This week Theatre Bay Area releases results from a groundbreaking pilot study, titled “Assessing the Intrinsic Impacts of the Bay Area Free Night of Theater Program,” that measures and demonstrates the inherent value of the arts. The study’s findings will be presented in detail at the upcoming TBA Press Conference being held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 9th.
Some 80 theaters participated in the study, which was conducted during Theatre Bay Area’s Free Night of Theater campaign in October 2008. Key findings include: FNOT audiences tend to be younger, more ethnically diverse, and equally well educated as ticket-buying patrons; FNOT audiences were more likely to follow the work of that theatre company in the future; FNOT audiences reported higher levels of intellectual stimulation than regular audiences, and were also twice as likely to say that they were exposed to a new style or type of theatre, a key indicator of aesthetic growth. This pilot study helps to refine research methods that will allow impact assessment to be ’scaled up’ in the future. Results will be used by Theatre Bay Area and its members to stimulate new dialogue about impact and mission.
A copy of the “Assessing the Intrinsic Impacts of the Bay Area Free Night of Theatre Program” report can be accessed online through the DataPoint section of Theatre Bay Area’s website, www.theatrebayarea.org/datapoint or at www.wolfbrown.com.
