Title: Where do the lines blur? Exploring the separation between non-profit and for-profit theatre organisations in India

Authors: Kanika Khurana; Atanu Ghosh

Addresses: Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, India ' Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, India

Abstract: Research suggests that non-profit organisations are increasingly adopting business-like characteristics, driven by stakeholder demands and concerns for survival. The distinction between for-profit and non-profit sectors is also becoming blurred. We research these phenomena in the Indian performing arts sector through a qualitative comparative study of nine theatre organisations, based on Dart's (2004) inductive themes of goals, service delivery and management. While our findings suggest that the lines separating the for-profit and non-profit sectors are indeed getting blurred, there are significant differences in professionalisation or the employment of specialised staff across the two sectors. A commercial relationship with the audience and reliance on audience funding is common to both sectors, even when primary goals are not business-driven. The study provides reasons to question the divide between for-profit and non-profit organisations in the Indian performing arts sector, and proposes broader parameters to studying the changing nature of organisations.

Keywords: non-profit; business-like; blurred boundaries; theatre organisations; performing arts; qualitative research; comparative case study; India.

DOI: 10.1504/IJICBM.2021.115933

International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management, 2021 Vol.23 No.2, pp.171 - 192

Received: 09 Mar 2020
Accepted: 24 Jun 2020
Published online: 05 Jul 2021 *

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