B5680 - LABORATORY OF MANAGEMENT OF PERFORMING ARTS

Academic Year 2025/2026

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Innovation and Organization of Culture and the Arts (cod. 6114)

Learning outcomes

The student is expected to learn management and organizational models in the performing arts sector. In particular, the student is expected to: - get an overview of the key players in the performing art system; - outline the key elements of an original festival conceived into one of the main contemporary art fields: popular music, dance, and theatre

Course contents

In this course, students will be introduced to the professional world of organizing and managing performing arts events. They will learn how to define and recognize the main features of an artistic project in the performing arts. They will also become familiar with different aspects of live performance production and understand how it can work as a complex system.

Students will explore the different professional roles within an organization and the main management models used in the field. They will also practice using the specific terminology of the sector and understand the main features and challenges of artistic production processes, starting from the rehearsal schedule, with a special focus on opera, which will be used as a study model.

Readings/Bibliography

An useful text for a systematic study of the topics introduced in the laboratory is the following:

I. Yeoman, M. Robertson, J. Ali-Knight et al. (2004), Festival and Events Management, Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford

A more popular and light-hearted book (but certainly not exhaustive) on the topic is the following:

J. Spelman (2018), The Festival Organiser's Bible, Robinson, London

 

During the laboratory, teaching materials will be provided to support further study of the topics covered, mainly academic papers and excerpts from publications in the field.

Teaching methods

The course uses a seminar-style method, with group discussions and shared analysis of real case studies from the international field of performing arts, focusing on music and musical theatre.

The main part of the workshop will lead to the creation of a feasibility project for an original performing arts festival in the music field. Students will work in groups, collaborating as if they were part of a management team. Together, they will define the festival’s concept and mission, while each student will also take responsibility for one of the main management areas: artistic direction, planning and logistic, community assessment, Mkt&Com, HR and administration.

 

Assessment methods

The exam consists of the presentation of an original festival feasibility study, developed by various working groups during the final laboratory sessions and refined through homework.

Teaching tools

  • International websites of music and theatre organizations
  • Open-access digital tools

Office hours

See the website of Alberto Triola