Adaptive project practices in theatres: the paradoxical co-existence of projectification and deprojectification

Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted cultural production and exposed the vulnerabilities of highly projectified modes of organising in the performing arts. This paper aims to examine how theatres responded to the crisis by intensifying project-based work in digital environments and experimenting with more continuous, reflective project practices. In doing so, the study highlights the ambiprojectifity, understood as the coexistence of projectification and deprojectification. Focusing on deprojectification as an under-researched topic in project studies, the paper identifies dimensions through which it became visible in practice. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a mixed-methods design, combining a sector-wide survey and semi-structured interviews with theatre professionals in Poland as its empirical base. Data were analysed from a practice-oriented perspective informed by paradox theory, using grounded theory coding techniques. Findings COVID-19 acted as an amplifier of latent tensions within cultural work and triggered different responses. The findings show that the pandemic intensified projectification while also enabling modifications of project practices associated with emerging deprojectification. The study identifies six dimensions through which deprojectification unfolded in practice: temporal, relational, material, evaluative, scalar and spatial. Originality/value The paper takes further the concept of ambiprojectifity and contributes to emerging discussions on deprojectification by identifying how modifications of project practices coexisted and became visible during crisis conditions. It further suggests how such modifications may support more sustainable forms of cultural projects in the long term. The study also formulates propositions for cultural policy, cultural project management and future research on projectification and deprojectification.