Audience Development

Engaging new audiences and deepening connections with existing ones.

It Isn’t Only About “Young” People

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A recent article in The Economist predicts that 2020 will begin the decade of the “young old” (or “yold”).  This refers to a Japanese term used to classify people aged between 65 and 75. We tend to think of “young” audiences as people below the age of 40 but many of us have audiences where the average age is above 70. We can’t forget about the people in between. The yold are more numerous, healthier and wealthier than previous generations of seniors. There will be 134m 65- to 74-year-olds in rich countries … Read more

Panels And Post Show Discussions

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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

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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

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