Growens supports the Ponchielli Theater in Cremona

Growens pays attention to the social impact of its activities and supports organizations aimed at promoting culture in the areas where it operates.

In particular, for 2023 it chose to become a full-fledged supporter of the prestigious and historical Ponchielli Theater in Cremona (Group’s birthplace), where in the past years it has supported events such as the Tedx Cremona.

Why Growens supports the Theater 

The Theater has always played an important role of aggregation, meeting and exchange of thoughts, contributing to social and human evolution.

Supporting this institution means helping the culture and the history of our territory, holding up, in a practical way, our country’s ability to excite and create culture.

Specifically, Growens’ choice to support the Ponchielli Theater is in line with the values ​​that define the Group:

• “Caring” towards the people and the community in which the company does business
• “Open-Mindedness” means embracing innovation and fostering pollination between technology and tradition 
• “Passion” for at all forms of culture and arts
• “Trust” in building solid and profitable relationships with local stakeholders.

What the partnership entails

Growens commits to support the Ponchielli Theater and to actively join the Theater life, guaranteeing to its employees an easier access to the shows and involving them personally in the cultural and social initiatives promoted by this institution.

About the Ponchielli Theater 

The Ponchielli Theater dates back to the 18th century. Over the centuries it was repeatedly destroyed and built again by great architects such as Giovanni Battista Zaist, Luigi Canonica, Faustino Rodi and Luigi Voghera.

Despite the vicissitudes of time, the Theater has always kept true to its cultural, social and historical mission of protecting and renewing the intangible heritage of Italian musical art in all its forms.

Today, the Ponchielli Theater promotes and organizes numerous activities, with the aim of enhancing young people and the culture of the area.

Let’s hear it from the people that made this collaboration possible

To better understand the benefits of the partnership from the point of view of the Company, of the institution and of the territory, we asked a few questions to Matteo Monfredini, Chairman and CFO of Growens, and Andrea Cigni, Theater Curator and Artistic Director.

Why did Growens decide to support the Ponchielli Theater? 

Matteo Monfredini: “Growens has been supporting the local Cremona area for a long time now, contributing not only money but also skills capable of supporting the development of the community and businesses. 

Technology today has become an enabling factor for innovation: we believe that even a historical-artistic structure such as the Ponchielli Theater can innovate its offer and its communication while staying true to its role within the city.”

What is Growens’ vision for its local community, today and in the future? 

Matteo Monfredini: “Small communities such as Cremona and its territory must increasingly distinguish themselves from large metropolitan areas such as Milan, by highlighting their strengths in order to remain attractive and prevent depopulation towards the big cities.

Being attractive doesn’t only entail a residential purpose, but also the possibility of developing entrepreneurial opportunities using the skills and competences that are present.

A good quality of life and the ease of interconnection – both physical (1 hour by car from Milan) and digital (wired in optical fiber since 2004) – with the outside world are two enabling factors, but they are not enough. 

If we want to attract investments and therefore capital that enhance the city – both from an entrepreneurial and cultural point of view – we must create the best conditions for the development of the territory.

This is why Growens has been investing in a number of projects in the area for some time, lending its skills to innovative projects.”

This partnership provides not only financial support, but also a direct involvement of people. What does it mean and what is the goal?

Matteo Monfredini: “In recent years, Growens has invested significant resources in the qualification of its management, hiring valuable people with transversal skills. 

Therefore, we will lend the people who can in some way contribute to projects and initiatives of value for the Theater.”

What’s the role of the Theater in the 21st century? 

Andrea Cigni: “The Theater paradoxically goes back to its origins. It is not only a place of performance, entertainment and leisure, but it’s also a place of sociality, inclusion, participation, growth, knowledge and civil life.

The actions concern, in addition to the activities more closely connected to live entertainment (opera, dance, prose, music), also in-depth meetings on social issues, support for young people, students and teachers and attention to audiences with sensory deficits and impairments.

The Theater becomes a training hub for the creation of collective awareness, of citizens of the future, of all-round identity and knowledge. Multiple experiences, crossings, contributions in terms of shared ideas and projects make the community directly responsible towards the theatrical event, meant as the place of maximum expression of the contemporary civitas.”

What is the value of partnering with companies? 

Andrea Cigni: “Sharing a project like the one we have thought for the Cremona Theater  isn’t just about the responsibility of the public bodies (Central State and local bodies), but also about involving all those who live and work in the theater community, from individual citizens to companies. 

All this creates  the support network necessary for the development of such a precious social and cultural institution, fostering a sense of co-responsibility. 

It is not a coincidence that there exist tools that allow us to do this, such as the ArtBonus that enables companies embarking on innovative and social paths to structure their social projects also through the creation of benefit companies and sustainability reports.

All these activities are indicators of attention towards the others, and may entitle companies to rewards as virtuous social players.”

What is the added value coming from the combination of technology and tradition? 

Andrea Cigni: “Rethinking, in an innovative and ‘technological’ terms, the place where creativity surfaces through manual work and the individual directly creates content and is involved in the work done with their own ingenuity and knowledge, the know-how deriving from centuries of tradition, is a an operation that shouldn’t scare us, but set us new and more ambitious goals. 

This is why technology, from digital to VR, and all those opportunities and perspectives that the current landscape offers, can help us improve our public service in catering to the variety of users – with their different expectations and needs – and in generating the cultural products on stage.” 

Wrap up 

The Group has always done business taking into consideration its community welfare.

This is why it chooses every day to support organizations and associations engaged in activities that promote cultural development and environmental and social well-being

To find out more about Growens’ initiatives in support of society, you can download the latest Sustainability Report.