On the record: an account of regional non-theatregoers' responses to a selection of plays toured to northern Australia in 2004-2005

Abstract

When groups of regional non-theatregoers experience a selection of plays and then report that most enjoyed them, could understand them, could relate to them, and would like to see more of them, the obvious questions to ask are “Why were they non-theatregoers? and how can we ensure that they now return?” This paper details regional non-theatregoers’ (or new audiences’) reception of plays to demonstrate how theatre is perceived by the recently-introduced. By better understanding new audiences and their reception of plays, more effective decisions can be made to impact on the creation of new work, the programming of seasonal repertoire, and the marketing of plays with this significant segment of the community in mind. Likewise, the non-theatregoers’ introduction to ‘the world of theatre’ enables them to directly experience live plays and to become more knowledgeable about what the theatre has to offer and how they might engage with it.