modes of production: perspectives

Let's change and share perspectives! What perspectives on the practice of producers and their roles in the independent performing arts ecosystem exist among colleagues? These and many related questions will be addressed in this session together with Vânia Rodrigues (Portugal) and Karolina Dziełak-Żakowska (Poland).

The impulse of Vânia Rodrigues has the following interests: While theatre and dance “companies”, mostly in the form of cultural associations, remain the paradigmatic organizational model in the performing arts, a limited yet growing number of artistic organizations are experimenting with different, more horizontal and collaborative forms of collective work. These are often production or creative structures managed jointly by artists and producers that, unlike conventional artistic collectives, are not vertically organized; do not rely on charismatic leadership; share administrative, management, production and even financial resources; distribute functions according to each project specific needs; and reclaim a distinct kind of comradeship-collaboration which entails authorial redistribution, and a new ecological sensitivity.
In this session, we will discuss experiences and implications of W.A.T. Working Apart Together and D.I.T. - Do It Together practices in performing arts production, and try to connect them with ecofeminist approaches to performance-making and collective organising in the context of the current ecocrisis.

Additionally, we will also receive a brief introduction of a new publication with the title „Producers as Central Figures in the Theatre and Performing Arts Ecosystem. Report and Contextual Texts“ launched by the Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute in Poland on May 21st, 2025.
The publication features a report on theatre and performing arts production-related professions, prepared by sociologists Magdalena Tędziagolska and Anna Biernat. The study is based on in-depth interviews with a group of producers and offers insights into the working environment, the description of competencies required for the profession, and the environmental risks associated. It also outlines how the system affects the daily responsibilities of production professionals.
Recommendations developed by the researchers accompany the report.
The publication also includes texts by Vânia Rodrigues and György Szabó, which provide an important international perspective. These contributions address the topic of sustainable production—whether and how it is possible—and sketch a historical overview of the development of the production field in Central and Eastern Europe.

There will be breaks.
There could be breakout sessions.
Participation is possible verbally and via chat.
More details to follow, contact for enquiries: formate@produktionsbande.org

Vânia Rodrigues (Portugal, 1979) worked as an arts manager and consultant for several cultural organizations in Portugal and internationally before transitioning to a research career. She obtained her PhD in Artistic Studies with an investigation on alternative management and collaboration practices in the performing arts regarding fair practices, creative producing and arts managers’ roles and identities. 
Currently she is a Lead Researcher at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies of the University of Coimbra, where she co-directs the research platform
Modes of Production – Performing Arts in Transition and leads the exploratory project GREENARTS, musing on the intersections between the regimes of production and creation, as well as the discursive and practical transformations of artistic production in the face of growing demands for social and environmental sustainability. At the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, she founded the Post-Graduate Diploma in Cultural Management and Sustainability, where she teaches eco-ethical arts management.

Karolina Dziełak-Żakowska

Project manager, producer, curator and facilitator. Graduate of the Faculty of Management and the Faculty of Polish Studies at the University of Warsaw, the Sorbonne Paris IV and the STOP School for Trainers. She is a co-founder of the Producers' Network. She works as an international projects specialist at the Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute. She is interested in creating cross-sectoral partnerships. Recently, she has been sharing her knowledge of management theory, including the agile approach. As an independent producer, she has worked with NGOs, business, and institutions, producing premieres, international and national projects with an artistic and social component, and educational programmes for audiences of different ages and social backgrounds.

The Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute promotes public debate about contemporary Polish theatre, broadens research perspectives and endorses theoretical reflection on the subject, supports research and educational activities, and keeps the most extensive Polish archives documenting contemporary theatre.

The Producers’ Network is an informal group of producers and managers in Poland working in the field of performing arts, specializing in the production and management of artistic events.
They have been collaborating since 2021 to improve the professional status and position of those involved in artistic production

This session addresses any interested producer or cultural worker.
No specific level of experience is needed.