State on stage : the impact of public policies on the performing arts in Europe

State on Stage tunes in on the relationship between governments and performing arts in European countries over the past fifteen years. In order to survive, performing arts organizations in Europe must adapt to ongoing changes in the artistic, commercial and political climate. Although maximizing market revenues has become business as usual for companies and venues, most still require substantial involvement from the government. Governments, at their turn, expect more economic, educational or social tasks next to the artistic occupations before funding. How can performing arts professionals manage to combine commercial entrepreneurship with the political skills needed to operate in a government environment? Pan-European overview and national portraits of fifteen EU member states, depicting a lively, dynamic performing arts scene, prospering in the new millennium. It also reveals what's happening behind the scenes: oversupply, with thousands of performing artists unable to find proper jobs, seeking additional income elsewhere. Despite the generosity of governments at all levels, public money comes either in insufficient quantities, or is spent inefficiently. Survey of the hopes and dreams that keep performing artists motivated under these difficult conditions, containing inspiring literature, essential recommendations and new perspectives for everyone involved in this field: artists, managers, scholars, policy makers and politicians active in Europe and across its borders. Some chapters can be downloaded. The authors are: Hans Onno van den Berg, Lluís Bonet, Vesna Copic, Costis Dallas, Christian Esch, Rod Fisher, Rui Telmo Gomes, Ineke van Hamersveld, Sofia Karagianni, Hans van Maanen, Emmanuel Négrier, Georgia Papadopoulu, Lyudmila Petrova, Annick Schramme, Riitta Seppälä, Katia Segers, Cas Smithuijsen, Barbara Stüwe-Eßl, Corina Suteu, János Zoltán Szabó, Margaret Tali, Ana Villarroya and Joris Vermeulen.