Bridging the divide: regional performing arts centres and non-theatregoers introduced

Abstract

[Abstract]: The Talking Theatre project (2004-2006) was an audience development initiative implemented in regional Queensland and in the Northern Territory in Australia. The project sought to assist performing arts centres to better engage with their local communities and to build new audiences for the future. The research aimed to understand non-theatregoers; their reasons for non-attendance, their perspectives about theatregoing culture, and their reactions to a range of live performances they experienced under study conditions. A series of questionnaires and post-performance discussion groups generated extensive quantitative and qualitative data pertaining to non-theatregoers and their reception of theatregoing. Findings indicated that key deterrents to attendance (ticket price, parenting responsibilities, low quality performances, and work commitments) were outcomes of a larger barrier to theatregoing: fear of the unknown. Participation in the research resulted in return patronage of participants and their families/friends confirming that social interaction and peer recommendation is vital to becoming a theatregoer.