How to survive in the long term?

Teatri di Tradizione (theatres of tradition), are a specific type of performing arts organisation operating in the Italian territory with the aim to preserve and valorise the tradition of national music with particular attention to opera. The objective of this thesis is to analyse the economical and managerial situation of the six teatri di tradizione within the region Emilia Romagna (Italy). In order to provide a clear analysis, the research is divided into two main sections: the theoretical framework (chapter 2) which is a guideline for the reader to understand the world of performing arts, an outline to the main problematic features that theatres face every day (with a focus on the Italian situation) and possible strategies to overcome the difficulties, including the current financial crisis. Chapter 4 focuses only on the six teatri di tradizione. The examination of the theatres is carried out through the analysis of 7 semi-structured interviews. These interviews have been conducted by the researcher to 7 relevant workers of the theatres under analysis. |The interviews have taken the research into providing several responses to the research question: “Why does the condition of all the six teatri di tradizione have to be considered not sustainable in the long term?”. The results demonstrate that even if these theatres are able to reach the break-even point yearly, their situation cannot be considered sustainable in the long run. The weak interactions with the societal, market and oikos spheres (Klamer, 2014) are one of the reasons of this unsustainability. Chapter 4 and 5 (conclusion) give broader clarifications on these matters, while chapter 6 discusses the limitations and constraints, which occurred whilst giving some suggestions for further research.