Evaluation am Theater
Die Kunst, Kultur (nicht nur) zu messen – zu Prozessen und Methoden der Evaluation an Theatern in der südschwedischen Region Skåne

Abstract

Modern society has become an evaluation society. Feedback loops and rating things have become a routine part of our lives. Cultural life has been mostly spared from this obsession with evaluation. However, in a reflective and democratic society, evaluation should and could be useful for the cultural sector as well. For this purpose, evaluations need to recognize the role of art in society as polarizing and complex, and this complexity should be taken into account when carrying out evaluations. This also has an impact on the functions of evaluation in the performing arts.

Based on the evaluation practices of public theaters in southern Sweden between 2006 and 2014, methods, processes and functions of evaluation have been empirically researched and analyzed. The analysis shows that evaluation can have a positive impact if it is not only considered to be an instrument to assess and to control the achievement of objectives, but also to systematically reflect on the quality and effects of theatrical work.

The functions of evaluation in the performing arts are manifold. Evaluation should be seen less as a tool for regulation and more as a tool for conceptual reflection and communication.