In the midst of the 'accessibility revolution' (Greco, 2018), cultural institutions are now compelled to embark on a transformative process that reshapes the experience and engages the entire organization,
with inclusivity at its core. Theatres are currently reaffirming their public mission and evolving into increasingly accessible spaces. In recent years, theaters worldwide have adjusted their programming and policies to accommodate the specific needs of diverse communities, extending inclusivity to those who historically weren't considered the target audience.
Access to public services, such as culture, is nowadays considered a fundamental human right for everyone (Greco, 2016), making it a necessary requirement for cultural institutions. Therefore, accessibility is not merely a response to international regulations or a mark of social responsibility
and it should be considered more as a means rather than a final objective. The evolution of accessibility studies in media and entertainment has notably shifted researchers' attention from adapting the cultural product to reinventing it through a continuous dialogue between institutions and
civil society, addressing the diverse and specific needs of attendees. As Heim (2015) writes, in theater, there are two ensembles (the performers and the audience) to conduct, meeting under the spotlights,
observing each other, listening, acting, and applauding one another. As Linda Nussbaumer (2012) underlines, inclusive design is an ongoing experiment, more a methodology than a goal: inclusive
design involves the sharing of experiences with the community, preferably at every stage, potentially becoming a significant tool for social change.
Today, it is incumbent upon cultural institutions to continually identify emerging barriers and transform themselves into hubs of connection, fostering inclusivity that encourages discourse and discussion— reshaping in an agora of a new cultural democracy. Inclusion strategies are diverse, and now, more than ever, it's crucial to investigate inclusive processes so that inclusion can be a pursued objective and simultaneously a means. This study aims to investigate the relationship among inclusive practices and strategies implemented by theatres to address the needs of both their audience and the organization itself. This research will delve into the different dimensions of diversity, investigating the capacity of these institutions to start their accessibility revolution and the issues that cultural managers inevitably face in this transformation process. An orientation toward diversity, in fact, must involve all aspects of organizations, ranging from strategic top management to technical and administrative staff: four dimensions have recently emerged as fundamental concerning the issue of diversity and inclusion inside cultural institutions (Luchetti and Turrini 2022); the type of artistic offer proposed (Programming), the choice of the
artists and actors involved (Performers), the governance and organization system (People), and, finally, the audience involved (Public). Starting with the design of the theoretical framework that will guide our exploration of inclusive practices within theaters, we will examine the current state of inclusivity among Italian and European opera houses and identify the key practices that contribute to a more inclusive environment. Opera theaters have been chosen as the primary sample due to their rich history and significant role in both local and global culture (Satterthwaite, 2016). Opera, as a multidisciplinary art form involving music, acting, and stage design, sought to engage new audiences by exploring sustainable economic
models and experimenting with innovative techniques and programming, providing a diverse artistic offering to a wide-ranging audience across the entire continent. This choice will enable the extraction of lessons learned from their successful practices and offer useful insights applicable to similar contexts. This exploratory first part involves a comprehensive analysis of the strategies and actions that opera theaters across Europe have implemented to ensure that their spaces and performances could be
accessible through a multiple case-study approach, conducting semi-structured interviews (Denzin and Lincoln 1994) with executive directors of a purposeful sample of opera theaters. Moreover, we will collect further data through a survey, gaining valuable insights and quantifying
trends investigating which are the main dimensions theaters actually take into consideration in the
inclusion process and how this process impacts on the theater’s life. The main objective of the questionnaire is to understand the reasons behind the development of inclusion projects and the level of internal involvement, investigating the changes they trigger within the theater. The questionnaire
will be distributed to theaters within the European network OperaEuropa.
This approach will help identify various combinations of individual and organizational factors that concurrently lead to the establishment of an accessible and inclusive transformation within cultural
institutions. Based on this research, we aim to identify the main drivers that contribute to the success of cultural institutions in addressing inequalities.
The outcomes of our research project hold innovative significance from both researcher and professionals’ perspectives: it will offer valuable insights for managers and policymakers dedicated
to fostering diversity and inclusion when implementing inclusive processes within cultural institutions. From a theoretical standpoint, our research project represents one of the initial endeavors to explore the dimensions of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility among Italian and European theaters, emphasizing the need to recognize and prioritize the objectives and competencies that support inclusivity within these organizations, to better comprehend which dimensions act as drivers in this transformation process and explore structural variables and power dynamics.

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