Reshaping performing arts toward sustainable theater: mapping the experience of STAGES theaters

Culture enables sustainable development, becoming the fourth pillar of sustainability, yet the theater’s role in sustainability transitions remains poorly explored. In the context of the European project STAGES—Sustainable Theater Alliance for a Green Environmental Shift (2022–2025), this article examines the transition to sustainability of three European theaters, the Piccolo Teatro in Milan (Italy), the Teatro Nacional D. Maria II (Portugal), and the Slovenian National Theater in Maribor (Slovenia), using the STAGES Doughnut Protocol, derived from Kate Raworth’s Doughnut Economics. Drawing on institutional self-assessment, the study investigates how these theaters interpret sustainability across diverse organizational cultures, policy environments, and governance structures. The main challenges are related to data availability, time, personnel, and financial resources. In addition, three systemic obstacles emerged: fragmented policy frameworks, inconsistent benchmarks, and the risk of symbolic rather than structural actions. The theaters overcame these critical issues, identifying concrete opportunities to reduce environmental impact and strengthen social responsibility. The main findings show that the Protocol stimulated internal dialogue on governance, production practices, resource use, accessibility, and institutional identity, thus acting as a catalyst for reflection. The study concludes that a green and fair transition requires a shift from individual to collective responsibility, from symbolic gestures to systemic practices, and from project-based initiatives to long-term cultural change. By offering empirical evidence from three national contexts and evaluating a novel organizational tool, the article contributes to research on cultural sustainability and provides actionable insights for policymakers, cultural managers, and theater practitioners.