Performance Measurement in Non-profit Theatre Organizations: The Case of Greek Municipal and Regional Theatres

This two-stage multiple-case study investigates performance measurement in Greek non-profit theatres. It examines whether the theatres resist managerial forms of performance evaluation. The purpose is to identify the performance dimensions that theatres measure and how they do so, the reason why performance is measured, and which groups are targeted. The results suggest that theatres measure performance on three dimensions: financial, artistic activity and audience satisfaction. Artistic quality is found to be the main success factor and the audience and the community to be the most important stakeholders, while the main reason for implementing the current performance measurement system is financial accountability. The authors propose a flexible self-assessment tool that can be adapted to the needs of each theatre. The findings are important in both a national and an international context due to the methodology used.