Transformations  in
Business & Economics

AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT ENHANCEMENT IN THEATRE USING DIFFERENT TOOLS: Q-METHODOLOGY-BASED STUDY
Skaiste Jurene

ABSTRACT: There is a unanimous agreement that audience engagement (AE) is currently and will be one of the most important challenges for cultural organisations. Thus, this paper analyses the concept of AE, identifies AE tools and their categories, and presents the antecedents of AE, as well as relations to the uses and gratification theory. Q-methodology research was held with the Lithuanian theatre audience. The main goal of this study was to determine AE in theatre activities. During the period of this research, a new category of AE tools (social interaction-promoting) and factors important for AE in the theatre have been identified. Moreover, five theatre audience groups found out - theatre lovers focused on themselves, company-loving theatrical backstage experts, theatre elite, theatre education, ritual believers, and theatre intellectuals. Those groups excel by different existing prior knowledge, seeking difference gratification (mostly hedonic and functional). Also, they tend to use distinct kinds of AE tools.

KEYWORDS:  audience engagement; tools; Uses and gratification theory; theatre; Q-methodology.

JEL classification:  L82, M31