplinary productions combining dance, theater, video and music. Comparable in producing cutting-edge physical productions for Dutch festivals and international touring.
• Teatro de los Sentidos: Barcelona-based sensory and immersive theater company founded by Jorge Picó, focused on sensory perception and experiential performance. Listed as a prior collaborator of Boukje Schweigman and directly comparable in sensory/phenomenological theater methodology.

Broad incumbents

• Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT): The Netherlands' flagship contemporary dance company and one of the world's leading dance institutions. Operates broadly in the Dutch and international performing arts ecosystem where Schweigman& also circulates, but at vastly larger scale and with a broader portfolio.
• Het Nationale Theater: The Hague-based large-scale Dutch producing theater company presenting a broad repertoire including experimental and physical theater. Comparable in operating as a Dutch subsidized theater maker with co-production and touring activity across the same venues Schweigman& plays.
• Introdans: Arnhem-based Dutch contemporary dance company touring widely. Comparable in producing and touring dance-forward productions across Dutch and European venues, although stylistically more conventional than Schweigman&'s mime-rooted work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCNY3bCBf8nnqxMDei9_-qBw
• Facebookfacebook.com/schweigman2011
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schweigman
• Instagraminstagram.com/schweigman_
• Xx.com/schweigman2013

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Schweigman&