audience development
Why is audience development so important?
Good question.
The performing arts have both practical benefits (social, economic, academic, health, and behavioral) and intrinsic benefits (the personal, private benefits).
Children, in particular, receive many benefits from experiences with the arts. For more on these benefits, see Gifts of the Muse: Reframing the Debate 
about the Benefits of the Arts, by Kevin F. McCarthy.
Bottom line: We all benefit when society’s appreciation of the arts extends beyond Top 40 radio or basic cable.
Finding Connections
One of our best ways to encourage audience development is to find a connection to people, to move the experience of going to the theater from watching a performance to an event of “inquiry, conversation, and discovery" (1).
We want to deepen the impact of our programming by adding ways for patrons to learn more about the art form, the artist, and the piece itself and in this way build lasting relationships between artists and the audience.
We als want patrons to be able to immerse themselves more fully in the event, becoming “learning audiences” (2), so that the performing arts experience will have a better chance of becoming transformative.
That’s central to the promise of the performing arts.
How to Make This Happen
We will need to build a fund to target this endeavor. This larger fund would allow us to pursue activities that encourage more effective audience development, including
- the planning of more frequent and more immersive pre- and post-show discussions,
- the expanded availability of resources—including electronic resources—that would enable audiences to learn more about a performance, and
- expanded opportunities for audiences and local artists to interact with national and international touring artists.
Everyone will benefit from these enhancements—new audiences and our faithful, long-time patrons.
Questions?
The Meet Our Gift Officer link at left will introduce you to Joseph Hughes, who works on behalf of the Sangamon Auditorium. He will be happy to respond to your questions.
You can also use the Send Us Your Question link or contact our office directly.
Have you been a supporter of Sangamon Auditorium?
We'd love to hear your story.
- What have you appreciated most about the Auditorium?
- How would you encourage donors to give?
Please send your comments to Marilyn Kok, mkok2@uis.edu. We would love to add more graduates' comments to this site. We look forward to hearing from you.
