AboutThe ConditionsGlossary
Home
01
Acquisition Practices
02
Agreements & Contracts
03
Archival Practices
04
Audience
05
Disability & Access
06
Diversity, Equity & Cultural Guidelines
07
Documentation
08
Establishing Relationships
09
Fees, Wages & Budgets
10
Grants & Funding
11
Media & Communication
12
Security, Risk & Insurance
13
Transmission, Activation & Touring
14
Working With Performers
15
Working on Site

This Index is displayed in Alphabetic order

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04

Audience

The audience experience of a choreographic work in a museum requires planning for the comfort, ease and safety of the audience and performers when they come into relation with each other.

Overview

This work can be supported through communication between all parties at all levels, but especially involves curators, marketing and communications, education teams, front of house teams, security teams, invigilators and guards.

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Audience expectations around content, ticketing, seating, duration, mobility, sightlines and proximity will need to be discussed and addressed by both the museum and artists to support the best audience experience.

Things To Consider

Why?

What?

  • Is the presentation space an access pathway for visitors or staff? Or is the performance space more contained?
  • What is the audience capacity for contained performance spaces?
  • Have different audience responses and behaviours been considered in the planning stage of the choreographic work?
  • Will audiences sit or stand? And where in the space? Is there appropriate seating for audience members who need it and accommodation for wheelchair users?
  • Is audience movement required, encouraged or considered distracting during the performance?
  • What is the general experience for audiences? Will there be harsh lighting or sound, nudity, etc? Will there be photography or videography underway during the performance?
  • Are audiences expected or likely to stay for the entire duration or view a segment and move on?

Who?

  • Who is the audience? What is the museum’s remit, community and audience-base?
  • Has there been a conversation with the artist about who their core audiences are? Or if it is possible to organise performance sessions that prioritise certain audience groups?
  • Is the choreographic work ticketed (paid and unpaid) or timed in a way that is appropriate to the work? How can audiences access tickets?
  • Have you identified and worked to remove barriers regarding audience access?

How?

  • Does the audience have an understanding about what to expect in the performance and how to experience and engage with the work? How is this communicated to them?
  • Will there be signage (wall texts or a room sheet), online materials, marketing materials, invigilators or moderators to inform audiences about what to expect ahead of their visit? And direct audiences during their visit?
  • How have museum staff who will engage with the audience – curators, front of house staff, security, invigilators – been briefed on the work and how to manage audience members during the performance?
  • How is this information being communicated across the various museum teams who may be rostered on different days of the performance?
  • Can audience members take photographs or use their mobile phones during the performance? If not, how will you control this? If so, can you collect experiences as shared on social media, for example by using a hashtag?
  • How will museum health and safety policies influence or impact the audience experience and safety; such as performers pathways, the level of sound, the nature or levels of lighting, the location or movement of audience?
  • Will audiences take part in any form of program evaluation?

The Future?

  • When presenting or loaning a work, have suitable future contexts for both the work and audience been identified?
  • How can we think about the audience and their experience in relation to archives, preservation, transmission and conservation?
  • How will loaning museums share information about their experiences with audience responses or behaviours?
Acknowledgement of Country
This research project is grounded on the Country of the Eora, Kulin, Ngunnawal and Noongar nations. We would like to acknowledge the Ancestors and Custodians of these places who have cared for the land and engaged in cultural practice on Country since time immemorial. We recognise our privileged position as individuals living and working on stolen, unceded Indigenous land. We thank all of the First Peoples and Indigenous collaborators who have enriched our work and research by generously gifting their knowledges and practices to this project.
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