Phase 3. Production.
"This phase is to check if the plan is working, not to make the plan - it should be about iteration and refining, not starting new stuff."
In this phase, both the live and digital elements move into full production.
With timelines, budgets, and plans now in motion, the focus shifts to execution. Live rehearsals and digital development (the building, testing, and publishing) often run in parallel, which can create challenges to keep everything aligned.
The work you have done in phases 1 and 2 to ensure you have clear project objectives, communication lines and decision-making structures will help mitigate the risk when things, inevitably, deviate from the original plan.
As the commissions take shape, attention turns to how audiences will engage with the work. This includes ensuring clear pathways between the live and digital experiences and working closely with communication and audience teams to define those journeys.
With production underway, it’s also time to consider the project’s long-term presence. Every element, live or digital, has a lifespan. Without active planning, live work fades, and digital components risk slowly breaking or disappearing as platforms and technologies evolve. A strategy for archiving and maintaining access should be built into this phase, not left as an afterthought.
Focus of this phase.
- Creating artistic creative work that will thrill audiences.
- Creating a digital ‘home’ for the project that connects the projects.
- Audience experience strategy and a communications strategy.
- Designing the legacy and archive of the project.
- CREATE A DETAILED PLAN
Shared documents that give an overview of the whole project, and detailed documents for each project and/or element of the project. - ARTISTIC AND CREATIVE CREATION
The artistic project elements, both live and digital, ready for launch. - AUDIENCE TESTING
Test sessions with audiences that provide insight in the usability and accessibility of the digital project. - DESIGN THE LAUNCH AND LEGACY
A launch plan, including framing editorial (text and images) surrounding the commissions, digital and physical wayfinding infrastructure, marketing and PR assets and audience pathways. An equivalent legacy and archiving plan which sets out any changes that need to be created for the framing editorial (text and images) surrounding the commissions in archived states.
- Are the live and digital elements aligned?
Have we tested how audiences will move between live and digital experiences, and are all teams clear on how their work connects? - Is the work ready for launch?
Have all artistic and technical elements been completed, and have we addressed accessibility and usability through audience testing? - Do we have a clear audience engagement strategy?
Do we have a clear plan for how audiences will discover and interact with both live and digital components, and is there a marketing and communications plan linking both experiences - Have we planned for post-launch iteration?
What aspects of the project can or should be adapted based on audience feedback, and who has the authority to make those changes? - What happens to the digital components after the project ends?
How long will they remain live, who is responsible for maintaining them, and have we set a plan for archiving and long-term access?
Scope creep
Bottlenecks
Misaligned creative visions
Lack of contingency
Lack of sustainability strategy
- Managing scope creep
The production phase is for refining and execution, not introducing new ideas. Without strict scope control, teams risk overextending and compromising quality.
- Decision-making bottlenecks
Key decision-makers (directors, producers, technical leads) may be deep in rehearsals or technical development, slowing down necessary approvals and changes.
- Misalignment between digital/technical and artistic teams
In this high-pressure phase, the differing workflows and timelines of artistic and technical teams can drift apart, leading to misalignment.
- Budget strain from unplanned iteration
Unexpected challenges, whether technical, artistic, or audience-driven, can demand additional work. Without a well-planned contingency budget, this can cause financial strain.
- Overlooking long-term sustainability
Digital elements require maintenance. Without a clear archiving and transition strategy, they risk becoming obsolete or disappearing after the project ends.
- Tight scope adherence
- Team alignment
- Test early
- Stick to the plan, refine, don’t reinvent
This phase is about executing what’s already been agreed, not launching new ideas. Keep a tight grip on scope to avoid overreach and protect the quality of the work.
- Prioritise alignment across teams
The production processes for live and digital elements often run in parallel, this can lead to drift. Regular check-ins between artistic, technical, and audience-facing teams help keep the project cohesive and ensure the audience journey is seamless across all the different types of experience.
- Test early and use what you learn
Audience testing is essential, not just to polish the digital experience, but to validate decisions you have made around accessibility and usability. Make sure you have space to respond to feedback without derailing the timeline or budget.
- Plan now for what comes after
Don’t leave the project legacy to chance. Build in time to plan how digital content will be archived, maintained or retired. Without this, important work can vanish or become unusable over time.
- Keep decision-making agile
Bottlenecks often emerge when key leaders and decision-makers are stretched. Clarify who has authority to make decisions during production so progress doesn’t stall when things inevitably shift.
- The commissioned artists
are at the heart of this process this may include digital artists or they might be theatre artists working with the technology partner.
- The core digital team
artistic and production working closely with the artists to make sure that each project element delivers on the wider project objectives.
- The technology partners
in delivering a digital framework and/ore digital infrastructure to deliver the projects.
- Any departments that can help design pathways to the audience
this could be outreach, education and/or marketing specialists. - The executive team
of the theatre or theatre company and any of the departments who might play a key role in the wider project and/or key external advisors are available, are kept informed, and can be called upon in key decision-making moments.