What MUMMENSCHANZ Stiftung does

MUMMENSCHANZ Stiftung is a Swiss nonprofit foundation headquartered in Altstätten, St. Gallen, that produces non-verbal mask theater. Founded in 1972 in Paris by Andres Bossard, Bernie Schürch, and Floriana Frassetto, the company has run continuously for over 55 years under a foundation structure established in 1998 by Hans Jörg Tobler. Its core product is a repertoire of 100+ stage numbers performed without spoken words, music, or set pieces, relying instead on masks, body movement, and black backgrounds. The current active portfolio includes the farewell production 'Adieu!' (premiering December 2026 at Theater 11 Zurich with 100+ shows across 25 Swiss venues), the 50th-anniversary show '50 Years' (2021, ~250 international performances), and the international touring show 'you & me' (2016, ~130,000 Swiss attendees). Two workshop formats (mask workshops for ages 6-99 and neutral mask workshops for adults 18+) are sold to schools, companies, and families, with a minimum of 10 and maximum of 25 participants per session.

Revenue is generated from three streams: per-show ticket sales (Switzerland distributed exclusively via ticketcorner.ch, international tours via six regional booking agents covering the US, Germany/Austria, France/Czech Republic, Italy, and rest-of-world), per-workshop booking fees, and merchandise via the shop.mummenschanz.com e-commerce storefront launched June 2021. The company is supplemented by Swiss public-sector cultural funding from Lotteriefonds des Kantons St. Gallen, Stadt Altstätten, Rheintaler Kulturstiftung, and Ernst Göhner Stiftung, plus membership support from SSA (Swiss Perform). Operational staffing is minimal (~7 contracted performers, a Managing Director, and a Technical Director), with the artistic vision led by co-founder Floriana Frassetto as sole remaining active founding member and Artistic Director. The company has appeared on every continent, on Broadway, on Sesame Street, the Muppet Show, and the Johnny Carson Show, and was honored with a Swiss Post commemorative stamp in 2022 for its 50th anniversary. The March 2026 announcement of the 'Adieu!' farewell tour marks a planned end-of-company after 55 years, with the final performance scheduled for end of 2027.

Name

MUMMENSCHANZ Stiftung

Legal name

Mummenschanz Stiftung

Website

https://mummenschanz.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MUMMENSCHANZ Stiftung is a Swiss nonprofit foundation that produces non-verbal mask theater performances and educational mask workshops. Founded in 1972, the company tours across Switzerland and internationally and is preparing its farewell tour 'Adieu!' (2026-2027) after 55 years.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts (Mask Theater)

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110)

akta.pro primary industry

Circus & Physical Theatre (MPAGABAL)

Keywords

• Mask theater performances
• Non-verbal visual theater
• Educational mask workshops
• Theatrical touring productions
• Cultural performing arts

Headquarters

HQ city

Altstätten

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket sales from theater performances: The primary revenue stream comes from live theatrical performances. The company tours across Switzerland and internationally, with tickets sold primarily via ticketcorner.ch for Swiss shows. The Adieu! farewell tour (2026–2027) features over 100 performances in 25 venues across Switzerland.
2. Workshop fees: The company offers mask workshops (approx. 4 hours for ages 6–99) and neutral mask workshops (approx. 1.5 hours for adults 18+) for groups, schools, companies, and families. Fees are charged per workshop booking, with minimum 10 and maximum 25 participants per session.
3. Merchandise and online shop: The company operates an online shop selling books, DVDs, games, and other merchandise (merchandise.gimmicks) related to the MUMMENSCHANZ brand and history.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

MUMMENSCHANZ Stiftung produces and tours non-verbal mask theater performances using masks, bodies, and black backgrounds in lieu of spoken words, music, or set design. Core offerings include flagship touring shows ("Adieu!", "50 Years", "you & me") plus mask-making and neutral-mask workshops for schools, families, and corporate groups, alongside branded merchandise sold through shop.mummenschanz.com.

Product overview

MUMMENSCHANZ Stiftung is a Swiss mask theater company offering live theatrical performances and educational workshops. The core product portfolio consists of three main stage shows: the farewell production 'Adieu!' (2026), the 50th anniversary show '50 Years' (2021), and the internationally touring show 'you & me' (2016). These are supplemented by mask-making and neutral mask workshops for various age groups. The company also publishes merchandise including books documenting its 50-year history. All performances feature non-verbal, poetic theater using masks, bodies, and black backgrounds - a visual universal art form transcending language and culture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Adieu! Farewell tour production featuring highlights from 55 years of MUMMENSCHANZ repertoire. Curated by Floriana Frassetto, the show combines iconic characters, whimsical objects, and new images into a poetic theatrical journey without words or music, for general audiences of all generations.
• 50 Years 50th anniversary production showcasing the most beloved sketches from five decades of MUMMENSCHANZ repertoire, including legendary characters such as Clay Masks, Toilet Paper Faces, Giants, and Pipe Creature. Premiered December 10, 2021 at Theater 11 in Zurich and performed 250 times worldwide through 2025.
• you & me Full-length stage show interpreting scenes from everyday life in an inimitable style without words or music. Premiered December 1, 2016 in Zurich and toured internationally including the US, Broadway, China, Taiwan, Italy, Spain, Egypt, and Germany, attracting approximately 130,000 audience members in Switzerland alone.
• Mask Workshop Hands-on workshop where participants create masks from everyday materials and learn mime techniques led by MUMMENSCHANZ. Approximately 4 hours duration, for ages 6 to 99, minimum 10 and maximum 25 participants per session, with materials provided by MUMMENSCHANZ.
• Neutral Mask Workshop Workshop teaching participants to work with neutral masks and express emotions through movement, gesture, posture, and body language. Approximately 1.5 hours duration, for adults aged 18 and above (acting and mime students, theater educators, professional artists), minimum 10 and maximum 25 participants per session, with neutral masks provided by MUMMENSCHANZ.
• MUMMENSCHANZ Online Shop (Merchandise) Official e-commerce storefront at shop.mummenschanz.com selling books, DVDs, games, memorabilia, and other MUMMENSCHANZ-branded merchandise.
• 50 Years MUMMENSCHANZ Book 288-page hardcover book documenting the success story of MUMMENSCHANZ with 398 images, testimonials, and historical documents. Written by Roy Oppenheim based on conversations with Floriana Frassetto and Bernie Schürch.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reached over 10 million Expo visitors in 2002 at Swiss national exhibition Expo.02, performing daily for 5 months at 90% capacity
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SRF 1 (Swiss Radio and Television)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing broadcasting coverage of MUMMENSCHANZ performances and cultural programming. SRF Kultur produced a dedicated segment 'Mit ohrenbetäubender Lautlosigkeit' about Mummenschanz in 2019, and SRF Tagesschau covered the 50 Years premiere in 2021.
• SonntagsZeitungcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing editorial coverage and promotional support for MUMMENSCHANZ.
• Tages-AnzeigercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing editorial coverage and promotional support for MUMMENSCHANZ.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Bonehenge: A mask theater and physical performance company that draws on similar mask-based and non-verbal theatrical traditions as MUMMENSCHANZ. Comparable as a niche performer-practitioner working in the mask-theater space, though smaller and less internationally known.
• Tumbling Dice Theatre: A UK-based physical theater company producing devised, non-verbal, and visually expressive stage work. Comparable to MUMMENSCHANZ's emphasis on mask and physical theater, though it operates at a smaller scale and within a more regional touring circuit.

Direct peers

• Slava's Snowshow: A globally touring physical theater production featuring clown-mime performance, large-scale props, and audience participation. Highly comparable to MUMMENSCHANZ in its non-verbal, prop-driven aesthetic and international touring theater model.
• Pilobolus: A US-based shadow and dance-theater company built on physical, non-verbal ensemble performance. Comparable to MUMMENSCHANZ in its emphasis on bodily expression and visual storytelling without spoken language.
• Blue Man Group: A performing arts company built on non-verbal, visual, and physical performance using props, masks, and movement. Highly comparable to MUMMENSCHANZ in its emphasis on mute stage storytelling and multi-sensory theatrical experiences, though presented with a different aesthetic and at much larger commercial scale.
• Compagnia Finzi Pasca: A Swiss-Italian theatrical company known for poetic, visual, and acrobatic stage productions. Closely comparable to MUMMENSCHANZ as a fellow Swiss-origin theatrical company with a similar poetic-aesthetic sensibility and international touring presence.
• MOMIX: A US-based dance-theater company known for physically expressive, prop-driven, and visually inventive performances. Comparable to MUMMENSCHANZ in its focus on movement, bodies, and sculptural objects as the primary storytelling medium.
• Stomp: A long-running non-verbal theatrical production using everyday objects, bodies, and rhythm to create performance. Closely comparable to MUMMENSCHANZ's commitment to non-verbal stage storytelling and iconic prop-driven sketches.

Broad incumbents

• Cirque du Soleil: The dominant global player in physical/visual theater, with a large-scale touring circus-adjacent format that shares MUMMENSCHANZ's emphasis on non-verbal storytelling and theatrical movement. It is a broader incumbent with a much wider portfolio of productions and significantly larger scale.
• Complicité: An internationally acclaimed UK theater company known for highly visual, physical, and devised productions. Comparable to MUMMENSCHANZ in its emphasis on visual storytelling and physical theater, though it operates at a larger institutional scale and broader scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/mummenschanz
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/MummenschanzTour/videos?sort=p&view=0&flow=grid
• Facebookfacebook.com/mummenschanz
• Instagraminstagram.com/mummenschanz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mummenschanz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 MUMMENSCHANZ Stiftung