WHAT IS THIS PROJECT?

‘Theatre Spectatorship and Value Attribution’ was an AHRC supported research study looking at how theatre audiences value the experience of attending performances. The focus was on the self-reported description of experiences of individuals who attend the theatre, which were gathered mainly through online questionnaires, interviews, and creative workshops. We also tapped memory by asking some subjects about a performance they saw one year ago. The research project took place between September 2013 and May 2014.

WHO LED THIS PROJECT AND WHO WAS INVOLVED?

This project was led by the University of Warwick, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), and carried out in collaboration with Royal Holloway University of London, Manchester Metropolitan University, and The British Theatre Consortium (BTC), a small think-tank of academics and artists. Professor Janelle Reinelt (Warwick) was the principal investigator; Professor Dan Rebellato and Senior Lecturer Chris Megson of Royal Holloway, and Senior Lecturer Julie Wilkinson of Manchester Metropolitan were co-investigators. The playwright David Edgar was consultant to the project –all are members of the BTC. In addition, the project had three theatre partners: the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Young Vic, and the Drum Theatre in Plymouth, who facilitated this research. Postgraduate students Lisa Skwirblies (Warwick) and Wendy Haines (RHUL) were the research assistants. Dr. Jane Woddis was the project manager.

Go to the British Theatre Consortium webpage to read the final AHRC project report

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Photo: Janelle with Ed Borlase and David Prescott of the Theatre Royal Plymouth, speaking about the research results.