Abstract

Laws, measures, institutions and public financing that ruled theatre and living performing arts in Italy, before and since the national Unity, are considered paying attention to the principles and practices characterising the liberal Italy, the fascist regime and the democratic and constitutional republic. Quite generous public policies carried out in the last decades of XX century are compared with the hard choices made in the current financial crisis, coming to the conclusion that present cultural policy and cultural economic trends are not yet sufficiently focused on developing and giving boost to activities so important in Italian history and society.