Strengthening Cultural Offerings in Rural Areas with the Independent Performing Arts - Models for the Professionalisation of Cultural Infrastructures

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Julia Glesner
• Subject Area: Theatre and Media Studies
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 530597587

For residents of rural areas, participation in cultural events is often a challenge because the offer itself or its accessibility is limited. Away from urban infrastructures, the offerings of the few local venues make up a significant part of the basic cultural provision for the local population. At the same time, numerous premises and locations in rural areas often have the potential to become event spaces and thus spaces for cultural participation. Such ‘third places’ are central to cultural work in rural areas. In them, cultural participation gives rise to democratic cooperation. The project aims to improve basic cultural provision in the rural areas of Brandenburg in the long term by (re-)activating potential venues, including performance venues. It focuses on the performing arts as a cultural practice with potential to open up spaces for interaction and opportunities, specifically the independent performing arts, which combine performative forms, dance, music theatre, puppet theatre and other media and genres. They are usually characterized by mobile, flexible, innovative, and sometimes participation-oriented formats. To achieve this, the conditions for success on which the work of the independent performing arts in Brandenburg is based will be evaluated and, if necessary, adapted in such a way that they enable all actors involved - independent performing arts, venues, (cultural) administration and civil society - to establish resilient and long-term forms of cooperation. On a theoretical level, the performing arts are not reflected from an aesthetic or institutional perspective, but primarily as a cultural practice. The first hypothesis is that the targeted networking, mediation, and qualification of the four stakeholder groups and the development of sustainable cooperation models will secure and strengthen the conditions for cultural success and thus improve basic cultural provision in rural areas. The second hypothesis is that these models can also be applied to other arts and socio-spatial structures in other regions. The present project, which relates to a specific impact area in the state of Brandenburg and a specific artistic genre, therefore develops a concept that can be transferred to other regional and artistic contexts. At the centre of the project are two pilot studies in each of two regions, firstly the districts of Ruppin and Ostprignitz-Ruppin and secondly the districts of Spree-Neiße and Oberspreewald-Lausitz, which form the work package ‘development of prototypical cooperation processes’. Parallel to this, the work packages ‘knowledge bank and digital service area’ and ‘further training programme’ are being developed. Together, these form the basis for the fourth work package ‘transfer and dissemination of results’.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants (Transfer Project)
• Application Partner: Landesverband Freie Darstellende Künste Brandenburg e.V.
• Co-Investigator: Professorin Dr. Ellen Euler