Demographic and structural changes in the demand of arts offerings as a trigger for adapting- and innovation processes in public German theatres

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Birgit Mandel
• Subject Area: Theatre and Media Studies ; Empirical Social Research
• Term: since 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 387849349

The current project of the Institute for Cultural Policy at the University of Hildesheim is concerned with the adaptation and innovation strategies of publicly funded theatres in Germany in the context of the structural change in cultural demand. The question of the follow-up project ties in with this, but is thematically more narrowly focused and at the same time broadens the perspective by means of an international comparison. It will be examined to what extent and with what strategies publicly funded theatres in Germany, France and England attempt to counteract the risks of de-legitimation of public funding due to structural changes in cultural demand by pro-actively winning over previously underrepresented population groups. The initial hypothesis is that the respective regimes of theatre governance have a formative effect on the concepts and strategies in audience development of theatres.

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• Subproject of: FOR 2734: Constellations of crisis: Transformational dynamics in performing arts institutions