Who are our audiences, and how can they be reliably measured?
In most countries, the Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) sector lacks a systematic collection of audience statistics to track the attendance and engagement of children and young people and, equally as important, the means to identify which children do not currently have access. Reliable information of the demographics, preferences, and access levels of young audiences worldwide somehow falls between the cracks. Yet, without such information, the TYA sector lacks foundational data that could be used to further prove the artistic, social, and economic relevance of TYA.
In this session, two researchers who have been grappling with these problems will share their insights. Dr Lanora Callahan and Dr Kai Roland Green have been working on research, commissioned by ASSITEJ International, to address the question of access to TYA from a quantitative perspective. They have co-authored pilot reports on initial data bottlenecks in the sector as well as laying out proposals for how to create a more robust statistical picture of our sector.
We invite you to join us for collective exploration of this topic and to hear from the researchers about their early findings and insights into how ‘access’ translates in different national contexts. We'll also discuss how new co-creative methods might be developed to gather this vital information for the future of our sector.
About the Artists
Dr Kai Roland Green is a postdoctoral researcher in gender, social enterprise and the creative industries. He completed his PhD at Roskilde University, Denmark, on feminist approaches to alternative currencies, and coordinates the 'Culture and Arts in Social Enterprise' group in the EMES International Research network. He also has a background as a theatre dramaturg and works to build bridges between the creative arts and entrepreneurship disciplines.
Dr Lanora Callahan is passionate about developing, analysing, and disseminating quantitative research in the arts and has extensive experience designing, developing, implementing, and managing quantitative and mixed-methods research involving young people and socioeconomically vulnerable populations across academic, governmental, and community settings. Dr Callahan completed her PhD examining the impact of community-based dance programmes on the social and emotional learning of underprivileged ethnic minority adolescents using a quasi-experimental, mixed method approach.
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AGE CLASSIFICATION
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REASON FOR CLASSIFICATION
- Professional Content
- Not Applicable