Strategic Development Plan for a live performance network

RSVP is the Verona-based live performance network comprising historic organisations and new entities in Verona’s theatre and dance sector. Initially established as an informal organisation, the network was created with the aim of consolidating the activities of individual organisations and contributing to the development of Verona’s cultural ecosystem.

The RSVP network is open and dynamic. Its members are highly diverse and varied organisations in terms of vocation, history, nature and programming. This multidisciplinarity represents a distinctive factor that can play a decisive part within a logic of networking and local development.

After the first review in 2023, the organisations in the network felt the need to better structure their identity, giving themselves a coherent system of objectives and identifying the actions to put in place with respect to the local context, with a particular focus on the public policies to be implemented.

Thanks to funding provided by the Regione Veneto, the “RSVP per Cultura in rete” project came to life with the aim of pursuing these goals and listening to its audience’s cultural practices and needs. In order to structure as complete and effective a path as possible to respond to the various requirements, the RSVP network, together with project partners ENAC Veneto, Università Ca’ Foscari di Venezia and Mag Verona, decided to establish a research and development team to undertake this task, involving BAM! Strategie Culturali.

The BAM! team supports the RSVP network in a consultancy and coaching process with the aim of boosting internal awareness and audience knowledge, as well as strengthening the scope of short- and medium-term network actions with a view to audience development and audience engagement.

Starting from a preliminary analysis conducted through a cycle of 1:1 interviews, BAM! developed a survey of current and potential audiences with the “Cosa fai stasera?” (“What are you doing this evening?”) campaign, aimed at defining the network’s strategic development guidelines and the individual organisation’s programming and offerings. The survey results were used to organise an audience development co-design workshop, the outcomes of which will be incorporated into the strategy development.

During the project feedback event, scheduled for 6 September 2024, the strategic guidelines will be officially presented in front of an audience of local stakeholders.

The RSVP network comprises: Fondazione Aida, Fondazione Atlantide, Arte3 aps, Babilonia Teatri, BAM! BAM! Teatro, Casa Shakespeare, Ersilia Danza, Fucina Culturale Machiavelli, Ippogrifo Produzioni, Associazione Culturale Mitmacher, Modus, Punto in Movimento, Teatro Scientifico – Teatro Laboratorio, Zebra Cultural Zoo.