Volume 1 of Theater(s) and Public Sphere in a Global and Digital Society explores the fundamental contribution that artistic and cultural forms bring to social dynamics and how these can consolidate cohabitation and create meaningfulness, in addition to fulfilling economic and regulatory needs. As symbolic forms of collective social practices, artistic and cultural forms weave together the meaning of territories, contexts, and peoples, and also of the generations who traverse them.

These forms of meaning interact with the social imaginary, mediate marginalization, transform barriers into bridges, and are indispensable tools for any social coexistence and its continuous rethinking in everyday life. The various epistemic approaches present here refer to sociology, theatre studies, cultural studies, psychology, economy of culture, and social statistics which observe theatre as a social phenomenon.

Contributors are: Maria Shevstova, Ilaria Riccioni, Roberta Paltrinieri, Gerhard Glüher, Raimondo Guarino, Mariselda Tessarolo, Raffaele Federici, Marco Serino, Maria Grazia Turri, Elena Olesina, Elena Polyudova, Marisol Facuse, Vincenzo Del Gaudio, Laura Gemini, Stefano Brilli, Jessica Camargo Molano, Annalisa Cicerchia, Simona Staffieri and Giulia Cavrini.