近年来，随着我国经济发展，剧场建设速度随之加快。这些剧场一方面为城市增添了文化氛围和艺术品位，成为当地新的文化地标；另一方面为人民群众欣赏文艺演出、享受文化改革发展成果提供了广阔舞台，在传播社会主义先进文化、丰富人民群众精神生活等方面发挥了积极而重要的作用。但与此同时，由于商业性演出的票价对普通群众而言过于高昂，而公益性演出活动严重不足，人民群众的精神文化需求得不到满足。世纪剧院作为隶属于中国国际青年交流中心的具有青年交流功能的设施，随着时代的变迁和企业改制，世纪剧院作为青年交流设施的职能在不断退化，参与的文化公益项目更是屈指可数。本文从剧场的发展概况说起，通过查阅大量国内外文献与实地考察，总结了国内外公益型剧场和企业型剧场在公益职能发挥方面的作为及其特点。而后通过对世纪剧院现状的分析，总结出世纪剧院发挥公益职能所存在的优势和劣势，并有针对性的提出了世纪剧院在市场化运营模式下发挥公益职能的途径：一、拓展外部渠道：争取资金来源，为举办公益演出及教育活动提供充足的资金保障；加强外部合作，保持与艺术团体、艺术家的紧密合作，为公益演出及教育活动的实施提供资源保障；二、优化机构设置、培养专业人才：增设艺术普及教育类部门，组建更加专业化的艺术管理团队；三、提高服务水平：尽快建立票务及会员系统；提高对残疾观众的服务水平；四、充分发掘世纪剧院自身优势，将可利用的资源投入到举办公益演出及教育活动中来。

With the rapid development of China’s economy and society in recent years, the theatre construction gradually comes into a high-speed development period. Theatre has become a new cultural landmark of a city, adding cultural atmosphere and artistic character to the local community. Theatre provides a broad stage for the people to enjoy performances, the fruits of cultural reform and development. Theatre greatly put forward the prosperity of stage art and the development of cultural industry, while playing an important role in disseminating socialist advanced culture and enriching people’s spiritual life. However at the meantime, the expensive ticket price of commercial performance has pushed away the ordinary income people, while the low-priced cultural resource is often in serious shortage, far from meeting the public’s cultural demands. Century Theatre, affiliated to China Youth Center for International Exchange, undertakes the function of facilitating youth exchange activities. With the changes of the times and the restructuring of state-owned enterprises, the function of Century Theatre as a youth exchange facility is constantly degrading and even rare participation in public welfare programs. The essay starts from the general situation of theatre development and summarizes the measures concerning the public functions taken by public and corporate theatres both at home and abroad based on a lot of domestic and foreign literatures and field survey, followed by the analysis of Century Theatre’s current situation. After that, the essay summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of Century Theatre in exerting public functions and puts forward the writer’s view on the approaches of carrying out public functions by Century Theatre under market conditions: first, Century Theatre should broaden external channel by expanding income sources and preparing enough funds for public performances and education programs; and by strengthening exterior cooperation, keeping close collaboration with performance groups as well as artists in order to provide resources for public performance and education programs; second, Century Theatre should improve its structure and foster professional employees, setting up a division for art dissemination and education programs and set up a professional art management team; third, Century Theatre should improve its service level by way of building a ticket system, establishing a membership system and improving service skills for disadvantaged groups; fourth, Century Theatre should make full use of its own strengths, putting all possible resources into public performances and education programs.