The survival toolkit of Dutch performing arts organizations

In 2013 the Dutch cultural sector had undergone huge cuts of the governmental subsidies. The victims, who suffered the most, were performing arts organizations and this research aims to explore how some of them managed to survive. The two case studies include a youth theatre in Amsterdam and a regional opera house, which lost more than half of their subsidies. I conduct qualitative content analysis of the annual reports of both organizations in a period of 2011-2015 to trace the internal changes in organization, which happened after the cuts. The interviews with the directors serve as an additional source of data. Findings illustrate that both organizations mobilised all available resources to keep their doors open. Unfortunately, it included losses not only of the financial, but also artistic and human resources. Many cultural professionals became jobless, while the remained staff followed reorganization and pay cuts. However, both opera and youth theatre became incredibly active and entrepreneurial in search of a new funding sources, employing new marketing strategies and reaching new audiences, which in a long run may establish additional financial sources.