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.
Interview with Ceci Dadisman: Online Marketing and Audience Engagment
Ceci Dadisman, Palm Beach Opera's Director of PR and Marketing, sat down with AMTLab to talk about her work and how she utilizes a variety of digital platforms to market more effectively and increase audience engagement. She also offered numerous tips about how arts organizations can get started in the world of new media.
Interview with Douglas McLennan, Arts Journal
As part of the 25th anniversary celebration of the arts management program here at CMU, we recently sat down with Douglas McLennan, founder and editor of Arts Journal, to talk about the role of blogs in arts organizations, how Arts Journal got its start, and some of the challenges facing the arts world as it seeks to develop new audiences. McLennan argues that true engagement can only occur when we first meet communities where they are, and that rather than telling our neighbors what they ought to appreciate, we must first listen to the troubles and triumphs that capture their attention.
Technology in Art and Arts Organizations: Interview with Fifth House Ensemble
Integrating technology, on any level, can be daunting for arts organizations. There are valid trepidations concerning cost and time commitments, and generally a change resistance culture. You won’t find that attitude with Melissa Snoza and the staff of Fifth House Ensemble.
Part Two Talking about the Virtual Pillow
Ella Baff, Artistic and Executive Director of Jacob’s Pillow visited Carnegie Mellon on Tuesday February 28. The following addendum to last week’s blog post is a result of online conversations with Jacob's Pillow General Manager Connie Chin. Andre Bouchard: Could you talk about the development process of the Virtual Pillow? How did you decide what features to put in? How did the process unfold?
Part 1 Talking about the Virtual Pillow: Ella Baff, Executive and Artistic Director of Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival
This interview with Ella Baff, Executive and Artistic Director of the Jacob’s Pillow Festival, took place on Friday, February 17th. Ella Baff will be speaking at Carnegie Mellon University on Tuesday, February 28, 2012 as part of the Masters in Arts Management Speaker Series.
Podcast Episode #84 - Social Media Spotlight: Woolly Mammoth Theatre Co.
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Co. in Washington, DC has been getting a lot of press lately about their re-launch of the Pulitzer-Prize winning play "Clybourne Park". Along with the production, Woolly Mammoth has begun an innovative audience engagement campaign that includes many social media platforms. In this podcast, Rachel Grossman (Connectivity Director for the theater) answers questions about social media planning, what "connectivity" actually means, and integrating efforts across platforms.[display_podcast]
Podcast Episode #81 - Audience Feedback 2.0 - Quantifying Intrinsic Impact
In this episode, David talks with Clayton Lord from Theatre Bay Area about their work on "Audience Feedback 2.0" - a research study conducted with Wolf Brown on measuring the intrinsic impact (intellectual, social, and emotional) of a theatrical performance on audiences within 18 theatres in 6 cities throughout the United States. The study seeks to establish:
- A web-based interface to eventually allow any company to do their own impact study at minimal expense
- A data set that will be useful for artists, administrators, advocates, funders and audience members
- A series of national conversations designed to tackle how best to talk about the arts in a way that isn't economic
For more information:
The Intrinsic Impact Project - Theatre Bay Area's current online record for the project
Intrinsic Impact: New Approaches to Audience and Visitor Feedback - a 60-minute webinar conducted by Wolf Brown and hosted by Americans for the Arts. (Must be an AFTA member to view this webinar.)
Major University Presenters Value and Impact Study - a two-year study of the values and motivations driving performing arts attendance and donation.
Podcast Episode #79 - Audience Engagement Platform
In this episode, David talks with Chris Elam from Misnomer Dance Theater about the upcoming launch of the Audience Engagement Platform, an innovative web-based communications network designed to connect artists, and the environments within which they work, with their audiences – patrons, contributors, the media, and potential funders.
First announced in 2008, the Audience Engagement Platform has been developing steadily with Elam's leadership. The platform will provide templates for multiple ways in which artists can create deeper engagement experiences for their audiences. Artists will also have the opportunity to see what types of engagement activities their peers are creating.
According to Elam and the AEP team:
Over 40% of all Americans attend performing arts events each year, and there are over 6 million artists working in America. While each interacts with his/her own audience base perhaps once or twice a year, their cumulative reach is enormous. Artists have a huge opportunity to engage their audiences through the web, yet with uncertainty about which tools to use and to what degree, artists often feel stranded, frustrated, and static in their audience outreach. AEP will simplify and streamline the various online vehicles available, and it will create effective and efficient ways of engaging and growing audiences.
Cool Sites of the Episode: AEPlatform - The online space for staying up-to-date on the Audience Engagement Platform
Misnomer Dance Theater - So you've heard about their work with AEP, now check out their amazing work in dance