A significant number of theatres – especially ensemble-based companies – structure themselves around project development rather than seasonal programming. In some cases theatres are engaged with one project at a time (e.g Rabbit Hole Ensemble) and others are focused on multiple projects in various stages of development and production (e.g. Tectonic Theatre Project). As resources and challenges change, new producing options and approaches are emerging. Depending on project variables, operating focus may shift from the solely self-produced, to co-produced collaborations, to commissioned productions, to touring and/or residency projects, all within a single 12-month cycle. In order to accommodate such a range of operating demands many of these theatres have adopted an Integrated Project Core (IPC). The IPC is an operating format that directs maximum resources – human, financial, time, space, technical and audience relationships – toward developing and producing the project(s). The IPC is characterized by a relatively small, well-integrated, multi-tasking staff team that relies on access to a wide array of creative, technical and project-specific resources (internally and externally) to expand and contract as needed. By design, the IPC is interactive and agile and expands to produce each project (play, event or series) according to what the project requires. Equally important is the capacity for the integrated project core to contract between projects when fewer resources are required. In this way, the IPC keeps a low-maintenance operating profile with a high-yield producing capacity, maximizing resources for each project.