Does the 'Shakespeare' in Shakespeare in the Park matter?: an investigation of attendances and attitudes of the USQ Shakespeare in the Park Festival

Abstract

In 2010, the annual University of Southern Queensland (USQ) Shakespeare in the Park Festival (SitPF) was held in Queens Park, Toowoomba, Queensland for the seventh consecutive year. This large outdoor theatre event was established to encourage greater attendances to performances of Shakespeare's plays by making them more accessible to the public. Attendance levels at SitPF have grown by 170 percent since its inception in 2004. In 2009, audience research was conducted to ascertain the barriers to attendance, as well as patrons' opinions of SitPF. Results showed that the primary deterrent to attendance was the fear that the Shakespearean content would not be understood or enjoyed. Only one-third of the 2009 SitPF audience, and of the repeat SitPF patrons, attended primarily because of the Shakespearean content. Interestingly, the Shakespearean content did not play a significant part in the overall enjoyment of the event for either type of SitPF audience.