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Audience Engagement

Content in this section centers one crucial aspect of theatremaking: the audience. How do theatremakers identify and attract the right audience for a particular work? What are the different levels of engagement, from simple spectatorship to participation? Amrita Ramanan’s 2013 series gathers thoughts from leaders in the field and is a great place to start, as are videos from Theatre Communications Group’s 2015 Audience (R)Evolution Convening.

The Latest

The Virtuosity of Black Storytelling with Tarell Alvin McCraney
Podcast
The Virtuosity of Black Storytelling with Tarell Alvin McCraney
by Jordan Ealey, Leticia Ridley, Tarell Alvin McCraney
6 March 2024
Towards a Sustainable Theatre Model
Essay
Towards a Sustainable Theatre Model
by Scott Walters, Munroe Shearer
27 February 2024
Can’t Do Theatre by Yourself
Essay
Can’t Do Theatre by Yourself
by Christin Eve Cato, Jorge Piña
23 January 2024
Video Games as an Art Form Part 3
Essay

Video Games as an Art Form Part 3

Bringing Games to Life

27 January 2017

In this last installment, Rick Stemm shares the production process—from idea to execution—for Heroes Must Die.

Elements of Oz
Essay

Elements of Oz

Pay Attention to the Men Behind the Curtain

17 January 2017

Amelia Parenteau deconstructs the use of technology in The Builders Association’s production of Elements of Oz, an adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, presented at 3LD in New York City.

Open Your Mind
Essay

Open Your Mind

Theatre Space, Performance, and Audience

6 January 2017

verity healey considers the Battersea Arts Centre’s new Courtyard theatre space and inviting an audience to participate in the performance through interaction with the performance space.

What Comes Next?
Essay

What Comes Next?

Theatre and Posttraumatic Growth After the 2016 Election

4 January 2017

Emily White writes about how her research on posttraumatic growth informs her belief that theatre can be an important tool to help America unite and heal.

Saved by my Audience
Essay

Saved by my Audience

19 November 2016

Sean Daniels writes about the successes and challenges of his first year as Artisitic Director of Merrimack Repertory Theatre. 

“We're Not Learning History...We're Living it"
Essay

“We're Not Learning History...We're Living it"

Underground Railroad Game and the Resurgence of the History Play

17 November 2016

Rosa Schneider reflects on history plays, history, and pedagogy in Undergound Railroad Game created by Jennifer Kidwell and Scott Sheppard with Lightning Rod Special playing at Ars Nova in New York City.

My Tension Experience, Part 2
Essay

My Tension Experience, Part 2

2 November 2016

In this second installment, Megan Reilly discusses her participation in Ascension, the second phase of The Tension Experience, and reflects on agency for audience members in this immersive experience.

Audience Engagement in a Dolphin Costume
Essay

Audience Engagement in a Dolphin Costume

28 October 2016

Travis Amiel shares his experience of engaging audiences in Company One Theatre’s production of The T Party by Natsu Onoda Power.

Double Edge Theatre’s Latin American Cycle Builds Bridges Across Massachusetts
Essay

Double Edge Theatre’s Latin American Cycle Builds Bridges Across Massachusetts

20 October 2016

Josh Platt on Double Edge Theatre’s Latin American Spectacle in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, Cada Luna Azul / Once a Blue Moon in Ashfield, Massachusetts, and the Springfield Spectacle, in Springfield, Massachusetts.

To Fear or Not to Fear
Essay

To Fear or Not to Fear

Community and New Play Producing

14 October 2016

In this piece, Triple Play project leads Tory Bailey and Brad Erickson respond to selections of a conversation between playwrights Laura Jacqmin and Jacqueline Lawton.

Courtroom Drama
Essay

Courtroom Drama

the Politics and Poetics of One Community Immersion Experience

13 October 2016

Karen Hartman describes the process of immersing herself in a community in order to tell their story on stage, in this installment of the Triply Play series.

A Space Where People Can Be Their Bravest Self
Essay

A Space Where People Can Be Their Bravest Self

12 October 2016

In this installment of the Triple Play series, Artistic Director Torange Yeghiazarian shares Golden Thread Productions' process for creating space for conversations with artists and audiences both about identity in and representation of the Middle East.

New Plays, New Conversations
Essay

New Plays, New Conversations

12 October 2016

In this installment for the Triple Play series, Director of Community Engagement Leda Hoffmann shares Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s process for curating dialogue about new work with their audience.

Creating Lasting Connections with "Radical Hospitality"
Essay

Creating Lasting Connections with "Radical Hospitality"

11 October 2016

In this installment of the Triple Play series, Lisa Mallette writes about how City Lights Theater Company extends “radical hospitality” to all audience members.

Testing New Waters of Audience Engagement at the Goodman
Essay

Testing New Waters of Audience Engagement at the Goodman

10 October 2016

Neena Arndt writes about new strategies the Goodman is testing to give audience members information about shows before they arrive at the theatre.

Marketing Beyond the Bottom Line
Essay

Marketing Beyond the Bottom Line

Why the Division between Marketing and Engagement?

9 October 2016

Theatre marketing consultant Alli Houseworth calls for marketing and audience engagement to come together, the first in a series of articles about Triple Play, a project with Theatre Development Fund and Theatre Bay Area exploring the relationship between playwrights, theatres, and audiences.

A Tale of One Play in Two Cities
Essay

A Tale of One Play in Two Cities

25 September 2016

The trajectory of playwright Tammy Ryan’s play Lost Boy in Whole Foods about Sudanese refugees in America and how a play about refugees plays today.

My Tension Experience, Part 1
Essay

My Tension Experience, Part 1

Exploring Extreme Immersive Theatre

16 September 2016

In this first installment, Megan Reilly shares her experience with the first phase of The Tension Experience, a project that’s a cross between immersive theatre and an Alternate Reality Game.

Toward a Sensory Theatre / Hacia un Teatro Sensorial
Essay

Toward a Sensory Theatre / Hacia un Teatro Sensorial

10 September 2016

Beatriz Afonso Santos describes her process of exploring theatre and theatremaking techniques that involve all the senses. Read it in English and in Spanish!

Roe and the American Revolutions Cycle at OSF
Essay

Roe and the American Revolutions Cycle at OSF

Dramatic, Present, and Human

10 September 2016

In this cultural moment of divisiveness, how is one of the true stories of abortion theatricalized? Holly Derr considers Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s co-production of Roe by Lisa Loomer. 

Helping an Audience Collaborate with One Another
Essay

Helping an Audience Collaborate with One Another

13 July 2016

In this installment, Damon Krometis shares his experience with garnering audience collaboration and gives tips on how to best include audience members in a performance. 

Classic Engagement
Essay

Classic Engagement

What Theatres Can Learn from a Missouri Music Store

5 July 2016

Lauren Smith discusses Westgate Music, a local music store in Missouri, and offers tips for how theatres can engage with their audiences.

Thoughts from a Youngster on Attracting Youngsters to the Playhouse
Essay

Thoughts from a Youngster on Attracting Youngsters to the Playhouse

27 June 2016

Abraham Benson-Goldberg writes about how theatres can be better at attracting young audiences, based on his experiences in Seattle, WA and Tel Aviv, Israel.

The Audience is Present
Essay

The Audience is Present

An Interview with LIFT’s Mark Ball

16 June 2016

Patrick Gaughan explores audience engagement and the relative merit of the Q&A in conversation with Mark Ball, artistic director of the London International Festival of Theatre.

Flying Solo in a Cage
Essay

Flying Solo in a Cage

Reflecting on Hyena

26 May 2016

Actress/Playwright Romana Soutus shares her process and experience performing her solo show Hyena.