Theatre Bay Area and WolfBrown Bring COUNTING NEW BEANS to Joe's Pub, 3/21

Theatre Bay Area and the research firm WolfBrown will present the findings contained in Counting New Beans: Intrinsic Impact and the Value of Art at Joe's Pub on Wednesday, March 21 from 9am-12pm. On the panel, project managerClayton Lord and lead researcher Alan Brown will be joined by Jill Rafson (Literary Manager, Roundabout Theatre Company), Nella Vera(Director of Marketing, The Public Theater), and another panelist TBA. Ben Cameron, Program Director for the Arts at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, will introduce the panel. The event is free of charge but attendees must RSVP to tgramps@art-newyork.org. 

Counting New Beans: Intrinsic Impact and the Value of Art contains the final report of "Measuring the Intrinsic Impact of Live Theatre," a nationwide that looked at 18 theatre companies and 58 productions in six cities - including New York - in an effort to increase the field's understanding of what seeing a piece of theatre actually does to audiences emotionally, intellectually, and empathetically. Data was collected between November 2010 and September 2011, and analyzed between September 2011 and January 2012. It the largest study ever conducted on intrinsic impact.

Through a competitive application process, the three New York City-based theatres that were selected to participate in the study wereThe Pearl Theatre Company, The Public Theater, and Roundabout Theatre Company. The theatres' participation in the study was generously funded and supported by Theatre Development Fund and The Alliance of Resident Theatres/NewYork. The intrinsic impact project at large was funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, as well as additional arts service organizations from across the United States. 

Counting New Beans: Intrinsic Impact and the Value of Art also contains essays by industry thought-leaders Diane Ragsdale, Arlene Goldbard, and Rebecca Novick, and 24 interviews with theatre leaders and patrons from across the United States, including Susan Atkinson, Keith Baker, Anne Bogart, Dudley Cocke, David Dower, Oskar Eustis, Steven Glaudini, Taylor Greenthal, Rachel Grossman, Todd Haimes, David Kilpatrick, Jessica Kubzansky, Martha Lavey, Barry Levine, Rob Melrose, Bonnie Metzgar, Michael Michetti, Terrence Nolen,Diane Paulus, Jill Rafson, Bill Rauch, Jack Reuler, Michael Rohd, Howard Shalwitz, Tony Taccone, Sarah Taines, Sydni Taines, and Sixto Wagan. Ben Cameron, Program Director for the Arts at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, penned the foreward and Brad Erickson, Executive Director of Theatre Bay Area, wrote the book's introduction.

"We are so pleased to release this major report to the field, and to help spark a nationwide conversation about the true value of art," says Project Manager Clayton Lord, "We are grateful to the many foundations, arts service organizations, theatre staff, and industry leaders who helped make this landmark work possible." 

HIGHLIGHTS 

 

Some highlights of the results of the study include:

•          High response rates (45%, on average) suggest that theatre patrons are willing, able and ready to provide meaningful feedback on their artistic experiences.

•          Results bring to light what might be considered the central riddle of impact:  On average, single-ticket buyers report significantly higher impacts than subscribers.

•          The top three motivations for why patrons attend theatre are "to relax and escape," "to be emotionally moved," and "to discover something new."

•          Women reported higher impacts than men across all 58 productions, in particular feeling "emotionally charged" after a performance, and "reflecting on one's opinions." This may be because women are likely to be the primary decision makers on attending, and decision makers reported higher levels of context and familiarity, and are more likely to prepare.

•          Reading previews, reviews, and social media comments prior to attending has a small but significant effect on increasing anticipation levels.

•          People who express a higher level of familiarity with the story, cast, and playwright also expressed higher levels of anticipation for the performance.

 

BOOK TOUR 

 

The complete dissemination tour schedule is as follows. In each city, Clayton Lord and Alan Brown will be joined by specially-selected panelists. Members of the public can attend these presentations free of charge, but must RSVP to the addresses provided below. The tour schedule is as follows:

 

Chicago

Monday, March 12; 10am-1pm

Steppenwolf Garage Theatre

RSVP to ben@chicagoplays.com

 

Minneapolis/St. Paul

Tuesday, March 13; 9am-12pm

Capri Theater

RSVP to birdie@artsmidwest.org

 

Boston

Tuesday, March 20; 9:30am-12:30pm

Roberts Studio Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts

RSVP to memberservices@artsboston.com

 

New York City

Wednesday, March 21; 9am-12pm

Joe's Pub at The Public Theater

RSVP to tgramps@art-newyork.org

 

Washington, DC

Thursday, March 22; 10am-1pm

Arena Stage

RSVP to dtaylor@theatrewashington.org

 

Philadelphia, PA

Friday, March 23; 10am-12:30pm

Arden Theatre

RSVP to mhenderson@pcah.us

 

Los Angeles, CA

Tuesday, March 27; 10am-1pm

Kirk Douglas Rehearsal Room, Culver City

RSVP to cdiaz@lastagealliance.com

 

San Francisco

Friday, March 30; 10a-1pm

venue TBA

RSVP to clay@theatrebayarea.org

 

A complete list of panelists will be published on www.theatrebayarea.org/intrinsicimpact.