When it comes to audience engagement, Washington DC's Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company is considered by many to be one of the rock-stars. During its 30th anniversary season (2009-2010), Woolly created an entirely new "Connectivity Department" tasked with taking audience outreach to a new level. Guided by the mission "...to ignite an explosive engagement between theatre artists and the community..." Woolly has created remarkable lobby experiences, interacted more directly with audience members, and been inspired to utilize a slew of social media tools in an effort to keep the conversation around its art constantly flowing.

I sat down with Deeksha Gaur, Woolly's Director of PR and Marketing, to learn more about Woolly's success and the lessons she has learned as an arts marketer in the digital age. The main takeaway? Audiences crave this type of direct interaction and any company can do it. Although Woolly has "technologized" the lobby, coupling a more analog experience with social media elements can inspire a broad conversation around your organization’s art. 

Listen to the full interview below to learn more, then tell us about some of your favorite audience engagement experiences, digital or analog, in the comments below.