Theatre in the Netherlands
Theatre
Here you can find a description of the Dutch theatre world: read more about producers and theatre makers, which companies get subsidy from the national government, and about theatres and festivals you could perform.
Theatre for children and youngsters
Several companies are specialized in theatre for children and youngsters. Some get funded by the government on a structural basis, others don't. Most theatres book shows for children and youngsters as well. A few theatres and festivals program only for these age groups. Schools are also an important 'customer' for children's theatre. Shows booked by schools take place in a theatre or in the school building.
Support
There are several werkplaatsen (workshops) and productiehuizen (production houses) where you can work on a production. In general workshops are for recently graduated artists. Production houses make performances with varying teams, sometimes with a few permanent artists.
If you want to set up your own company, or you already have one and you need help, read the articles about intermediaries in the performance sector in general and about impresariaten en theaterbureaus (in Dutch).
If you need more help, check which organisation can provide you with support, advice, and information.
employment in performing arts
 Source: Podiumpeiler 2011 |
| How many people work in the performing arts? |
| In 2009 more than 17,000 performing artists were active in the Netherlands. The majority (13,000) worked as musicians. |
| Performing artists form 0.2% of the total working population and almost 23% of the total number of professional artists. These are people who state that their profession is performing artist. |
| Total employment in the performing arts in 2010 accounted for between 62,000 and 73,000 jobs, equivalent to between 0.8 and 0.9% of the total number of jobs. These figures also include auxiliary staff such as theatre management staff, theatre catering staff, and musical instrument makers. |
| How many venues, performances and visitors are there in the Netherlands? |
| The Atlas local authority data base listed a total of 999 venues in 2009, in which almost 67,000 performances in the performing arts took place. |
| These performances attracted an estimated total public of 21.5 million. |
| The average size of the public per performance fell from 369 in 2005 to 323 in 2009 – a drop of more than 12%. |
| Pop music drew in the largest audiences (43%), followed by cabaret and musicals (both 13%). |
| The smallest audiences were for dance (3%) and opera (4%). |
| Podiumpeiler estimates that 467 performing arts festivals took place in 2010, attracting a total public of 15 million. This is 23% of the total number of events and 11% of the total events public. |
| The audience size for performing arts events fell from 18 million in 2008 to 15 million in 2010. |
see also:
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