Considering the Social Role of Public Theaters Based on Visitor’ Survey: The Case of Kobe Bunka Hall, Kobe City, Hyogo Pref.

Abstract

Public theaters have been established by local governments, during the last 20^th century in particular, in the hope to provide the opportunity of high-quality art to local populace and play an important role in local cultural promotion. However increasingly they face difficulties to host stages of the state of art due to the outdated facilities. Under a great pressure to contribute to the local community and fulfill the accountability for renovation, it is an important policy issue how to utilize these aging facilities. Considering a new concept of the role of theaters as an “open space” for assembly of local residents, this paper tries to explore the incentive and motivation of residents’ visitation to the theaters. Taking the case of a typical local theater, Kobe Bunka Hall in Hyogo Pref. built in 1973, which attracts nearly 600,000 visitors a year before COVID 19, we found that residents visit the theater not only to attend high art performances but also for their own cultural activities such as practicing workshops and attending seminars. Multiple regression indicates that the availability of these cultural activities in a broad sense, rather than the specific profile of the attendees—age, gender, and profession—increases the number of repeating visits, which implies the alternative important role of the theater to host various amateur activities and serve as a local cultural hub for wider population.