Outreach that works: Free Night of Theater

Two years after its pilot, Chicago participated in Theatre Communications Group’s “Free Night of Theater” this year. (‘m not sure why Chicago wasn’t on board earlier, but it probably had something to do with the vast number of theater orgs in this town.) Free Night is an exciting concept and I’m curious to see the impact it has on our local theater companies and venues. It’s too soon to find any results specifically for Chicago, but I took a look around the Web for info on what has been learned elsewhere.

TCG retained Shugoll Research to conduct several studies, posting the summary results on the TCG website. According to the Shugoll surveys, in 2007, 77% of participating patrons attended a theatre they had never been to before; 42% were under age 35; 26% had less than a college degree; 27% were non-white; and 33% had combined household annual income of less than $50,000.

TCG reports that one out of two Free Night program attendees return to the theatre they attended on Free Night and purchase tickets. But what I wanted to know more. What motivates a Free Night patron to return? Is it the sheer enjoyment of the experience or are there other barriers that Free Night overcomes? For instance, there is some evidence that people who aren’t used to going to arts events are  concerned about how it works, how one should behave,  and whether newbies are unwelcome in a crowd of alleged connoisseurs.

NPR’s story by Jeff Lunden offers some insights, as does Gordon Cox’s story in Variety. Participating Free Night theatres have found that a welcome speech onstage by a theater staffer is the most effective tactic for getting Free Night patrons to  return. Other helpful moves include sending a welcome letter along with tickets to Free Night patrons, offering tips and assistance for attending the performance, parking, transportation, refreshments, etc. Also effective is a friendly post-performance communication with an invitation and information about upcoming events.

In short, once you get them in the door, it’s the human touch that makes a difference. The arts world can seem like an exclusive private club (and, at some venues, an exclusive club for rich people) if you’re not accustomed to being in it. It’s ironic, since most of the arts people I know are nothing if not inclusive in their embrace of the human condition and they certainly don’t seek to be pretentious or intimidating…but potential audiences don’t necessarily see it that way.

Where else  can we apply these findings? I wish we could have a well-organized Free Night for chamber music, an art form that is actually, imo, less intimidating than the symphony, yet often overlooked even by people who already like classical music.

The mood of the patron is…

I’ve been on a little hiatus lately while engaged in some interesting projects, living out of a suitcase for six weeks and getting up to speed working with The Chicago Ensemble, one of Chicago’s oldest and most interesting chamber music groups that is known for its brilliantly eclectic programming. At a meeting tonight, I had a conversation with Jim Jarvis of Arlington Height’s Metropolis Performing Arts Centre about how patrons are responding to the current economic environment. He said that he had recently changed a programming decision because numerous patrons had said they did not want to see a serious drama, but would prefer something more upbeat and fun. I’m wondering if other theaters are experiencing this response as well. It’s not necessarily bad — theater attendance increased during the Great Depression because people needed to be transported beyond their difficult daily circumstances. Along those lines, perhaps Chicago arts organizations will benefit from the doom-and-gloom news headlines. Who needs a fancy vacation in a far-away land when you can travel, metaphorically speaking, anywhere you want by attending a performing arts presentation?