How political values influence the functioning of theatre?
The example of Tartu in Estonia in a comparative European perspective
Abstract
The paper introduces the results of an empirical research studing the functioning of theatre (the production, distribution and reception domain and their relationships) in the city of Tartu. All public theatrical events during one year were counted and categorized into types and genres. In addition, quantitative and qualitative audience and reception research was carried out. The methodology was developed by an international research group STEP (Project on European Theatre Systems) and comparative aspects of the study are also presented. Even though theatre systems have cultural roots and clearly are the outcomes of particular cultural, political and social history, it is also the priorities in theatre politics and the structure of the theatre system that have a direct influence on the functioning of theatre.
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