Project Management at the Theatre

ONGOING RESEARCH @ KRISTIANIA Creative industries

To many in creative industries, the  framework and vocabulary of project management seems unfamiliar to how they perceive their project-based work. Nonetheless they manage to develop and complete complex large-scale projects.

The flexible and dynamic nature of project management in creative industries, along with an impressive ability to complete complex projects within set deadlines are under-researched and highlight the promise this field holds for the future of project management studies.

• Read also:Kunnskap Kristiania, the Innovation Issue (E-magazine)

Increasing popularity

From their roots in traditional organizational models of engineering and industrial mass production, a myriad of project management frameworks have emerged over the last few decades.

Spearheaded by the software development industry, new and agile approaches to project management which emphasize creativity and flexibility, have been widely popularized and adapted in a wide range of industries, including creative industries.

Despite their increasing popularity and usage however, knowledge about the appropriateness of project management philosophies in creative industries is limited. This is all the more surprising considering that this sector is considered to be one of the most established `industries’ when it comes to project-based, temporary organizational structures.

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Challenges Facing Creative Industries

The increasing use of `project´ as a form of organization of work in both the private and public sector, also within creative industries, has made it possible to talk about a projectification of society.

Some have gone so far as to suggest that short-term, project-based and contractual models of organization observed in the creative industries are harbingers of the next `new economy´ and could become the dominating organizational model for the broader, knowledge-based economy.

Since the creative industry is highlighted as a rapidly growing part of international labor markets and play an increasing role for many countries' value creation and attractiveness, it is necessary to improve our understanding of how these organizational and leadership models work alongside the problems they face.

The biggest challenge connected to the application of project methods and tools in the creative industries is the potential mismatch between using a streamlined and rigid approach of project management within the more flexible, creative industries.

Project view on artistic production

There is a need for more research exploring the contribution of the artistic, creative and explorer mindsets to project management. I will explore this field through a PhD and the research will be framed around the following key questions;

• How do the creative industries manage to complete large-scale, complex projects despite not necessarily identifying with project management terms and methodology?
• What elements of their practices can be understood to match with existing approaches and which, if any, represent entirely new ways of approaching the management of projects?
• To what extent can these insights be fruitfully applied to other project based work, both within and outside the creative industries?

The project work form is important in the creative industry because all artistic production can be seen as a single project, be it a concert, a festival, a dance performance, a film or a theatre production.

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Characteristics of theatre projects

To explore my key questions I intend to focus on the performing arts, in particular theatre productions (projects). They differs from other industries in having a variety of unique aspects which can provide important insights. Most theatrical producers and directors work with project management and planning in order to be able to coordinate everything. However, even though they use models for project context, they don´t necessarily identify with project management terms and methodology.

The history of theatre is much longer than the comparatively short history of modern project management and during this long tradition a set of successful routines emerged which, consequently, could be considered as models for project contexts outside of theatre. While theatre productions exhibit a strong focus on human, creative and aesthetic aspects, they also involve other activities that are similar to more standard project management functions.

Managerial personnel in a theatre operation must manage a complex of interrelated processes to ensure that crucial activities are completed on time.  During the project, manuscripts are finished, teams are designed, scene construction and costumes developed, plans for rehearsal processes are made, plays and music are rehearsed.

In parallel to these activities, the upcoming play is marketed and tasks related to economy, work conditions and stake-holders among others. An interesting aspect of theatre work is the common goal; the premiere.

The completion of the project (production of the play) is subject to perhaps an even more critical deadline than projects managed in other industries, for example construction. It is very rare to hear about postponing or delaying a play in theatre, an interesting and possibly useful aspect that could be applied to other industries.

Together, these unique characteristics highlight how the performing arts provide a rich and under-researched setting for new approaches and insights in the field of project management.

References:

• Jones, Candanse, Mark Lorenzen, and Jonathan Sapsed. 2017. The Oxford Handbook of Creative Industries. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Petrović, Dejan, Vesna Milićević, and Adam Sofrinijević. 2017. “Application of project management in creative industry”. European Project Management Journal 7 (2): 59-66.
• Pielichaty, Hanya, Georgiana Els, Ian Reed, and Vanessa Mawer. 2017. Events project management. Adingdon: Routledge.

This popular article presents higlights form a research proposal on Project management and creative industries in the era of projectification.

This article is first published in Kunnskap Kristiania, The Innovation Issue (link to E-magazine) released on August 19, 2021.

Text: Assistant professor Silje Straume, School of Arts, Design and Media, Kristiania University College.

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