Background
The development model of the theater sector in French-speaking Belgium is weakening dangerously. This is explained by several factors: lack of means (40.000.000€ subsidies/year) , increasing precariousness of artists, lack of distribution of works, lack of medium- and long-term vision by some of the public players, weak connection between theatrical arts and other artistic sectors (cinema, television, radio etc.), and an inability to adapt to technical developments that impact the theatrical sector (digitalization, distribution etc.).
This obligates everyone – authorities, artists, theater operators, public and citizens – to act to reverse this trend and restore the priority of growing the employment rate among artists, artistic creation, investments and artistic distribution within and beyond the frontiers.
Challenges
A very small percentage of investments in the theater are for artistic employment. The political wish for the new millennium has been to try to reorganize the sector. This institutional attempt to organize and plan theater activity did not allow achieving the hoped-for objectives nor to become a growth vector both for artistic employment and for investments in the creation of artistic works. Similarly, distribution of theatrical works has turned into a real battle, not to mention its spread outside of French-speaking Belgium to the wider French-speaking world where there remains an enormous fallow market.
The objective is to rectify this through total transparency in the allocation of budgets, creating enhanced commitments to investment in artistic employment while opting for a strategy of promoting artists.
Alongside the client, Wavestone helps:
- To map out the theater scene based on objective facts that contribute to thinking about the cultural policy to be followed in the coming years,
- To determine the share of investments made in artistic works for theaters,
- To draw up operational and implementation recommendations, in order to release the means needed to increase employment and artistic creativity, considering budgetary restrictions.
Answers & key factors of success
Mobilizing the Wavestone team has facilitated supporting the client in identifying optimization tracks for proper operation of theatrical operators, by proposing the following output:
- A map of the theatrical scene,
- Drawing up operational and implementation recommendations,
- Proposals for items to be included in the draft bill.
