Kitija Balcare’s co-authored article published in the journal “Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy”
A co-authored research article by Kitija Balcare, researcher at the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia, entitled "Reshaping performing arts toward sustainable theater: mapping the experience of STAGES theaters", has been published in the Q1 academic journal "Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy", published by "Taylor & Francis". The article is the result of an international research collaboration with colleagues from Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, and Hungary.
The article examines the experiences of three European theatres – Piccolo Teatro in Milan, Italy; Teatro Nacional D. Maria II in Lisbon, Portugal; and the Slovenian National Theatre Maribor in Slovenia – in their transition towards more sustainable operating models. The researchers assess how theatres operating within different organisational cultures, governance structures, and national cultural policy contexts understand and implement sustainability principles in their work.
The study applies the STAGES Doughnut Protocol, an approach conceptually grounded in economist Kate Raworth’s Doughnut Economics model. The approach was developed and applied to theatre organisations within the European project "STAGES – Sustainable Theatre Alliance for a Green Environmental Shift (2022–2025)", whose Scientific Committee was chaired by Kitija Balcare.
The authors conclude that a green and socially just transition in the cultural sector requires systemic and long-term changes in organisational thinking and practice – a shift from individual to collective responsibility, from isolated symbolic actions to systemic practices, and from short-term project-based initiatives to lasting changes in organisational culture.
The findings are relevant to researchers in sustainability and culture, as well as to cultural policymakers, cultural organisation managers, and performing arts professionals, offering practical insights into integrating environmental sustainability and social responsibility principles into the work of cultural institutions.
The article is co-authored by Kitija Balcare (Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art, University of Latvia, Latvia), Zane Derdonska (Science and Innovation Centre, Riga Technical University, Latvia), Andrea De Toni (Department of Architecture and Urban Studies, Politecnico di Milano, Italy), Judit Gébert (Centre for Social Sciences, Institute for Sociology, and Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Empirical Studies, Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Hungary), Davor Kontić (Department of Environmental Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, Slovenia), Eugenio Morello (Department of Architecture and Urban Studies, Politecnico di Milano, Italy), Vânia Rodrigues, and António Ventura (Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Coimbra, Portugal).