Face à l’incertitude : la cristallisation des réseaux par les comédiens entrepreneurs

Just as entrepreneurial action is filled with uncertainty, so are performing artists? careers. This paper examines how performing artists crystallize their socio-professional network to reduce this uncertainty. An analysis of the professional trajectory of four performing artists uncovers three crystallization patterns?successive crystallizations and decrystallizations, crystallization of a collective or a team, and crystallization of a network of partners?which are used successively and/or in combination. These crystallizations take shape around a wide variety of crystallizing elements, going beyond a project- or a person-based view. These results enrich Larson and Starr?s (1993) reticular model of organization creation by giving it a more systemic character. They also contribute to the understanding of the socio-professional integration processes of artists thanks to the entrepreneurship approach adopted.