Audience Development on the Internet. Netnography of the Activities of Polish Theatres During the Epidemic

Moving theatre operations to the Internet during the COVID-19 pandemic constituted a substan­tial organisational challenge, mostly due to the nature of theatrical events itself, which is based on the direct interaction between actors and the audience. Theatres were forced to swiftly implement various solutions in order to adapt and preserve their existing relationships with their public, and at best to establish new ones, but also to create new working conditions for artists and the rest of the staff. The article presents the results of the study on establishing the audience on the Internet by Polish theatres from March to August 2020. The study was carried out with the method of netnog­raphy. The aim of the study was not only to explore the strategies used but also to emphasise the is­sue of the digital maturity of cultural organisations, to signal an excess of culture that exists on-line, and to show various patterns of participation in culture in new conditions. Moreover, the study has shed some light on the most crucial research gaps that can become the basis for further scientific in­vestigation in the context of adjusting the ways in which cultural institutions operate to unexpected shifts in the external environment.

JEL: Z1

Moving theatre operations to the Internet during the COVID-19 pandemic constituted a substan­tial organisational challenge, mostly due to the nature of theatrical events itself, which is based on the direct interaction between actors and the audience. Theatres were forced to swiftly implement various solutions in order to adapt and preserve their existing relationships with their public, and at best to establish new ones, but also to create new working conditions for artists and the rest of the staff. The article presents the results of the study on establishing the audience on the Internet by Polish theatres from March to August 2020. The study was carried out with the method of netnog­raphy. The aim of the study was not only to explore the strategies used but also to emphasise the is­sue of the digital maturity of cultural organisations, to signal an excess of culture that exists on-line, and to show various patterns of participation in culture in new conditions. Moreover, the study has shed some light on the most crucial research gaps that can become the basis for further scientific in­vestigation in the context of adjusting the ways in which cultural institutions operate to unexpected shifts in the external environment.

JEL: Z1