We Love You. On Audiences

Professional Context. Who is Your Audience.

A conversation with people who facilitate and curate interdisciplinary festivals. The term Live Art is specific to UK - in Europe it is experimental theatre, dance, media or performance art. Are audiences underestimated and generally curious?

People tend to go to what they know - not curious enough.

Audience targeting can be too specific - Queerfest not attracting straight.

Make it easy for audiences - affordable, a social event.

Audiences doesn't like to see things twice, other languages, has concentration problems, doesn't read programmes properly, asks stupid questions, doesn't like the idea of interaction, but will enjoy it. Audiences easily bored.

Overlap of media - facilitating continuous dialogue. Create context and audience for work.

Various methodology to analyse audiences - intuit or research what people want.
Peter Brook - concept looking for a theatre rather than theatre looking for a concept.


Frank T and Waugh M (2005) We Love You: On Audiences, Revolver.




Reflection

It's quite funny but true to examine how the audience behaves - not people, but the audience. How to attract their attention and keep it, how to make sure they come, how to put in front of them innovative art when they want the familiar.


These marketing and presentation dilemmas are interesting conundrums, partly to be anticipated and thought through, partly to be responded to. As an artist, do you present what you want to show, or do you make work according to what people want to see.No matter the nature of the work, the audience must be considered in such group behaviour. It's not an exact science - audiences want things they don't know they want until they see it, hopefully.


8th August 2011