Audience Engagement Cookbook

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Audience Engagement Cookbook: About You

Organization Name*

As you would like it to appear to the public on the website

If applicable, which department is completing this survey?

The following information is requested so that we may reach you if we have questions about your submission

Your Name*

Your Email Address*

Your Phone

Your Title

Your City

Your State

Audience Engagement Cookbook: About Your Program

What do you call your audience engagement program?*

Ex: Dance Debriefs

What are your goals for this program or activity?*

Ex: To offer the audience the opportunity to debrief about the show at a time when it was fresh in their minds, in a format where they could hear other viewpoints. To increase their comfort level in speaking about dance. Ultimately to increase ticket sales for dance

When, in general, is your program being offered?

Elaborate on when your program is offered

How long does your program last?

Ex: 45 minutes

What time of day is the program offered?

Ex: Afternoon or evening

What time(s) of the year is it offered?

Ex: Once at the start of the season (or) throughout the season at all performances

Describe your program.*

Ex: We host Dance Debriefs after the opening night performance of most dance presentations. Chairs are placed in a circle, in the lobby of our theater and light refreshments are provided. A moderator “lightly facilitates” the discussion; we intentionally avoid setting a tone where the facilitator would be viewed as an “expert” because it can limit the group discussion. Using our discussion guide, the moderator first states that there are no wrong answers to interpreting a performance and reminds attendees of the essay about viewing dance that appears in our program. Then, those present (if the group is not too large) introduce themselves by first name.

One of the key differences between Dance Debriefs and other similar events is we then ask questions of the audience, so that the audience is doing the majority of speaking. Questions are open-ended and also appear in the discussion guide, and are written to elicit impressions of the work just seen. We encourage the group to compare their own viewpoints. The artist is intentionally not present so that the audience would be comfortable sharing their range of views about the work and asking questions. The moderator attempts to get as many people to speak as possible, but does not put quieter people on the spot because we believe that those who are actively listening are engaged. While we want to go for 45 minutes, it’s important to watch for body language that conveys that people are ready to leave, and to adjourn then, because we don’t want to deter people from coming back to future sessions. Our positive evaluation of this format appears below, based on our audience’s response to it over the past season. Attendance at it has been increasing, and if it gets much larger we would need to split the group into two circles, and use a second moderator, in order to maintain the casual, intimate feeling of the discussion.

How many audience members participate? Is it for large or small groups?

Ex: As few as 10 and as many as 80 people have attended

Target audience

Describe your target audience (by age, educational level, location, gender, etc.)

If your program is for kids, is it designed for in school or out of school? Is its primary purpose instructional or for self-expression?

Ex: This program is for adults but complements a similar program offered for kids at student matinees.

Is it open to the public or private, invitation only?

PublicPrivate, invitation only

Audience Engagement Cookbook: How the Audience Engages

How does the audience engage in this program - i.e., what are the actions they take?

Hint: Be sure to include how these happen during your program, and whether they happen online or in person. The ways in which they might engage are listed below.

Ex: The audience gets refreshments, and then converses informally, by answering the moderator's questions and offering feedback

Listen
Watch
Move or dance themselves
Ask questions
Read (program notes or web text)
Socialize (with each other or the artist?)
Eat or drink
Converse informally (among themselves or with the artist)
Provide a written response (survey, post-it note, blog entry)
Offer feedback in other ways (such as ideas for the choreography)

Audience Engagement Cookbook: Program Logistics

Where does your program take place?

Ex. In the lobby of the theater

How many staff members are required to implement this program? What role(s) do they play?

Ex. We use 2 members of our outreach staff, 2 volunteers, 2 unpaid interns, and a paid facilitator. Volunteers and interns remind audience members about the event as they enter the theater, direct them to the lobby and encourage them to stay, and help clean up afterward. Staff oversee the event, and interact with any donors who attend. The facilitator starts the discussion and asks questions of the group

What is your budget for the program? Please provide detail if possible.

Ex. We allot $500 for both members of the outreach staff, $100 plus two tickets for post performance discussion facilitator, and $200 for marketing/advertising of the discussion

Indicate how this program is marketed and/or how audiences are recruited to participate.

Ex: We mention it in our season brochure on the dates when it will occur, on both the pages featuring the dance company and the order form. It is also mentioned in our membership letter. We announce it from the curtain and a flyer is placed in the program. On the day of the performance, we issue a reminder via social media

What is the cost of the program to participants?

Ex: free

Audience Engagement Cookbook: Program Outcomes

Approximately how many people have participated in the program to date?

How many times have you carried out this program in the past?

Ex. We have held four Dance Debriefs this year, which was the first season in which it was offered

What worked? Do you have any advice about what specifically to do?

Ex: Having a facilitator encourages attendees to talk. We found that the lobby is more conducive to discussion than the theater. As expected, refreshments doubled attendance

What didn’t work? Do you have any suggestions as to what not to do?

Ex: Adjourn the talk before the parking garage closes! We learned to select volunteers who are comfortable interacting with people. We learned to ask the facilitator to prepare questions in advance, but also to be comfortable with moments of silence during the discussion, particularly toward the beginning

Do you offer this program at all of your dance performances or only for specific ones? Why?

Ex: We began by offering it at contemporary dance performances as this is where we sensed that people had the most questions. We hope to expand to ballet next year

Have you ever conducted any research on the program? If so, what type and what did you learn?

Ex: We distribute a 3-question survey that can be completed in 1-2 minutes so we won't keep people too late

Do you plan to continue this program in the future? What factored into your decision?

Ex: We may offer fewer of these events in the next season due to the resources involved. But we look forward to comparing the type of discussions after a ballet performance to what we heard after contemporary dance shows

Audience Engagement Cookbook: Additional Information

Do you have anything to add?

Ex: Our board loves this program and we've been successful in getting corporate sponsorship for it

Is there information about this program or idea online that you would like to share? Please enter the link(s) and a brief description of the information that can be found at the link(s).

Note: If you would like to submit documents that would help others in replicating your program, please do so by emailing them to EDA staff. In the subject line, please enter the word "Cookbook" and the name of your organization and engagement program (as above). Attach documents as PDFs

After you submit your recipe, EDA staff will review it before publishing. We might contact you to ask questions. Click on “Finish” to submit your audience engagement program to the cookbook.