Opera in the Creative City

Abstract

Creative City is booming – it is being promoted, celebrated and marketed. Richard Florida identified the „creative capital“ of a city as the engine for its economic growth. It works in London or Berlin. But the boundaries between work and leisure are dissolving more and more. The original four spaces of a city – work, living, recreation and transport – are being replaced by the intelligent, networked city in which urban gardening exists alongside alternative residential projects and Starbucks living rooms. The concepts of Smart City and Transition Town are the expression of two developments that can currently be observed: On the one hand, an acceleration of our everyday life and a change in our society are increasingly perceived, on the other hand, a movement of deceleration and sustainability is emerging. These developments are also having a spatial impact. In Amsterdam, the Broedplaatsen programme was introduced at the beginning of the 21st century, a state support programme for creative and incubation spaces. In Berlin, meanwhile, the Holzmarkt area is growing, a quarter in which nature, business, art, life and work meet. These places can be identified as Ray Oldenburg's „Third Places“, places that create and stimulate society, next to the „First“ (=home) and „Second Place“ (=workplace). While classical cultural institutions such as theatres and opera houses have always been regarded as the social centers of a city, a shift has been taking place for some time now. What is the role of the theatres? What role can and should they play? Empirical observations are used to investigate the place of theatres and opera houses in the cityscape and to locate their position in society.