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intrinsically interactive Theatre cannot take place without the interaction between the artists and
the audience.”
The quality of the technical infrastructure can also affect the audience’s experience:
Although we have built an audience base here in Salt Lake City, it has been a challenge to develop audiences at
participating sites. Many of the performance spaces are not designed for performance, and many of the
traditional performance spaces are not designed with a technology and network infrastructure. It has been a
challenge to develop a distributed audience.
Elizabeth & Jimmy Miklavcic
Overall, the challenge for audience development in the performing arts is the familiar one of
remaining relevant to emerging generations:
If we fail to embrace the opportunities offered by these new technologies – especially those that enable our
audiences to tailor their own experiences and to develop creativity collaboratively – then the arts increasingly
won’t be seen as relevant by a large proportion of the population that has grown up digital.
Mark Ball, Shift Happens
environmental issues
As described above, one of the starting points for the excited atoms research was to see whether
virtual mobility is used as an alternative to physical mobility out of environmental concerns, in order
to reduce the carbon footprint of international cultural collaboration and performing arts touring.
There is little evidence of this yet from this study, although it may well become more prevalent since
many in the cultural field are thinking about these issues, developing environmental policies for their
organisations and weighing costs and benefits.
Several projects work specifically on these issues. Julie’s Bicycle is a UK company helping the music
industry cut its greenhouse gas emissions and create a low carbon creative future. The ‘Touring
Research’ project in 2010 assesses the greenhouse gas impacts of Bands, Orchestras and Theatres
touring the UK and internationally. Another report looks at the carbon impact of music downloads.
The 2020 Network & Thin Ice project brings together six European arts organisations. A pilot project
in 2008-2010, included a colloquium on the carbon footprint of the performing arts at the
Kaaitheater in Brussels. A larger networked EU-funded project Imagine 2020 Network develops
further ideas and events beyond 2010.
Slow Boat/Two Degrees was run by ArtsAdmin and the British Council in London in 2009 on the
theme: ‘Finding an Environmentally Responsible Future for International Touring’ and explored:
- Making: how do we design, direct and devise our work for touring and how could we change
that Looking at movement-free making: residencies; collaborations; sourcing artists and
performers locally; design and technology tools including internet, skype etc. as well as new
lighting technology.
- Moving: why do we tour our work in the way we do and how can we reduce its
environmental impact Examining forms of transport; planning geographic continuity back
into touring; sourcing sets abroad; working more with overseas technicians.
- Presenting: how can venues work together in their programming What can visiting
companies ask venues to do in order to reduce the audience’s carbon footprint
An interview with Judith Knight discussed the thinking behind the event.
excited atoms/On-the-Move.org mobility dossier/author: Judith Staines Page 23