‘Engaging Stages’ is a new, hands-on guide for theatre-makers and creative leaders to inform and inspire strategic approaches to public engagement. The book is the result of experiences gained within the European collaboration project ‘Theatron – Engaging New Audiences’. Co-funded by the EU Culture Programme, the project brought together 12 major European houses to explore creative ways of engaging new audiences. ‘Engaging Stages’ presents and analyses the initiatives and research undertaken by European theatres, festivals and cultural organisations, covering a variety of approaches to audience development including:
– Being a public theatre in public service
– Creating citizen stages / Bürgerbühne
– Connecting to audiences on and off stage
– Working with marginalised groups, including immigrants and refugees
– Engaging with young audiences and schools
– Creating socially-engaged work
– Using digital platforms
– Conducting audience research
– Moving towards audience-focused creative leadership