Artistic work and structural organization of theater groups in Lisbon area. Five empirical standpoints to inform public policies.

Abstract

Organizational structures in the cultural and creative sectors are being challenged by deep changes in the economic, cultural and governance frameworks in which they operate. These changes force them to assume increasingly differentiated strategies to face the challenges that thus emerge. This phenomenon increases the complexity of the analysis of the art worlds and it also brings new challenges to the conception of public policies for these sectors. This is particularly visible in the field of the performing arts; when we observe the evolution of organizational structures, the professional paths and individual careers, as well as when we witness the indecisions and dilemmas in contemporary public policies in those fields. Drawing from a theoretical discussion based on recent contributions of sociology and economics of the arts and culture, and departing from a typology previously suggested elsewhere by the authors, this paper offers an empirical standpoint towards five dimensions of theater groups’ work in order to extract conclusions that may inform public policy decisions: organizational structure, artistic work, art world commitment, economic structure and geographical scope.