This site is now "read only," and will not accept new posts. Please see the announcement below regarding the new and much improved Exchange, located at the new IMTAL website! In the meantime, please feel free to visit and browse through the many museum theatre topics and issues that have been posted prior to February 1, 2004.
...And please remember to renew your IMTAL membership!
The new IMTAL website can be found at http://www.imtal.org
Survey
by
I don't know if this will help much, but here goes. . . .
At COSI, we don't survey our own shows specifically. However, the museum sometimes outsources people to walk around in the hallways and survey guests about their visit to COSI in general. My troupe knows we are doing well when we receive positive feedback in this way. After all, surveying people right after a show seems a bit like being on a date and looking at the other person and saying "So, do you like me?" The other person might feel pressured to say yes. But removing it from the specific situation kind of removes that pressure.
Also, our guest services desk always has "guest feedback" forms for people to fill out. True, that only captures the extremely positive and extremely negative responses, but it helps us to know what community perspective is.
We keep track of who and how many people come to our shows by an attendance log. Our actors count the people as they're coming into the performance space and writes it in the log.
Of course, some of our performances can't really be judged by the amount of audience members in attendance. We do shows in our hallways that target one family or school unit at a time. My troupe and my museum feel that though they don't drive attendance, they make the museum experience richer for our guests. A little bonus value.
All in all, though, I think it is the actors themselves who get the best feel for the guest reaction. Are the guests attentive? Are they laughing? If it's interactive theatre, are the guests responding? Are they enjoying themselves in the theatrical created situation? Unfortunately, although this tells the most important information, I think it's impossible to quantify.