ABSTRACT
This chapter considers internationalization of theatre from the standpoint of young, professionally non-established artists. Borrowing from the New Institutionalism in organizational analysis, it argues that many theatres treat internationalization as what John W. Meyer and Brian Rowan (1977) term a ‘legitimizing myth’ and follow it merely ceremonially in decoupled structures, such as festivals for young artists. Internationalization and the promotion of young talent function as concomitant ‘legitimizing myths’, especially in the German-speaking countries, where they may be understood as symptoms of crisis in theatre. After questioning the attitude of today’s generation of young artists towards internationalization, the example of cultural politics and theatre education in the Netherlands shows how internationalization is bound up with economic pressure on young theatre artists and the necessity for self-marketing. Organizational analysis of three theatre festivals reveals institutional inertia and innovation: Körber Studio Junge Regie at the Hamburg Thalia Theater, Fast Forward: European Festival for Young Directors at Staatstheater Braunschweig and Staatsschauspiel Dresden, and World Stage Design, held by the International Organisation of Scenographers, Theatre Architects, and Technicians (OISTAT). All research was conducted in the network ‘Crisis and Institutional Transformation in Performing Arts’ and funded by the German Research Society (DFG).
