RESEARCH REPORT FOR PERFORMING ART
THEATRES PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SKILLS
AND HIGHER EDUCATION NEEDS IN CHINA
JUNE, 2016
Research Report on Performing Arts Theatres Professional Project Name Development Skills and Higher Education Needs in China
Project Delivery Period June
Commissioned by The British Council China
Researcher Theatre Management Department, Central Academy of Drama
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CONTENTS
I. Introduction and Research Methodology ...... 3 1. Research Objective ...... 3 2. Research Approach ...... 3 3. Research Methodology ...... 4 4. Report Structure ...... 5 II. Status Quo of Professional Theatres of Performing Arts in China ...... 6 1. Background of the theatre infrastructure boom ...... 6 2. Update on theatre construction boom ...... 7 3. Theatre operation today ...... 8 4. Theatre professionals ...... 10 5. Policy factors affecting theatre development ...... 11 III. Advanced Education of Professionals for Performing Theatres ...... 16 1. Status quo ...... 16 2. Challenges ...... 22 3. Strategy for the future ...... 24 IV. Skill Development of Performing Arts Theatre Professionals and Relevant Needs in China ...... 25 1. Future development of theatres and theatre professionals ...... 25 2. Skill gap among theatre professionals ...... 25 3. Needs for human resources development ...... 27 V. Appendix ...... 33 Appendix 1: List of top universities of performing arts in China ...... 33 Appendix 2: List of top theatres of performing arts in China ...... 34
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I. Introduction and Research Methodology
1. Research Objective
As the cultural environment improves further, the theatre scene in China has also
thrived. The mix of theatre professionals and their specialist skills have also
undergone remarkable changes, which in turn will promote the progress of the
industry. Therefore, placing emphasis on the demand of theatre practitioners for
professional skills development is highly relevant.
This report aims to examine, analyze and evaluate the infrastructure of professional
performing theatres and the related higher education and to identify the needs for
professional skill development and higher education for the practitioners of theatres in
China.
2. Research Approach
There is a unique political, economic and cultural context to the rise of China’s theatre
scene. It profoundly shapes the configuration and positioning of theatres in China.
Given China’s distinctive cultural traits, government and policy direction play a critical
role in the development of theatres. Therefore, to understand the current status of the
theatre industry, it is necessary to study the context and relevant policies. As a result
of the interplay of different factors, China’s theatre industry has demonstrated “a
strong momentum yet lackluster stamina”. One of the most critical weaknesses is
talent. China faces a serious shortage of theatre practitioners with qualified skills. This
problem stems from the gap in professional education, which not only leads to career
obstacles for theatre practitioners, but also undermines the development of the
theatre industry as a whole. Therefore, only by understanding the cause and effect of
theatre development and related higher education can we identify the skill gap in
theatre professionals and their future needs. This is the overall research approach of
this report.
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3. Research Methodology
Based on actual needs, the research team drafted a research outline and used it as a
reference point in the collection of information and data from multiple sources. A
combination of research methodologies was used for in-depth analysis to inform the
final report. The research team mainly adopted the following methodologies:
1). Survey
Survey is a common research methodology and consists of many survey tools. Based
on actual conditions, the research team mainly chose interview and questionnaire.
(I) Interview: The research team chose a sample of theatres from different categories
as well as research institutes for interview, for example, the Beijing People’s Art
Theatre Capital Theatre, Beijing Poly Theatre, Central Academy of Drama
Experimental Theatre and Beijing Dao & Strategy Consulting Performance Industry
Research Center. Interviews were conducted with their managers and frontline staff to
glean truthful and research-worthy first-hand information.
(II) Questionnaire: Due to access constraints, the research team was unable to
interview directly theatres in remote locations. Therefore, the research team designed
targeted questionnaires and distributed such questionnaires widely through the British
Council. It also ran statistics and analysis on the questionnaires returned by the
Shanghai Grand Theatre, Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center, Chongqing Fuling Grand
Theatre, Cathay Pacific Art Center and Beijing Drum Tower West Theatre.
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2). Literature
The literature methodology is about collecting data by sifting through literature. It
provides viable supplement for accurate and comprehensive understanding of the
research subject. The research team widely scoured information sources in
newspapers, periodicals and magazines, trade literature archives, trade association
journals and government publications and delved into literature on the status of
theatre infrastructure, theatre management, theatre professionals and higher
education in theatre. It also looked into background information related to the theatre
development in the context of cultural reform. Such information provided reference
and backup for this report on both macro and micro levels.
3). Experience Summary
Experience summary is among the most practical research methodologies and has
many benefits such as being truthful, accurate and illustrative. The head of the
research team has many years of experience working in theatre and teaching theatre
classes in higher learning institutions. Based on his detailed description of theatre and
teaching practices, the research team summarized and analyzed the status quo of
theatres and related higher learning institutions and the professional qualifications of
theatre talent. This coupled with academic theories and interviews and questionnaire
results, gave a systematic and theoretic framework to the research.
4. Report Structure
The report comprises three parts. The first part examines the status quo of theatres in
China, including the background to the theatre infrastructure boom, theatre
construction pipeline and the implications of cultural policies. The second part reviews
the higher education sector in China for training theatre professionals, including the
latest overview, existing challenges and future trends. The third part building on the
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first and second parts, deals with the trends of skill development, skill gap and future
developmental needs of theatre practitioners.
II. Status Quo of Professional Theatres of Performing Arts in China
1. Background of the theatre infrastructure boom
Alongside rapid economic growth and people’s more sophisticated intellectual pursuit
and cultural entertainment needs, China put forward a strategy of “strengthening the
country through culture” on 18th October 2011, in the Sixth Plenary Meeting of the
17th China Communist Party Central Committee. Cultural reform and development
was incorporated into the master plan of socio-economic development and became a
key performance indicator (KPI) for various levels of the government and their
leadership. A cultural boom quickly ensued. Owing to its prominent place in the
cultural sphere, theatre became a preferred focus politically. The construction of
professional theatre complexes (grand theatres) in China started in 1998, marked by
the completion of the Shanghai Grand Theatre. Grand theatre construction
proliferated across China, not just in tier-1 and tier-2 cities which had fully-equipped
theatre buildings erected, but also prefecture and county-level cities. It is worth noting
that regardless of the local economic condition, performance demand and viewership
size, the theatres being built were largely extravagant large-scaled theatres. This
added to both the upfront costs and the ongoing maintenance and management costs
on the part of the government. Injecting vitality into such luxurious infrastructure and
making it an integral part of local cultural life therefore became an imperative. A major
challenge arises for the theatre industry in China, i.e. how to leverage social
resources to breathe life into these theatres and make their operations self-sufficient.
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2. Update on theatre construction boom
Preliminary statistics suggest there is a total of 2,455 theatres in China, around 108 of
which were completed between 2011 and 2014. In the next two years, around 50 new
theatres will be completed with a combined investment of over RMB18 billion.1 New
theatre projects are often big and costly to build. Take 1,000 theatres that benchmark
towards “city landmark” as an example, the average investment per theatre ranges
from RMB1 billion to as high as RMB5 billion. The grand theatre frenzy is fading out in
the eastern provinces whereas the centre of gravity now shifts towards central
provinces such as Anhui, Hubei, Shaanxi and Xinjiang. Among the 29 new grand
theatres slated for construction in the next two years each with a seating capacity of
over 1,000, 17 or 58% are concentrated in central and western regions. In 2015, a
flurry of grand theatres topped off, namely, the Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts
Center, Shijiazhuang Xiaguang Grand Theatre (Hebei), Harbin Grand Theatre
(Heilongjiang), Harbin Concert Hall (Heilongjiang), Liaoyang Grand Theatre
(Liaoning), Bengbu Opera House (Anhui), Shiguangnan Grand Theatre (Chongqing),
Qianjiang Caoyu Grand Theatre (Hubei), Huanggang Grand Theatre for Huangmei
Opera (Hubei), Xiangyang Grand Theatre (Hubei), Changsha Concert Hall (Hunan),
Zhuhai Opera House (Guangdong), Zengcheng Grand Theatre (Guangdong) and
Xiamen Jiageng Theatre (Fujian). In 2016, the Jiangsu Grand Theatre (Jiangsu),
Jiaying Opera House (Guangdong), Straits Performing Arts Centre (Fujian), Shaanxi
Grand Theatre (Shaanxi) and Yan’an Grand Theatre (Shaanxi) will be completed. At
the same time, the construction of small-scale theatres (excluding large theatre
complexes) have also picked up steam, with 8 small theatres being added in China in
2014. Nonetheless, small theatres are still in short supply. Theatres with a seating
capacity of under 500 seats account for nearly 40% and nationwide there are only
30-plus theatres with a seating capacity of under 100 each.2
1 Dao Strategy Performance Industry Research Center, Commercial Performance Trends in China 2014-2015[R]. Beijing, 2015. 2 Dao Strategy Performance Industry Research Center, Commercial Performance Trends in China 2014-2015[R]. Beijing, 2015.
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As at 31 December, 2014, 1,707 out of the 2,455 theatres in China had presented
commercial performances 3 (each performance hall counts as a venue), up 22.8%
year on year and accounting for 69% of all performance venues. The number of active
performing theatres was above 100 in Beijing, Guangdong and Shanghai each.4 As
far as current statistics are concerned, nearly one third of the theatres in China remain
unused5.
3. Theatre operation today
In China there are two kinds of theatre, state-owned and independent. State-owned
theatres are the majority in absolute terms. Among state-owned theatres there are
theatres having both the venue and performers, run by the venue operator and
theatres directly run by the government. From a government’s perspective, a theatre
can be either self-run or run by a professional company (company-run). A self-run
theatre is managed by a local culture organisation with some government funding. A
company-run theatre is managed by a professional company where the local
government contributes a management fee, and some of the profits go back to the
government or the government makes the companies to manage the finance
independently. In China, the biggest professional theatre management company is
Beijing Poly Theatre Management Co., Ltd, followed by CPAA under the China Arts
and Entertainment Group. State-owned theatres adopt a semi-public institution and
semi-business management approach. In China, there has been no successful
commercially run theatre like London West End.
According to 2014 statistics released by the China Association of Performing Arts
(CAPA) on theatre revenue breakdown, the combined revenues of 2,455 professional
3 In China, commercial performances means that the event is for profit, usually operated by the self-fund private enterprise in contrast, the non-profit one is government funded and organised by government owned cultural institution. 4 Dao Strategy Performance Industry Research Center, Commercial Performance Trends in China 2014-2015[R]. Beijing, 2015. 5 Dao Strategy Performance Industry Research Center, Commercial Performance Trends in China 2014-2015[R]. Beijing, 2015.
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theatres in China for 2014 amounted to RMB14.288 billion, accounting for 0.022% of
GDP (Gross Domestic Product). Broken down, self-run performances brought in
RMB3.885 billion, venue rental RMB3.175 billion, government subsidies RMB5.378
billion and facilities and other services RMB1.850 billion.6
Breakdown of revenue of professional theatres in China (2014)
1.85 3.59 自营演出Self-run performances
场租收入Venue rental
5.38 3.18 政府补贴Government subsidies
配套设施及其他服务Facilities and other services
Unit: In RMB1 billion
Among performances, 20,400 music performances brought in RMB3.659 billion in box
office revenue, the second highest among all performance categories and accounting
for 26.55% of total box office revenue. 45,700 opera performances, including stage
play, traditional opera and children’s opera, posted RMB3.601 in box office revenue,
ranking No.3 among all performance categories and accounting for 26.13% of total
box office revenue. The average ticket price for a stage play was RMB285, RMB181
for traditional opera and RMB100 for children’s play. 5,700 dance performances were
staged with RMB869 million in box office revenue, or 0.30% of total box office revenue.
The average ticket price for a dance performance was RMB279.7
6 China Association of Performing Arts, 2014 China Performance Industry Report[R]. Beijing, 2015. 7 China Association of Performing Arts, 2014 China Performance Industry Report[R]. Beijing, 2015.
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2014 Revenue breakdown by
45 performance category 3.84 40 3.66 3.60 35 30 25 20 1.82 15 0.87 10 5 0 音乐类Music 戏剧类Opera 舞蹈类Dance Entertainment娱乐演出 show 旅游演出Tour
Unit: In RMB1 billion
4. Theatre professionals
Specialized managers and technicians are lacking in the theatre space. Given the
special nature of theatre management, a theatre manager must be multi-talented,
having business skills, knowing the technology and being artistic. Many theatre
managers today are not academically trained in theatre management. The talent in
this area is in short supply. Furthermore, many theatres have no on-the-job training
programme, resulting in obsolete skills on the part of the technicians who know little
about how to operate state-of-the-art equipment purchased by the theatre. This has
caused huge waste.
In 2014, there were 28,340 professional theatre practitioners. Among them, 6,369
were mid-level managers and above. Only 30% of the theatre managers have an
education background in arts, stage technology or management studies. 8 As at 31
December, 2014, there were 26,938 holders of the Performance Management
8 China Association of Performing Arts, 2014 China Performance Industry Report[R]. Beijing, 2015
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Qualification (PMQ)9, a training and certification programme led by CAPA. This
particular qualification is among the most important credentials for practitioners in
stage performance. In China, a performance management institution10 requires at
least three PBQ holders in order to apply for the Performance management License
for its business. Currently, there are only 1,126 PBQ holders working in theatre in
China, representing 4.18% of the total PBQ holder population.11
Person
2014 Professional theatre workforce
1911
4458
普通工作人员Ordinary employees
其他中层管理人员Other mid-level managers 21971 拥有专业技术、学历人员Professionally trained and
educated
5. Policy factors affecting theatre development
1). Cultural policy trends
Inspired by the address of President Xi Jinping to an audience of cultural practitioners,
the culture and entertainment sector actively pursued creations and performances in
2014 and 2015. In order for cultural organisations and institutions to create some
9 The Qualification is issued by China Association of Performing Arts, and to be trained and examed by the association, it is need to reapplied after the 4 years validation time 10 Mainly refers to Promoter. 11 China Association of Performing Arts, 2014 China Performance Industry Report[R]. Beijing, 2015.
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great performance works featuring the Chinese Dream12, the government introduced
many policy incentives in favour of individuals, projects and performance spaces. The
government addressed some practical challenges, rejuvenated the theatre scene and
enlivened the performance market.
(I) Putting social impact first and promoting prosperous socialist culture and
entertainment
Aligned with the government objective, theatres bear the responsibility of creating an
enabling and prosperous market, improving public service functions and presenting
great works to their audiences. Therefore, state-owned theatres must put social
benefit first and balance social benefit with commercial viability. They must build a
positive public image and position themselves precisely in terms of operation, choice
of performance titles and service management. Profit-making should not be their
primary goal. This is an important guideline for theatres in terms of repertoire choice
and partnership with performing groups. In other words, theatres must not be vulgar,
distasteful or sycophantic.
(II) A flurry of government incentives to encourage and support art organisations
A flourishing cultural market depends on government support in terms of policy and
funding. From 2013 to 2015, the Chinese government introduced a number of
measures in support of art organisations. The 3rd Plenum of the 18th CPC Central
Committee of 2013 proposed lowering barriers to private investment in culture and
entertainment and allowing majority private ownership as part of the ownership
restructuring of art and culture organisations. In 2014, the Notice of the State Council
General Office on the Publishing of Two Regulations on Converting Commercial
Cultural Public Service Institutions into Companies in Cultural Sector Reform and on
Further Supporting the Development of Cultural Businesses fleshed out the idea of
12 Chinese President Xi Jinping mentions “Chinese Dream” since at 18th national people’s congress, proposed on 29th November 2012.
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implementing the “special management shares” pilot and stock incentive pilot in
cultural firms.13 Meanwhile, matching incentives were introduced by provincial and
city governments. For example, Shenzhen promoted the Implementing Measures on
Encouraging Private Donation to Not-for-profit Cultural and Sport Undertakings in
2016, which allowed private investors to back not-for-profit performances.
(III) Keeping growth sensible and in line with current conditions
As an undesirable legacy, theatre groups have developed the vice of “creating works
for awards, not for the audience”. In response to the proliferation of cultural awards,
award-rigging and exchange of favors and in order to make such awards credible and
convincing, the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC) created the
CFLAC Cultural Award Administrative Measures (Revised Draft) and CFLAC
Implementing Procedures for Creating a Panel of Judges for National Cultural Awards
in 2015. In line with the reform agenda of the central government regarding national
cultural awards, CFLAC significantly reduced the number and sub-categories of such
awards. The number of awards shrank from 1,123 to 248, down by 78%. The number
of sub-categories was reduced by 72%, from 237 to 67. Some sub-categories were
removed entirely. The reduction in entries for presentation and award consideration
has made the awards more credible. At the same time, the use of theatres has also
shifted gradually from meeting government demands to satisfying audiences. As a
result, theatres are able to import and produce works that both meet political
motivations and market needs. This gave a new lease of life to the theatre industry.
2). Policy formulation and support
13 Special Management shares includes the golden share and Dual Share system. A golden share is a nominal share which is able to outvote all other shares in certain specified circumstances, often held by a government organisation, in a government company undergoing the process of privatization and transformation into a stock-company. The dual share system is a Chinese specialised share. The special management share could make the cultural enterprise encourage the employee to buy shares, also ensure the government to control the company’s vision to be in line with the government’s political agenda.
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(I) Funding
Theatre construction has flourished. In recent years, the Chinese government has
directed more funding towards the performance industry. Taking Beijing as an
example, Dongcheng District created a subsidy programme and a special funding
facility in 2014 for supporting theatre art, notably, the creation of high-quality works,
theatre transformation and theatre branding. RMB92 million has been spent to date,
including on 73 theatre transformation projects.14
Subsidies are to prevent expensive ticket prices. Expensive ticket prices are one of
the prolonged challenges of China’s performance market. Due to high production
costs such as rental, a disproportionally large numbers of tickets being gifted,
ineffective marketing and slow government subsidies, ticket prices in China have
remained high. Recognising this challenge and the increasingly important objective of
providing more culture and entertainment choices to the public, the government set up
a special fare subsidy programme to make performances affordable. Take Beijing as
an example; the Beijing Municipal Government introduced the Trial Administrative
Measures on the Special Subsidy Programme for Ticket Price (Jing-Wen-Yan-Yi-Fa
[2014] No.142). RMB15 million was made available to subsidize commercial
performances at large and medium-sized theatres in the Beijing area. Affordable fares
were encouraged. Performance groups in Beijing could all apply for low-fare subsidies
through performance venue operators. In 2015, 97 groups passed the review and
received the subsidies.
The special funding facility supports the best stage works. In order to support theatre
creativity, the Cultural Department of Beijing set up a “special funding facility for the
creation and production of stage art in Beijing” in 2009 to fund play writing for up to
RMB800,000 and for no more than 20 productions per year. The performance prize
was granted maximally at RMB1 million.
14 Beijing Cultural Bureau (2014) Dongcheng District Funding Achieved Great Impact available from: http://www.sccnt.gov.cn/gnwhxw/201408/t20140820_15149.html
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In summary, the government has extended funding support to the performance
industry. The support has expanded into more areas and is likely to intensify. Also the
government funding has shown a sensible side, and it requires more evaluation,
compare to old times.
(II) Programme support
Fund art programmes: To enable prolific art creation, the Chinese government
proposed the National Art Foundation Charter (Trial) in 2014 to fund and reward art
organisations and individual artists. Upon review of applications, 81 large stage
productions and 100 small stage productions were funded in 2014, with a total
amount of RMB230 million. 79 art communication, exchange and dissemination
programmes received funding totaling RMB150 million. In 2015, the National Art
Foundation increased its support for newly created works. Large new stage
productions typically received RMB800, 000 to RMB4 million in funding. Large stage
productions with material changes or adaptation typically received RMB500, 000 to
RMB2.4 million. Small stage art projects received RMB100, 000 to RMB200, 000.
Encourage performance through a platform: Beijing has a plethora of performance
resources and groups. The market for performances is active, but theatre distribution
and utilization is uneven. The cost of theatre rental is excessively high for art groups
and the tickets are priced too high. In 2015, the Beijing Department of Culture and
Department of Finance officially announced to launch the Beijing theatre operation
and service platform to benefit theatres, performance groups and audiences. The
platform was a public-service vehicle, developed as a government procurement
programme, i.e., the government paid to procure theatre resources and rent them out
at little or no cost to art groups so as to provide theatre access for some of the best
stage works. Through mass promotion and marketing and the offer of price discounts,
the government helped lower the cost of production and price of tickets. The
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programme has drawn a bigger theatre-going crowd to share in the fruits of cultural
creativity.
(III) Talent development
In recent years, the Chinese government has realised the importance of nurturing
theatre talent. It organised further training activities for theatre practitioners through a
dedicated training fund. Since 2014, the National Art Foundation Charter (Trial)
created a dedicated talent nurturing and training programme and provided funding
and rewards to cultural institutions and individuals. In 2014, 41 talent nurturing and
training projects were initiated, including international exchanges of art and
management specialists and the training of young choreographers. In 2015, 99
projects received funding, including theatre building, stage technician training, talent
development for theatre operation and management, opera performer training, etc. So
far, nearly 2,000 training spots have been filled through funded programmes of talent
training for 2014.
In the meantime, training led by the Ministry of Culture (MOC) is ongoing. The MOC
has been running a nationwide training workshop for performance company
managers and directors of large and medium-sized professional performance groups
since 2013. Each training workshop has featured themes related to the performance
industry. State-owned art groups in various provinces and cities may apply to
participate should they have the need.
III. Advanced Education of Professionals for Performing Theatres
1. Status quo
1). Enrollment
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The performance industry has seen remarkable growth in China, notably in the
theatre sector. There are currently around 90 higher education institutions that admit
art management or cultural management students, but almost none target theatre
managers. 15 The only related majors are cultural industry management and art
communication management. Both comprehensive and specialised universities offer
programmes related to art and media, but such programmes are more general than
specialised. Among the specialised universities, the Central Drama Academy offers a
theatre management programme that contains modules related to theatre operation
and management. The undergraduate programme of this major mainly targets senior
high school students aged between 18 and 20 who are enrolled in the national college
entrance examination. The post-graduate programme has no age limit and the
university decides the intake number. Therefore, it has attracted many experienced
candidates.
2). Quality of students
The majority of theatre practitioners in China have no relevant degree in theatre
management or drama management, but rather are graduates of cultural industry
management, general art management or even journalism and media programmes.
As theatre management is lacking as a formal degree in China whereas culture
management and art management are extensive but not specialised, the graduates of
the above-mentioned programmes may have taken up theatre-related jobs, but they
must be trained properly and be exposed to the job long enough to really become
competent. The following table summarises the specific universities and their
programmes.
15 Information was gathered from the China University Admission Brochures
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Summary of Universities and Career Prospects
Objective Programme Related School Department Courses Potential Career (Concentration) Information Programmes 4-year undergraduate Management To train students programme. theories; in practical Students economics; skills, basic receive culture theories of homogeneous Work on project investment industry, education for planning, art and finance; economic art university operation and art management, from first to management in management; Peking Art (Art culture and art third semester. culture Drama, TV, film art critical University industry theories, refined In the fourth administration, and literature; art writing; art (Comprehensive) management) taste in art and semester, publishing, history law; culture market research, students advertising and marketing; business choose one of media, art museum administration, four tracks, art merchandising studies; art operational and history, drama, organisations curation; art cross-cultural film and policy; communication literature and creative skills culture management industry management To nurture Cultural high-caliber industry graduates with theories; Work in cultural comprehensive, cultural enterprise, balanced and industry Advertising; 4-year government specialist skills, management; Chinese literature undergraduate administration and Culture and solid cultural cultural (for advertorial Central credit-based public institution, in Media grounding and production writing, executive University of programme functions such as Department creative skills, theories; and cultural Finance and with investment and (culture knowledge of the cultural creative skills); Economics compulsory, finance, project industry underlying law marketing; journalism; art (Comprehensive) elective and management, management) of the culture cultural design (print internship cultural creative, industry, cultural consumer media and modules administrative investment and study; culture calligraphy) affairs and finance, investment marketing operation and and finance; management public culture skills administration Drama 4-year Work in theatre Performing; production undergraduate group, theatre, directing; stage and operation; programme. cultural company, Drama art; drama and stage Follow the TV station, Central Drama Management To train literature; management; school’s publishing house or Academy Department competent stage musical; Peking performance emphasis on advertising firm, in (Specialized) (performance managers opera; opera; brokerage; developing functions such as production) dance; TV and cultural event basic and performance film; drama management; practical skills, production, education fundamentals improve operation and
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of theatre classroom management, group teaching for cultural management; theoretical performance event fundamentals education and management, of theatre prepare planning and management; students with coordination of art law; practical job stage technology or production skills through logistics for cultural analysis; a diverse events performance range of marketing activities 4-year credit-based Government-funded To develop undergraduate organisations, art high-end theatre programme, agencies, news and operation and Introduction to combining publishing Performing, stage management art; basics of specialized agencies; engage design, drama Shanghai Drama Creative professionals management; learning and in performance and literature, Academy department (art and prepare a economics; practice; production, cultural directing, TV and (Specialized) management) talent pool for intellectual overseas agent, art film, traditional research on property internship management, opera, dancing culture and art opportunities creative work, management available for marketing, and art junior-year education students 4-year undergraduate programme; Introduction to indigenous musical art “art To enable management, management students to Musical art and musical and planning acquire all kinds administrative aesthetics, week” Music composing; of music management, operation and programme musicology; Music theories and music business and Central Music management enables conducting; department business market Conservatory of artists, students to go orchestral (musical art management management, (Specialized) analysis on through the instruments; folk management) skills and to music classic entire process music; vocal materialize communication and performance from planning, music and opera theory into business cases, basics organisation, drivers for management of financing, control and artistic creation introduction to execution, marketing well connecting theory to practice To develop Introduction to 4-year Theatre, cultural Classic dance; China-foreign dancing art; undergraduate company, art Chinese folk Art dancing art sociology of programme management dance; dance Beijing Dance communications exchanges and art; theory composed of agency; directing; ballet; Academy department (art management and practice three modules professionals of ethno-choreology; (Specialized) management) professionals of advertising; of basic culture social dance; and introduction to theory, management musical theatre; professionals cultural and practice and related to dancing art
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good at dancing creative frontier art, art communication art industry; lecture, administration and administration media offering field dancing and dancing planning and practice and performance performance management; one-on-one planning planning and consumer tutoring management behavior and psychology of art
3). Career prospects
In general, graduates majoring in culture management and art management have a
wide range of job options. Graduates from top universities normally choose to work for
state-owned cultural institutions in Tier-1 cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou
before joining private performance companies and other related organisations as their
second option. Take the Central Academy of Drama as an example. The Academy is
a leading university in drama management and performance production. The majority
of its graduates are active in performance production and operation in all kinds of
performance troupes, theatres and cultural companies across China. However the
preferred employers for graduates are national cultural and art organisations such as
the National Centre for Performing Arts, the Beijing People’s Art Theatre, the National
Theatre of China, and the China National Peking Opera Company. 224 students
graduated with bachelor’s degree from the drama management department of the
Academy between 2005 and 2010. Job information has been collected on 146 of
them, according to which most graduates choose to join performance companies or
state-owned companies or to pursue advanced studies.
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Job Statistics of BA Graduates of Drama Management from the Central Academy of Drama 2005-2010 (146 people)
13% 12% 剧院团Theatre s and performance troupes 演出公司及国企Performance companies and SOEs 7% 升学Advanced studies 14% 学校及教育机构 35% Schools and educational institutions 电视台及媒体TV and media 19% 其他Others
Unit: people
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2. Challenges
1). Lack of qualified teachers
There is no discipline specialised in theatre management; theatre managers all
graduate from other disciplines. First-class theatres require qualified professionals,
and qualified instructors are essential for training theatre professionals. Many
university teachers teach courses they did not learn as major. Many teachers are
good at theoretical knowledge but lack practical experience because experienced
theatre managers are too busy working at theatres to teach at schools. Even when
they are invited as guest lecturers, they are not equipped with necessary teaching
skills to transfer their experiences to students. To build and develop teaching
resources is an important challenge to China’s higher education system.
2). Dislocation between teaching theories and practices
Higher education institutions are the main arena for training art professionals and
improving art literacy. Every year universities supply a large number of art
professionals to the performance industry. But there has been a common problem to
both comprehensive universities and specialized institutions, i.e. proven disconnect
between the theories taught in classroom and practice, as well as disproportionate
time of the students spent on theory versus practice. As a result, many students are
misinformed about the real society and not prepared for the real world. They fail to
adapt to work quickly enough after graduation. Students are taught theatre-related
subjects in classrooms instead of hands-on practice in a theatre setting. Without
onsite practice, theoretical knowledge is not enough. Only being physically in a
theatre to learn about its operation, management process and functional
responsibilities can students apply what they learned in school to real practice and
better prepare themselves for work after graduation. The ultimate goal of learning is to
practice.
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3). Misalignment between what universities offer and what society and market
need
It is incumbent upon higher education institutions to closely follow the societal
changes and market trends and to develop professionals truly needed by the industry.
However, Chinese universities are clearly slow-movers, and similarly in developing
the faculty. Therefore Chinese performing art institutions and other art organisations
shall heed the trends in theatre development and create theatre management
disciplines. At the same time, they shall learn best practices from foreign peers and
set up disciplines in a way that suits China’s national reality and supplies high-caliber
professionals for the industry.
4). Inadequate innovation with teaching methods
Many universities are still practicing traditional teaching methods. Undergraduate
students enrolled in 2016 were mostly born in 1998. Students born in the 90s show
completely different characteristics compared with the older generation as their
individuality has been reinforced by the educational system designed for all-round
development. They are open-minded, self-absorbed and conscious of their own rights.
After years of social, economic and cultural development, existing teaching methods
and mechanisms in many universities today no longer fit the conditions of students,
leading to greater tension between students and schools. Without reinventing
teaching, student management and quality of teaching will become even more
difficult.
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5). Lack of world-class teaching resources and international exposure
Greater enrollment in universities caused a shortfall of teaching resources. For better
quality of higher education, it is necessary to benchmark to the teaching methods and
resources available at world-class universities. Cooperation with leading universities
from around the world may include the introduction of world-class professors and joint
research. This is critical for the self-improvement of Chinese universities.
3. Strategy for the future
Problems encountered in practice can promote theoretical research. Recognizing the
challenges in the training of theatre management professionals, performing art
universities and some comprehensive universities are now paying more attention to
this issue and putting in place the appropriate disciplines. For instance, at the Central
Academy of Drama, theatre management is a popular programme. It is also possible
to set up disciplines specific to theatre management. While improving teaching
methods, universities are paying more attention to both theoretical training and
practice. Students are encouraged to work in real theatres and learn by doing.
International cultural exchanges will be stepped up to allow students to broaden their
horizon, learn cultures of other countries, acquire knowledge of theatre management
and theatre equipment, and observe the world from a global perspective.
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IV. Skill Development of Performing Arts Theatre Professionals and Relevant Needs in China
1. Future development of theatres and theatre professionals
Chinese theatres in the future will be influenced by the cultural and economic
conditions and cultural policies of today, and the development of the performing arts
market and related higher education courses in China. As such, Chinese theatres in
the future will carry the following features: moderate growth; new formats with greater
variation, including the annual revenue, performance schedule, audience number,
etc., due to different locations and cities, staffs portfolios, local government funding,
and local cultures, etc. ; diversified revenue streams instead of solely depending on
rental revenue; additional funding sources and financing channels; more
service-oriented and professionally-run, and there will be more demand for
professional talent. The development of theatres requires stronger professional skills,
thus performance evaluation criteria for these professionals have to be established.
2. Skill gap among theatre professionals
Theatre professionals face a number of challenges in operating and managing
theatres. This could significantly impact theatre’s long-term viability. These challenges
are:
1). Shortage of professionals
It is not easy for theatres to hire the right professionals. After conversion from cultural
institutions to enterprises, most theatres become financially independent cultural
enterprises. As shown in the figure on employment in the section above, public
institutions are the first choice for most graduates. As theatres can only provide
limited compensation and benefits, they look less attractive to talented professionals.
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2). Graduates of other majors fail to meet the job requirements.
Due to difficulties in introducing professionals to the industry, theatres have to employ
people of other majors, who fail to meet the requirements of the job. For example, a
theatre manager with a bachelor’s degree in media who joined the industry out of
interest has to take on important responsibilities of coordination and production. He
could only learn from experience, which will inevitably cause many unintended
problems. According to our survey, this is common among the majority of theatres.
3). Under-qualified staff due to inadequate training
Skill development requires constant training. Without improvement, skills will diminish
in the long run. For instance, due to insufficient training, none of the technical
operators in a theatre chain are able to use the newly purchased state-of-the-art
equipment, which results in a huge waste.
4). Lack of devotion and initiative
Since many employees are from non-related backgrounds, they lack a basic
understanding of theatres, thus are not passionate enough about their jobs. In
addition, the compensation package is not attractive enough, so employees lack the
initiative. For example, the most important job of marketing is to build a brand for the
theatre, however, employees themselves know little about their own theatre or
production. They work with little passion and their job description includes very
fundamental promotion duties. And this is not in the interest of theatres in the long
run.
5). Shortage of managers with combined skills
Art appreciation, management and technical skills are the three attributes that
qualified theatre supervisors should have. Today, managers of Chinese theatres are
either government officials, artists from troupes, or other related individuals, who have
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no such integrated skills. This could result in bad decision-making on theatre
development, which is harmful in the long run.
6). Theatre staffs are working from a narrow perspective
Theatre employees are commonly confined to what they are used to doing. Instead of
having an interdisciplinary perspective, they tend to limit their exposure to their own
discipline, as they neither have access to training for other skills nor the right
connections after years of working in the same place, similar to other working fields.
7). Theatres need professionals in certain fields
Most state-owned performing arts groups and venues in China are
government-funded, so financial sustainability is not the primary concern. They lack
the skills for fundraising and engaging either theatre-goers or talented performers.
The short supply of individuals with such skills is particularly acute, as Chinese
universities rarely provide professional training on fundraising for art, theatre
education, audience engagement, and art festival planning.
3. Needs for human resources development
The immature performance market and audience means theatre development is
mainly policy-driven instead of market-driven. Many problems arise, such as unclear
market positioning and artistic styles, weak independent production capability,
uncreative business models (i.e. mainly theatre rental), ineffective financing channels,
lack of public awareness of theatre culture, and shortage of interdisciplinary
cooperation. These problems are rooted in the shortage of certain professionals and
expertise. To address those challenges, measures need to be adopted to provide
more training in the following fields:
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1). Theatre planning and management
Today, all government-managed theatres in China are public service organisations
and profit-making is not their primary objective. Based on that, a theatre will stand to
gain by relying on developing a unique artistic style and clear strategic positioning. In
these aspects, theatre managers’ personal working style and expertise will be vital.
Theatre managers are expected to develop top-down planning and management
systems through professionally designed and science-based analysis; to set up
relevant departments, especially departments of fundraising, audience development
and marketing. Theatre managers can also draw merits and solicit suggestions from
successful international theatre managers on how to refine their artistic taste,
enhance management abilities, and practice technical skills.
2). Theatre production and planning
Unlike theatre companies, theatre venues have no professional teams for
performance production and lack production experience. Therefore, when theatre
venues decide to produce performances, they have an ad hoc team. Managers may
not be able to find reliable team members, who know what to produce and how to
produce it. “Who will do what?” is always a question. This is exactly where
professionals in theatre planning and production fit in. Such professionals are
expected to have experience and skills in theatre planning, scheduling of seasonal
performances, production and stage management. Their engagement will contribute
to sound and sustainable development of the theatre itself, which will be capable of
producing on its own rather than presenting performances of theatre companies. In
fact, the absence of such professionals forces theatre venues to solely depend on
rental for profit. All in all, theatre venues need to build up a strong production team so
as to figure out what and how to produce.
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3). Designing art festivals
In recent years, art festivals have become increasingly popular. Many have noticed
the advantage of art festivals in attracting art projects and promoting general cultural
development. For a theatre, holding an art festival helps gain popularity in a short time,
making it one of the viable options for theatre development. Because China lacks
tertiary training for art festival design, there is a shortage of such talent. Based on the
community where the theatre is located, art festival planners should take political,
economic and cultural factors into consideration, finding festival activities suitable for
the theatre and develop plans accordingly. They should be practical when inviting
troupes to perform. Foreign festivals start earlier and are more mature. If theatres
want to train such talent; they need to send students abroad or invite teachers to
lecture in China.
4). Theatre education and audience engagement
Audience engagement is a long-term objective for all theatres. Chinese theatres have
traditionally relied on the government and neglected audience engagement. Facing
competition from various forms of entertainment today, theatres need to devote more
efforts to attracting audiences. Theatre staff should attract and serve audience with
more professional skills, which is in line with theatres’ future strategy.
The audience is critical. All theatres need to attract and retain audiences. In that
sense, the staffs who focus specifically on audience engagement are vital, but many
theatres do not have such a role. The most effective ways to bring in audiences are
membership and theatre education, including special events for members and public
service campaigns to grow potential audience. The membership helps the theatre to
build up the sense of belonging for their audience. The different sales and marketing
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events would motivate members to buy the tickets. And theatre education would
promote the theatre knowledge and make people be interested in it and watch he
shows. For instance, the 6 years old Qingdao grand theatre benefits a lot from the
membership system and series of educational theatre events, for example, the
“opening the door of art”, the theatre has more than 30,000 members and there are
millions of audience have been to the theatre. However, one area that staff in
audience development focused roles often struggle with is the organisation of
effective campaigns that cater to the needs of the surrounding community. Staff who
work in audience development focused roles should both understand audience
psychology and be passionate about their work. Training for such professionals
should focus both on theory and case studies of actual success stories.
5). Management of fundraising
Diversifying fundraising channels is essential for the growth of theatres. Today, as the
majority of state-owned performing arts groups and venues in China have been
government-funded for a long time, they generally lack fundraising capabilities, which
will hamper their long-term development and diversified operation. As China changes
its cultural policy, fundraising is even more prominent an issue. Before policies are
finalized, theatres should improve their fundraising capabilities and secure funding
sources for survival and growth. It is evident that fundraisers are important players in
this endeavour. They need to have good communication and coordination skills and a
strong command of economics, financial management and investment and financial
theories. This will enable them to develop appropriate fundraising strategies for
theatres based on policy trends and market conditions and enforce them well.
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6). Financial management
After the cultural system reform, Chinese state-owned theatres all registered through
the administration of industry and commerce and became cultural enterprises.
However, they are still required to put public interests first and their financial structure
is similar to that of the public institutions. China has not specified the distinction
between profit and not-for-profit institutions, but rather distinguishes only Type I
(wholly government-funded) and Type II (partially government-funded) institutions of
public service. As a result, supporting policies to theatres are unable to evolve in a
timely fashion according to industry trends, which leads to a plethora of problems. For
example, our survey suggests that as performing arts service-providers, theatres
should be able to pay utility bills at a service-provider rate. However, they pay at a
regular business rate, thus an additional several hundred thousand RMB each year.
In this case, it is important for theatres to build a sensible financial management
model based on government policy and their own needs. Financial managers should
understand policy and financial operation, using incentives skillfully and avoid policy
risks in the formulation and execution of financial management plans.
7). Marketing
As a way of engaging the public, marketing is more important than ever. For a theatre,
marketing is about its brand, which is closely related to its positioning and artistic
styles. Marketing needs professionals, which theatres lack. The existing marketing
personnel are usually ex-performers or technicians, who know little about effective
marketing and can only learn by doing. This is ineffective. On the other hand,
professional salespersons know little about arts policy and find it difficult to combine
their knowledge with art. Therefore, it is vital for theatres to find professional ways of
marketing arts that speak to their differentiated features. Theatre salespersons also
need to acquire specific skills such as brand-building, marketing strategy and
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development of peripheral products, such as original play‘s music CD, T-shirts, casts
dolls, etc., and these can be sold in box office or via digital shop
8). International cooperation
Good cooperation can generate synergies. Based on specific conditions, the
community and audience being engaged, theatres should actively cooperate on
production and co-production. Cooperation between institutions will need
professionals. The key skill set of staff for international cooperation is about choosing
who, how and what to cooperate. Many theatres neither have an international
department nor staffs who are capable of working in these roles. An urgent issue is to
quickly cultivate talent that can interact with international performers on behalf of the
theatre.
Theatres will address the above-mentioned development needs in the next few years
and expand partnerships in various fields. In general, Chinese theatres are thriving
and professional development is a clear trend. With the support of the government,
theatres will prosper and bring new opportunities for a booming performance market
in China.
(See appendices for lists of universities and theatres)
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V. Appendix
Appendix 1: List of top universities of performing arts in China
No. Name Type Star level Level
Top university in 1 Peking University Research 7 star the world
Central Academy Top university in 2 Professional 6 star Of Drama China
Central Top university in 3 Conservatory of Professional 6 star China Music
National Taiwan Top university in 4 Professional 6 star University of Arts China
Beijing Normal First-class 5 Research 5 star University university in China
Communication First-class 6 Research 5 star University of China university in China
Shanghai Theatre First-class 7 Professional 5 star Academy university in China
National Academy First-class 8 of Chinese Theatre Professional 5 star university in China Arts
Beijing Dancing First-class 9 Professional 5 star Academy university in China
Central University First-class 10 of Finance and Research 5 star university in China Economics
(Source: 2016 Evaluation Report for Chinese Universities)16
16 Learning sohu.com (2016) China’s Top 100 Universities in 2016 Available from: http://learning.sohu.com/20151231/n433139058.shtml
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Appendix 2: List of top theatres of performing arts in China
Time of No. Name Location Owner Investment completion
National Center for Beijing municipal 1 Beijing 3.1 billion 2007 the Performing Arts government
Beijing Poly Beijing Poly Theatre 2 Beijing 1991 Theatre Management Co. Ltd
Beijing Tianqiao Beijing Tianqiao 3 Performing Arts Beijing Performing Arts Center 1.7 billion 2015 Center Management Co. Ltd
Shanghai Grand 4 Shanghai Shanghai Media Group 1 billion 1998 Theatre
Guangzhou, Guangzhou Opera China Arts and 5 Guangdong 1.38 billion 2010 House Entertainment Group Province
The Grand Theatre Dalian, Beijing Tianqiao of Dalian 6 Liaoning Performing Arts Center 2013 International Province Management Co. Ltd Conference Center
Jinan, Shandong Grand China Arts and 2.475 7 Shandong 2013 Theatre Entertainment Group billion Province
Wuhan, Wuhan Qintai Beijing Poly Theatre 8 Grand Theatre Hubei Management Co. Ltd Province
Beijing People's Art 9 Capital Theatre Beijing 1954 Theatre
Lanzhou, Gansu Grand China Arts and 10 350 million 2011 Theatre Gansu Entertainment Group Province
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