Effects of COVID-19 on the Performing Arts Sector in The Netherlands

On invitation of the board of the VSCD (Vereniging van Schouwburg- en Concertgebouwdirecties), Joop de Jong wrote a memo on short- and long-term effects of COVID-19 on the performing arts sector in the Netherlands.

Amongst the sources used for this memo was data collected via a recent survey amongst the 120 VSCD members by Berenschot, an independent management consultancy firm. VSCD is the Dutch national branch organisation of theatres and concert halls, founded in 1947. Last year the members of the VSCD together offered 29,000 shows, welcoming 10,3 million visitors.

The main questions dealt with in the memo concern the effects of the COVID-19 measures on theatres and concert halls, and their possible impact on the artistic or intrinsic value, the social value, and the economic value of culture. Theatres and concert halls are an essential (distribution) link between cultural production and cultural participation.