Building – and running – theatres

China’s second international conference on theatre construction and management took place on 16 and 17 November 2017 on the grounds of Expo 2010 in Shanghai. Theatres are still being built at a breathtaking rate in China. Many of them are arts centres following the European model, built with the help of western specialists. But the Chinese operators are now facing the challenge of managing all these new venues. To find solutions, they are keen to cultivate exchange with Europe.

A city’s identity is expressed above all in the buildings it has dedicated to art and culture.

In China, where cities are engaged in a race for urban development, this is especially striking. More arts venues are being built here than almost anywhere else in the world. Over 260 new buildings have been erected so far and the number of domestic theatres risen to over 2000. As cultural consumerism continues to rise, the Chinese government has made budgeting for new cultural buildings, even in smaller cities (with populations of one or two million), an integral part of its Five Year Plan.

To establish and promote cooperation and exchange with the international sector of the industry in China, a second international conference was recently held on the subject of “innovations in theatre and arts buildings in China” in Shanghai. While 2016’s first conference was chiefly concerned with the process of building new theatres, the meeting in November 2017 focused primarily on running the venues. Having been built at an accelerated pace, they can face major problems once opened. The issues discussed at the conference covered the spectrum from operator responsibilities and seat sales, marketing, digitalization in theatre, embedding in local infrastructure, quality control and customer management.

Representatives of over 60 opera houses and arts centres were invited to participate, mostly from China but also some from Europe, as well as architectural firms, service providers and theatre companies. Some 100 participants attended the conference in total.