Seminar: Empirical Audience and Reception Research in the Theatre

Tampere, Finland  2-6 november 2009

This one week seminar provides an introduction to the field of empirical audience and reception research in the theatre. Goal is to provide the student with an overview of both the historical roots (from the 1970's onwards) and the current theoretical underpinnings of this research field.  

Also the course will provide some basic insights on the methodologies that are used - especially with regard to composing, administering and analyzing questionnaires. During this seminar students will work in small groups on a research proposal of their own and will develop a (rudimentary) questionnaire for it. 

A general lecture on Studying Theatrical Experiences for a broader audience will be an integral part of the course.

Before start of seminar

Task 1: Theatrical top-experience

[do this before anything else! - do not read up on the subject or talk about it]

Describe a theatrical top-experience; a personal experience (preferably but not necessarily a recent one) with a visit to the theatre that resulted in the performance acquiring a special meaning for you.Try to describe the performance or scene as specifically as possible as well as the context/circumstances of your visit. Ehat did you experience personally? Did your experience change during /after you visit? And why do you think the experience is so memorable? The task is not about giving a complete description of the performance or moments/parts within it, but it is much more about your own personal reaction to the performance and about what you think caused this reaction.

Finally, try to indicate whether you have these kind of experiences more often and if so whether this happens in an art-context. What is it that these experiences have in common? What makes these experiences in a theatrical context (perhaps the experience as described above) specific with regard to other experiences?

[Do not exceed 1.5 or 2 A4; 700-900 words]

Bring a copy to the first session of the seminar!

Theoretical explorations

Methodology

Tasks

Monday

 Morning

 Task 1 'my theatrical top-experience (see above)/ reading

Afternoon

Introduction - basics of audience and reception research - communication models - history - sociological and psychological approaches

General timeline of research - methodologies before/after & during performances - sorts of questions/types of variables - dependent & independent variables -  exploratory & explanatory research

 Tuesday

 Morning

 Task 2 'preparing a research proposal' - questions/ hypotheses/variables/respondents)

Afternoon

Identification

Video; 'Who will you be tonight'

Data-collection - sampling & generalizing results/approaching respondents - coding & entry of the data - missing data - data cleaning - frequencies/crosstabs - comparing groups & statistical significance

Discussion of research proposals

Wednesday

 Morning

 Task 3 'preparing a questionnaire' - attitudes/behavior/characteristics of respondents

Afternoon

Aestetic and aestheticized emotions - ways of looking in the theatre - the influence of theatrical space (red versus grey boxes)

Correlation - data reduction: scaling/multiple regression/factor analysis - designing questionnaires - operationalisation of variables

Discussion of questionnaires

Thursday

 Morning

 Task 4 Refine questionnaires & prepare final presentation

Read theatrical top-experiences of other students

Afternoon

Studying theatrical experiences (general lecture)

 Friday

 Morning

Afternoon

other applications - the future of audience and reception research

Looking at your theatrical top-experiences

Presentations of research proposals

Tasks 2-4

Task 2: Preparing a research proposal

Together with your group decide on a research proposal that you want to work on. It can be anything you like and might involve research during and before/after a performance. The only condition is that the research should involve a questionnaire for audiences/spectators. Make sure that your proposal involves:

• the main question of the research (and maybe ensuing sub-questions);
• the hypotheses you have concerning the answer to your question(s);
• the methods you want to use in your research (if  they involve more than only a questionnaire);
• the variables that will be involved in your research;
• the respondents that will have to answer the questionnaire.

The whole proposal should not be more than (about) 1 page. Bring enough copies for the whole group tomorrow.

Task 3: Preparing a questionnaire

Prepare the questionnaire for (part of) your proposal. Make sure you address the main variables that play a role in your research. Make sure to include also questions that focus not only on attitudes (evaluations, beliefs, feelings, emotions, impressions, interpretations) also on behavior and characteristics of your respondents. The questionnaire shoukd be no longer than 2 pages. Again: bring enough copies for the whole group tomorrow.

Task 4: Refine questionnaires & prepare final presentation

- Refine your questionnaires on the basis of the remarks made in class. Prepare a presentation in which your (altered?) research question and the questionnaire are combined ? focusing on the operationalisation of the variables involved.

- Make sure you have read the ?top-experiences? of your classmates

Literature:

The following literature pertains (sometimes roughly) to the sessions/days (a * before the title means that I have send the article in advance)

Day 1

* Arnheim, R. (1996) The split and the structure: twenty-eight essays. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 65-72 (?What is an aesthetic fact?)

* Jacobsen, Thomas (2006) ?Bridging the Arts and Sciences: a Framework for the Psychology of Aesthetics.? Leonardo Vol 39, no 2 p. 155-162.

* Tulloch, J. (2004) ?Chekhov in Bath: Dimensions, Experiences and concepts of an ?everyday?theatrical event?, in: Vicky Ann Cremona, Peter Eversmann, Hans van Maanen, Willmar Sauter, John Tulloch (eds.) Theatrical Events. Borders-Dynamics-Frames. Amsterdam-New York: Rodopi, p. 175-206.

Eversmann, Peter G.F., (2004) ?Introduction Part Two: Dynamics of the Theatrical Event? in: Vicky Ann Cremona, Peter Eversmann, Hans van Maanen, Willmar Sauter, John Tulloch (eds.) Theatrical Events. Borders-Dynamics-Frames. Amsterdam-New York: Rodopi, p.133-174.

Day 2

* Schoenmakers, H. (1988) To be, wanting to be, forced to be. Identification processes in theatrical situations. In: W. Sauter (ed.) New directions in audience research. (Advances in reception and audience research 2; TTW 24/25) Utrecht: TTW/ICRAR. p. 138?163.

Day 3

* Schoenmakers, H. (1992) Aesthetic emotions and aestheticised emotions in theatrical situati­ons. In: H. Schoenmakers (ed.) Performan­ce theory. Reception and audience research. (Series: Advan­ces in audience and reception research, vol. 3) Amster­dam: ICRAR/TTW. p. 39?58.

Eversmann, P.G.F. (     ), Breaking Down the House. In

Day 4

* Beardsley, Monroe C. (1982)  Aesthetic experience. In: M.J. Wreen and D.M. Callen (eds.) Monroe C. Beardsley. The aesthetic point of view . Selected essays.  Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press. p. 285-298.

* Csikszentmihalyi, M. & R. Robinson (1990) The art of seeing. An interpretation of the aest­hetic encounter. Los Ange­les: J. Paul Getty Museum/Getty Center for Education in the Arts.

Eversmann, Peter G.F., (2004) ?The experience of the theatrical event?, in: Vicky Ann Cremona, Peter Eversmann, Hans van Maanen, Willmar Sauter, John Tulloch (eds.) Theatrical Events. Borders-Dynamics-Frames. Amsterdam-New York: Rodopi, p.133-174.

Day 5

Konijn, E. (1991) What's on between the actor and his audience? Empirical analysis of emoti­on processes in the theatre. In: G. D. Wilson (ed.) Psychology and perfor­ming arts. Amster­dam/Lisse: Swets & Zeitlinger. p. 59?74.

Additional Reading

Three booklets available in .PDF:

H. Schoenmakers (ed.) Performan­ce theory. Reception and audience research. (Series: Advan­ces in audience and reception research, vol. 1) Amster­dam: ICRAR/TTW. (1986)

W. Sauter (ed.) New directions in audience research. (Advances in reception and audience research 2; TTW 24/25) Utrecht: TTW/ICRAR. (1988)

H. Schoenmakers (ed.) Performan­ce theory. Reception and audience research. (Series: Advan­ces in audience and reception research, vol. 3) Amster­dam: ICRAR/TTW. (1992)

Aristoteles Poetica. (vertaald, ingeleid en van aantekeningen voorzien door N.van der Ben & J.M. Bremer, 1988) Amsterdam: Polak en van Gennep. p. 9-41, (noten: 91-110), 177-184, (noten: 185-186).

Arnheim, R. (1996) The split and the structure: twenty-eight essays. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 65-72 (?What is an aesthetic fact?)

Auslander, P. (1999) Liveness, Performance in a mediatized culture. Routledge.

Beardsley, Monroe C. (1982)  Aesthetic experience. In: M.J. Wreen and D.M. Callen (eds.) Monroe C. Beardsley. The aesthetic point of view . Selected essays.  Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press. p. 285-298.

Bennett, S. (1997) Theatre audiences: a theory of production and reception. London and New York: Routledge.

Blau, H. (1990) The Audience. The John Hopkins University Press

Boorsma, M. (1998) Kunstmarketing. Hoe marketing kan bijdragen aan het maatschappelijk functioneren van kunst, in het bijzonder van toneelkunst in Nederland. Groningen: Proefschrift Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. p.63 - 156

Csikszentmihalyi, M. & R. Robinson (1990) The art of seeing. An interpretation of the aest­hetic encounter. Los Ange­les: J. Paul Getty Museum/Getty Center for Education in the Arts.

Driel, K. van (2003) Psychology of entertainment. Amsterdam: Universiteit van Amsterdam (diss). pp. 65-98.

Eversmann, P.G.F., (2004) ?Introduction Part Two: Dynamics of the Theatrical Event? and  ?The experience of the theatrical event?, in: Vicky Ann Cremona, Peter Eversmann, Hans van Maanen, Willmar Sauter, John Tulloch (eds.) Theatrical Events. Borders-Dynamics-Frames. Amsterdam-New York: Rodopi, p.133-174.

Fischer-Lichte, E. (1984) The dramatic dialogue ? oral or literary communication? In: A. van Kesteren & H. Schmid (eds.) Semiotics of drama and theatre. (Series: Linguistic and literary studies in Eastern Europe, 10) Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. p. 137-173.

Fischer-Lichte, E. (2001) Ästhetische Erfahrung. Das Semiotische und das Performative. Tübingen: Francke Verlag.

Hekkert, P. (1995) Artful Judgments. A psychological enquiry into aesthetic preference for visual patterns. Delft: Proefschrift Technische Universiteit Delft. p. 11-46, 134-144.

Jacobsen, Thomas (2006) ?Bridging the Arts and Sciences: a Framework for the Psychology of Aesthetics.? Leonardo Vol 39, no 2 p. 155-162.

Konijn, E. (1991) What's on between the actor and his audience? Empirical analysis of emoti­on processes in the theatre. In: G. D. Wilson (ed.) Psychology and perfor­ming arts. Amster­dam/Lisse: Swets & Zeitlinger. p. 59?74.

McQuail, D. (1997) Audience Analysis. Sage.

Reuling, A. (1986) Methodologieën: een inleiding in onderzoeksstrategieën. Baarn: Nelissen. p. 20-51.

Schoenmakers, H. (1979) Publieksonderzoek in het kader van voorstellingsanalyse - deel 1. Tijdschrift voor Theaterwetenschap. Nr. 2. Jrg. 1. p. 37?53.

Schoenmakers, H. (1980) Publieksonderoek in het kader van voorstellingsanaly­se - deel 2. Tijdschrift voor Theaterwetenschap. Nr. 3. Jrg. 1. p. 4?24.

Schoenmakers, H. (1983) Zeven manieren om de zevende hemel te bezoeken. Van receptie-onderzoek in het theater naar een voorstellingsthe­orie. (diss.) Antwerpen: Universitaire Instelling Antwerpen.

Schoenmakers, H. (1988) To be, wanting to be, forced to be. Identification processes in theatrical situations. In: W. Sauter (ed.) New directions in audience research. (Advances in reception and audience research 2; TTW 24/25) Utrecht: TTW/ICRAR. p. 138?163.

Schoenmakers, H. (1992b) Aesthetic emotions and aestheticised emotions in theatrical situati­ons. In: H. Schoenmakers (ed.) Performan­ce theory. Reception and audience research. (Series: Advan­ces in audience and reception research, vol. 3) Amster­dam: ICRAR/TTW. p. 39?58.

Schoenmakers, H.(1991) Emoties om niets. Empirisch-theoretische analyses van beleving van thea­tra­le uitingen. In: R. Verhoeff & H.B.G. Ganzeboom (red.) Cultuur en publiek. Multi­di­sci­plinaire op­stellen over de publieke belangstelling voor kunst en cultuur in Nederland. Amsterdam: SISWO.

Tulloch, J. (2004) ?Chekhov in Bath: Dimensions, Experiences and concepts of an ?everyday?theatrical event?, in: Vicky Ann Cremona, Peter Eversmann, Hans van Maanen, Willmar Sauter, John Tulloch (eds.) Theatrical Events. Borders-Dynamics-Frames. Amsterdam-New York: Rodopi, p. 175-206.