Opera House in the social communication system of modern Italy
Authors: Ponomarenko Olena 
Published: April 2023

Relevance of the study. Communication processes in the organization of modern cultural projects are becoming increasingly important. In the new economic and sociocultural conditions, various types of communication, in particular in the Italian opera house, are carried out not only in traditional forms, they are undergoing major changes, require new management decisions, significantly transforming its established organizational structure. This issue has been little studied, although, in our opinion, it is important and relevant for characterizing the functioning of the opera house in the social communication system of modern Italy.

The main objectives of the study are to consider the activities of the Teatro San Carlo in the social communication system of the city of Naples. It is expedient to reveal the connection of the theater with the history of the city, to identify special periods of creative life, to clarify not only the influence of external events on the theatrical life, but the opposite effects in this interaction. It is interesting to trace how the opera house operates, what role it plays, how it functions in the modern cultural environment.

The methodology of the research is based on the application of an interdisciplinary method, which, in order to characterize the modern activities of the Italian opera house in the context of social communication, allows using a set of complementary methods — historical-systemic, empirical and sociocultural. The historical-systemic method contributed to the understanding of the communication strategy for promoting the theatrical brand, which influenced the formation and development of the opera house in the musical life of Italy, the appeal to empirical and sociocultural methods made it possible to consider the features of the existence of the opera house as a sociocultural institution in the context of communication relations, the media, financial funds, potential partners (sponsors), as well as with the public. Content analysis of the texts of scientific publications, organizational documents, programs, as well as a survey of Italian specialists and their own observations of projects — all this became the basis for theoretical generalizations and practical developments.

Results and conclusions. The modern Italian opera house is a social institution whose activity in the context of social communication is determined by the formation, support and promotion of the theater's image. The existence of an opera house in the modern market is impossible without a well-established communication strategy for promoting a theatrical brand, taking into account its specifics. In this process, an important role is played by the establishment of relations with the state authorities, the organized public and the media. To support projects and programs, it is necessary to attract monetary, industrial, commercial capital. In order to be interested in the events of theatrical life, the communication work of the theater is mainly aimed at attracting spectators who need to constantly maintain interest in the events taking place in the theater. Thus, the modern opera house provides an opportunity for all partners to form and promote their image and reputation, influences the social life and activities of people, and therefore, the mechanism of this mutual need is communication.