Next Stage Initiative - Impact Report by Kearney

Three years after the launch of the Next Stage Initiative, FEDORA and Opera Europa led an impact report conducted on a pro-bono basis by the global management consulting firm Kearney to analyse the impact of the Next Stage Initiative.

The Next Stage initiative has been launched by FEDORA and Opera Europa to drive change and recovery in opera and dance. By showcasing transformative activities, combined with expert knowledge scaling, peer-learning and best-practice sharing, this ‘lighthouse project’ aims to not only encourage the entire sector to increase efficiency and reduce costs, but also trigger a positive ripple effect on the socio-economicenvironmental tissue of society to build resilience. The purpose is for opera and dance companies to proactively transform themselves, so that they may become exemplary leaders in the performing arts sectors.

This report presents the impact, results and key learnings of the first three years of the Next Stage initiative. It provides a holistic overview of the change that Next Stage has initiated through skill-building activities and the five projects that received Next Stage Grants for ambitious ideas around sustainability, inclusion and digital transformation. The aim of this report is to make best practices available for the entire performing arts community and accelerate innovation through learning and collaboration.