A Study on Performing Arts Center Management for the Realization of High-Quality Cultural Democracy: Focusing on comparison of theatre management systems in Germany and Korea
Authors:   Asia-Europe Perspective Association, Kwon Yong-Man , Yang Eun-Young 
Published: December 2024

There are currently 255 culture and arts centers in Korea. Although the number has rapidly expanded since 2000, many critical issues about efficiency and effectiveness, such as lack of publicity and expertise in managing culture and arts centers, have been raised in the performing arts world.
This study compares and analyzes the current state of the opera theater management system in Germany, known as the best in the world, with that of Korea, and conducts an in-depth qualitative interview with performing arts experts and a theater manager currently working in Korea and Europe.
Germany has chosen the Architect model that supports art centered on the opera theater in terms of social welfare. The total budget for culture and arts centers in Germany in 2019 is about 4,584.9 billion Wons, 82% of which is public support funds. On the surface, Korea advocates the Patron model, which pursues the arm’s length principle. However, when it comes to the actual policy implementation, it has chosen the Facilitator model. The Facilitator model, which the United States has chosen, depends heavily on the market economy logic. Scholars have continuously criticized the model for the lack of consistency and effectiveness. The total budget of Korea’s culture and arts centers in 2019 is about 768.3 billion won, 79.2% of which are public subsidies. The budget for culture and arts centers per capita is 3.7 times larger in Germany than in Korea; Germany spends 55,158 won per person and Korea spends 14,837 won per person.
In German theaters, more than 45% of their employees are performing artists. Moreover, 10% of the employees working in the planning and management fields are made up of former professional artists. However, only 12.6% of Korean culture and arts centers have directly employed one or more performing artists. The others, including the most prestigious Seoul Arts center, have none of such employment.
Therefore, all performances in German theaters are directly planned and produced by executives and staff with artistic expertise, led by artistic directors. The German theater operates a repertoire theater system in which several works are performed alternately in one season. On the other hand, mainly bureaucrats operate the Korean theaters. Culture and arts centers operate theaters on a lease basis, and performance planning and production rely solely on external private partners. They do not hire any professional curators who are capable of sophisticated planning.
The conclusion and managerial implications of this study are as follows. Germany supports performing arts on a social welfare level, centered on the opera theater, and realizes the high-quality cultural democracy where professional performing artists lead the general public. Therefore, to establish a qualitative cultural democracy in the performing arts in Korea, 1) it is necessary to operate theaters centered on artists and enhance artistic expertise. 2) Through theater-centered integrated management, the culture and arts centers should improve the management efficiency by reducing redundant costs on personnel expenses for administrative staff. 3) It is necessary to switch from rental-oriented theaters to production-oriented theaters by benchmarking the German repertoire theater system. 4) The culture and arts center management must enhance its efficiency by providing high-quality performances through the continuous employment of talented artists. 5) To increase resident participation, Korea should adopt the German system as seen by Extra Choir (resident choir) and Kinder Opera (children’s opera).