Venues and Value

This master thesis tries to determine the function of theater venues in future Dutch society, using a mixed method. The research combines theory from the value based approach within cultural economics with cultural sociology theory and stakeholder theory. It is argued that a theater offers a platform for the realization of values and that the function of theater venues is highly dependent on the community that it serves. By reporting on in-depth interviews with eight actors from varying corners of the Dutch theater sector, the structure of the sector and the function of theaters in this structure are discussed. After that, the optimization of the realization of values by theater venues is discussed. Difficulties in this structure that oppose the optimization of the realization of value are identified. The research ends with the presentation of a context management strategy for theater venues; a strategy that can be applied to any theater and that aims to optimize the realization of value.