angewendete Filter: performing arts
Not only German opera companies are facing increasing financial pressure - concerns about sufficient (public) funding or its continuation are also prevalent in other European countries. Therefore, the participants of the Autumn Conference of Opera Europa in early October 2023 in Copenhagen and Malmö discussed primarily the experiences with alternative sources of income and financing possibilities in the European context and how these can be adapted to the specific conditions of each country. However, the overarching theme that resonated throughout the entire conference was the intensive consideration of the (future) relevance of music theater institutions as places of cultural education and encounters for society.
The scene of contemporary free music theater in Europe is as diverse as the continent itself. The anthology "Freies Musiktheater in Europa" (Free Music Theater in Europe) examines the connections between historical and cultural conditions for and within the genre as well as the specific artistic practice based on four case studies.
Arts and cultural education at school can not only turn students into later regular adult visitors, but also inspire them to become arts or cultural managers. The example of China shows why theatres should invest more effort in such offerings to increase the attractiveness of arts management careers and prepare future arts managers.
Gender stereotypes and only little diversity still shape the European Theatre Sector. These are the results of a study of the European Theatre Convention, which focused on diversity in staff and on stages across their network of 44 theatres around the continent.
SeriesCOVID 19
The United States of America has long been the land of opportunity for foreign artists of all levels and genres who could perform in all parts of the country, at venues, festivals, fairs, conferences and conventions. That opportunity has been cut off by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the borders of America are currently closed. Here are some information on what artists can do now.
SeriesDigital formats
At the beginning of 2020 and the end of the Solar Hijri year of 1398 for Iranians, three Iranian theatre groups decided to create the international online festival "Reconnect” from scratch. In doing so, they had to overcome numerous obstacles, which have a lot to do with Iran's international position.
SeriesArtist Entrepreneurs
Fix employments for dancers are rare - and not necessarily desirable. Laila Diallo, a dance maker living in Bristol, UK, shares her thoughts on what has supported her when she started her own business - something that isn't easy either - and how artist entrepreneurs can get jobs even if they are not the loudest self-promoters.
Beijing Poly Theatre Management, a state-owned company founded in 2003 in China, has become the world’s largest theatre chain and performing arts agency. This article tries to delve into the reasons why the company could grow so fast in less than two decades and the key role it has been playing.
Compared to the large public institutions, small theatres have to fight for their survival time and again. But this independence also allows freedom to experiment, whether in terms of artistic formats and themes or cultural management. The Theatre Får302 in Copenhagen has been doing this very successfully for over 30 years and has repeatedly attracted national attention.
The book by Jenny Svensson - by now only published in German under the title Die Kunst, Kultur (nicht) nur zu messen: Evaluation im Theater- und Kulturbetrieb - presents a functional model of evaluation measures of public funded cultural enterprises. Thus, it makes a fruitful contribution to the path to further professionalization of the cultural industry and cultural management.
How to Run a Theatre (2011) by Jim Volz is a good introduction to this field for someone currently unfamiliar with arts management. Volz addresses the largest pillars of theatre management (position types, board relations, personnel management/HR, strategic planning, fundraising, marketing, and financial management), while also referencing nuances of the job, such as competition and finding a work/life balance both with a focus on the US arts sector.
SeriesCentral & South America
We talked to Emilio Piñango about cultural policies and audience development for the performing arts. He shared with us his experiences on the differences of studying arts management in Venezuela and Europe, and how the respective knowledge can be transferred to another region of the world.
SeriesArtist Entrepreneurs
The traditional ways for a young opera singer to get a job have greatly changed, given the sheer number of graduates from music conservatories on the one hand and the decreasing numbers of opportunities to perform on the other. So how can young opera singers become increase their self management and self marketing?
You have just finished your vocal studies and are ready to take on the world and conquer the opera stages by storm. But as you know, it is not quite as easy as that. The ways for a young opera singer to get a job have greatly changed. For that reason, the first international edition of our Arts Management Webinar will show you how to you can give your opera career a startup kick using everything from online platforms to social media, competitions and good old personal contacts!
n Iraq, cultural managers are needed to ensure that the cultural sector can grow again and fulfill its tasks in the aftermath of the war, during the development of a new governmental system and against the terrorism of the fundamentalist Islamic State. Culture in Iraq contributes to the development of education, community values, and openness more actively than it is often the case in the Western world.
This study deals with coping strategies of theatre venues in England and the Netherlands regarding the financial crisis.
Among those responsible for bringing these new awards, "The Operas", to life were John Allison, editor of the renowned "Opera" magazine and British businessman Harry Hyman, Managing Director of the worldwide Nexus Group. Hyman is also a knowledgeable and passionate opera fan: "Opera hides its light all too often under a bushel, so we hope our awards will help bring the genre to a wider audience." Hyman also works hard helping to support young talented artitsts and encouraging people and companies to sponsor the arts in general. In November John Allison announced in Opera Magazine that he would welcome nominations for the awards. They received more than 1.500 replies from music specialists and opera lovers from 41 countries. Short lists were drawn up in 23 categories by a jury chaired by John Allison. Members of the jury included journalists Hugh Canning, Rupert Christiansen and Andrew Clements, soprano (and Bayreuth Brünnhilde) Dame Anne Evans, intendants Peter Alward (Salzburg Easter Festival), David Gockley (San Francisco Opera), Joan Matabosch (the Liceu in Barcelona) and Guus Mostart (Reisopera Enschede) and the Director of Opera Europa, Nicholas Payne. They were joined in the final round by Kathryn Harries, Director of the National Opera Studio in London, and the writer Barry Millington.
Sydney Theatre Companys Greening the Wharf Project is a showcase project with regard to environmental measures in a theatre.
When taking over as artistic directors of the Sydney Theatre Company (STC), a not-for-profit organisation, in 2008, Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton committed to plan and put into practice large-scale environmental measures for the theatre. Thus, the sustainability approach of the STC, that had comprised social and economic measures, was to be completed.
From intimate children's theatre, to abstract dance performed against a bare mountain backdrop - by way of cutting-edge immersive theatre - Made in Scotland is a programme which finds the best Scottish theatre and dance, shows it off at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and then helps it to travel the world.
The Made in Scotland programme is a neat solution to twin problems at the Fringe. It allows international bookers to find quality touring material in the sprawling event, while it gives Scottish theatre and dance companies a place to be seen. Jointly, the Federation of Scottish Theatre, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society and Creative Scotland have successfully developed Made in Scotland as an annual project since 2009.
Amsterdam, March 12th. The epic opera, Aida, has been up for sale on eBay since yesterday, including all of its magnificent set pieces, stage props and hundreds of unique costumes, for a cast of 500 performers. Peter Kroone, who has produced countless large scale 360° opera productions and is the owner of Companions Opera Amsterdam, is retiring from the industry. Peter Kroone has produced a considerable number of large-scale operas around the world. A few examples include: Rotterdam (where it all started), Paris, Munich, Shanghai & Zurich. Many of these operas sold out, selling more than 1 million tickets. Peter Kroone was unable to find a successor for his productions within his own network. He is therefore offering all his unique productions for indoor arenas and stadiums for sale. "It pains me greatly to leave the industry, but productions like Aida cannot be produced in a year. Productions at this level require a 3 to 5 year commitment, which I am no longer able to give. The time has come for me to do other things in life. My successor must be an opera lover like I am, or an entertainment entrepreneur who sees this product as an opportunity to expand into new territories and markets. I have not yet found a successor, but the world out there is big and who knows.... Maybe there is someone out there like me, who wants to bring opera to a broader audience. This is why I have chosen to announce my retirement and the sale of my productions on eBay. It would be a shame if the productions disappeared."