Audience Development

Panels And Post Show Discussions

Published Wed, Aug 28, 19 at 2:00 am | Updated Mon, Aug 26, 19 at 5:56 pm

Conversations around performances and events really can enhance the experience for people, but making it an effective and enjoyable experience can take some preparation and discipline. One of my favorite pieces on the practice was written for HowlRound by Brant Russell reflecting on his experience leading the discussions at Steppenwolf Theatre. He presented 11-ish rules that were basically aimed at having the moderator employ the lightest touch while also keeping the discussion away from questions like “how did you memorize all those lines?” He counsels directors to stay away because they are … Read more

Briefly–Still Working At It After 400+ Years

Published Tue, Jun 18, 19 at 2:00 am | Updated Tue, Jun 18, 19 at 3:21 pm

Around 1600 Shakespeare wrote about brevity being the soul of wit in Hamlet. Roughly 400 years later,  phone text messaging and Twitter limited us to the number of characters one could post. The fact that Twitter has expanded their character limit and most phone messaging software either provide capacious limits or automatically parse messages across multiple texts it something of a testament to our inability to briefly encapsulate our meaning. Yet there is a growing need to do so, whether it be mission statements, grant proposals, elevator pitches or show descriptions. People … Read more

It Isn’t Just About The Price!

Published Thu, Dec 6, 18 at 11:31 am | Updated Mon, Dec 3, 18 at 11:33 am

In the arts administration world, there is always a lot of talk about things that relate to the cost of admission. Are prices too high that they are preventing people from attending? Should we offer free events to bring new people in the doors? Quick, let’s do a discount to sell some last-minute tickets! There is a host of data that shows that discounting and offering free events alone with the aim of reaching new/underserved/low income audiences doesn’t work. (Here is an example, and another, and another for your perusal.) Beyond this data, we know that … Read more

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