Perspectiv

Gesellschaft der historischen Theater Europas

Association of Historic Theatres in Europe

Associaton des théâtres historiques d'Europe

25 October
European Historic Theatres Day

25 October 2024 is European Historic Theatres Day, a day established in 2017 by Perspectiv, Association of Historic Theatres in Europe, to highlight the existence and work of historic venues throughout the continent.The seven years have seen a great response on social media with postings of some amazing theatre images (#EuropeanHistoricTheatres Day and #HistoricTheatresDay).

Virtual and live events, lectures, and guided tours celebrate the importance of historic theatres in our lives. Let us know how you are planning to celebrate in 2024. Post your event on Facebook, X (formerly known as twitter), Instagram and Tik Tok and share it widely and on the European Historic Theatres Day Facebook page. @europeanhistorictheatresday

The theme 2024 is The Art of Sustainability: a growing focus in the preservation of historic theatres. Beyond their stunning beauty, these buildings often have connections to important historical events, which help to educate and understand the past and reflect on the lives of those who used them.  Physical adaptations and reuse means these venues can now be updated for modern audiences and help to reduce the environmental impact and carbon footprint associated with new construction. By incorporating energy-efficient technologies and sustainable practices, preservation work can both draw on the past and look to the future, helping to keep these historic landmarks alive without sacrificing their original beauty and character. 

However, restoring historic theatres isn’t without its challenges. Balancing modern regulations with the need to retain authenticity is complex. Whether protecting the building from weathering and structural decay, to updating technical infrastructure (like lighting, sound systems, and safety codes), specialised restoration techniques are often required. Overcoming these hurdles helps preserve our historic theatres, promote our cultural heritage, encourage tourism, and maintain vibrant community spaces for performances and events.

Funding is key to making all of this happen. Restoring and maintaining these grand old theatres can be an expensive business. Government grants, tax incentives, and heritage funding play a crucial role in supporting preservation projects. Private donations and corporate sponsorships also help provide the financial backing needed to ensure these buildings are preserved for future generations. Public-private partnerships can be especially helpful for large-scale restoration efforts, combining resources to tackle projects that might otherwise be too expensive to take on alone.

But historic theatres aren’t just about the architecture and the history —they’re the ultimate classrooms for learning about the performing arts. Forget textbooks; our historic theatres are where you learn what it really means to “bring the house down” - before we had modern sound systems! They give you real life experiences of spaces that have seen everything from Shakespearean tragedies to rock concerts. Plus, they come with the added bonus of a few good ghost stories! So, when you visit these historic theatres, it’s like getting a backstage pass to history itself – being in unique spaces where you relive the stagecraft of the past whilst imagining all the actors who’ve tread their precious boards.

We encourage many theatres to post images, stories, facts and figures demonstrating the way historic theatres work with sustainability and celebrate what we share as venues and peoples across Europe - show this using the tag #theartofsustainability

Join in, mark events, post a story or pictures of your favourite theatres in Europe on social media. If you’re visiting a theatre, attending a tour, working backstage – tell everyone why you love your historic theatre.

Use the tags #theartofsustainability #European  #HistoricTheatresDay  #EuropeanHistoricTheatresDay #EHTD on Facebook, X (formerly known as twitter), Instagram and Tik Tok. It will connect theatres across Europe. 

Let the rest of the world know that historic theatres are iconic symbols of a region's cultural, architectural, and historical heritage. 

All events are collected on Facebook: 

@europeanhistorictheatresday. 

Also on X ( formally Twitter) there will be posts through the day on @VisitTheatres - which European Historic Theatres will get most likes, re-posts and be most quoted?!

Be a part of the European Historic Theatres Day!