Strategic Planning and Public Relations in Culture:

The Example of the ”Gavella“ Drama Theatre

Abstract

In the sector of culture, similarly to the role of firms in the corporate sector, theatres have the task of informing and maintaining the relationship with the audience. These tasks are mainly carried out by marketing and PR departments, or advertising. Due to specific organization of public relations, two qualitative and one quantitative research studies were conducted in the ”Gavella“ Drama Theatre. The goal of the first research, through the method of in-depth interview, was to determine how the employees of the ”Gavella“ Drama Theatre see the strategic communication of the theatre. The goal of the second research was to investigate the image of the ”Gavella“ Drama Theatre and the reception of performances through the method of focus group. The goal of the third research was to examine the characteristics and user preferences of the ”Gavella’s“ audience through the method of survey. The conclusions of the research show bidirectional influence: the influence of the theatre's image on individual expectations of spectators through the repertoire, and the influence of strategic communication on the theatre's image.