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Between Rhetoric and Reality: Cultural Rights, Artistic Freedom, and Democratic Resilience

This report situates the performing arts within a context of democratic backsliding, social polarisation, loneliness, and distrust in institutions, arguing that theatre, dance, circus, and performance are essential democratic infrastructures rather than mere entertainment. Performing arts should be framed as a public good and a vehicle for cultural rights: they enable assembly, dialogue, critical reflection, and participation that are indispensable for democracy to exist and renew itself.

This document has been produced by the Performing Arts Coalition (PAC), established in 2025 by ASSITEJ - Association of Theatre and Performing Arts for Children and Young People, Circostrada - European network for contemporary circus and outdoor arts, EDN - European Dance Development Network, EFA - European Festivals Association, and IETM - International network for contemporary performing arts. In dialogue with their respective memberships, these networks carried out a survey entitled ‘The Right to Engage with the Performing Arts in Today’s Europe & Beyond’ and organised and documented individual network workshops and panels as part of their annual conferences. These addressed key themes such as artistic freedom, access to cultural participation, and cultural rights. Additional desk research was undertaken to identify broader trends and to further contextualise the insights gathered through the survey and live discussions.

This policy consultation process, supported through the Creative Europe network grants of PAC members, was initiated primarily to inform EU-level policy-making. However, because several PAC members are global networks with members across the world, and given today’s interconnected context where global challenges, such as climate change, wars, and democratic erosion, affect people across borders, we decided to highlight a global perspective and open the survey to members worldwide. Of the 223 total respondents, 158 (71%) selected at least one EU country in the ‘country’ field, while 29% selected only non-EU countries (multiple selections were possible).

The top ten countries represented within the survey were EU member states, with the exception of the UK, which ranked third. Thus, as the responses are primarily Europe-focused, the global input is partial, yet it adds valuable geographic inclusivity. While much of the paper, including the introductory sections and recommendations, focuses on the EU level, the insights and proposed solutions are also meant to inspire action elsewhere, offering pathways for meaningful interventions on issues of global significance.

Finally, while additional desk research was carried out to substantiate and illustrate key insights and concerns, and respondents were invited to share links and attachments, we acknowledge that not every survey statement has been independently verified. Much of this document therefore reflects the lived experiences, perspectives, and sentiments of performing arts professionals on the ground, complemented where possible by examples of policies and practices. This report does not claim to offer a complete or exhaustive account of the topic, and given the rapidly evolving landscape, we acknowledge that some developments that occurred after the research was completed may not have been captured.

This study was prepared by Elena Polivtseva on behalf of Performing Arts Coalition