Regione Veneto has long been involved in working on effective strategies to create new relations that can improve the quality of life and welfare of its residents. Culture can make a considerable contribution in this direction as it touches the various areas for which Veneto is a laboratory for social and production experiments of international renown. Culture can therefore be defined as "free ground", which welcomes different expressions and weaves relations between the various actors of the region involved in the transformation process.
Entertainment is a fundamental part of culture, leading to economic and social development, an expression of regional identity and an important means of communication, art, training, cultural promotion, social gathering and dialogue.
The offer in terms of live entertainment in Veneto is also excellent, as is the quality of cultural activities available?music, opera, theatre, dance, visual arts and cinema?while all aim to involve and please an ever-increasing number of users. (Table 9.2.1)
Regional policy in the entertainment sector is to promote and safeguard all forms of artistic expression. The widespread, high quality range of culture in Veneto on one hand allows Regione Veneto to support planning of the vibrant entertainment scene and, on the other, to have a hand in the most important events. These include international events which, being widespread and open to many, enhance the quality and variety of entertainment in Veneto.
It is now important to find the greatest level of synergy between public and private organisations by finding common means and ways to plan, produce and manage events and share costs. In fact Regione Veneto has made agreements with local authorities to carry out cultural and entertainment projects. In 2008 thirty agreements were made with local authorities, almost double the number made in 2006 and therefore a significant increase. The aim is to consolidate, evaluate and valorise the rich cultural heritage of Veneto, the experiences that derive from this and the people promoting them. All of this comes about through a system of logic, dynamic development, attention to contemporary artistic expression, young people's creativity, valorisation of the history of the region and its cultural identity, and balance in the region, with a particular view to enhancing opportunities for our residents to enjoy all this.
In addition to the two opera foundations, L'Arena di Verona and La Fenice di Venezia, the extraordinary wealth and quality of live entertainment in Veneto can be seen in many other organisations: the LIVE system, an agreement between the authorities in Padova, Rovigo and Bassano del Grappa, in collaboration with Treviso's SPA theatres, for the promotion and decentralisation of opera in the region; the strength of the theatre tradition at an international level with Venezia's Carlo Goldoni state theatre and Verona's Fondazione Atlantide private theatre; the presence of a rich, well-organised amateur theatre system promoted by the FITA-Veneto, as well as the state theatre circuit ARTEVEN, the most organised, qualified system at a national level, which coordinates theatrical events, along with promotional activity which aims to improve communication and raise public awareness concerning live entertainment. (Table 9.2.2)
The results of two events in particular, sponsored by Regione Veneto through a special agreement, lend support to the regional policy of investing in networks. One is the Bassano Opera Festival, a summer event of over 150 performances of opera, music, theatre and dance. With special sets, the event attracts big names of international renown and promotes decentralisation by involving 30 municipalities, including Marostica, Thiene, Asolo, Asiago and Schio. The other event is the Veneto Jazz Festival and Veneto Jazz Winter, which promote awareness of jazz in the region through cultural events including concerts, displays, festivals and themed exhibitions. Cultural policy is also based on decentralisation in this case with over 30 municipalities in the network, including Treviso, Venezia, Padova and Rovigo, as well as Este, Bassano, Castelfranco and Cortina d'Ampezzo.