A report by A Suitcase of Methods based on 17 audience interviews after Beckett’s play All That Falls staged at Takkelloftet, The Opera, Copenhagen, August 2015.

Does it matter if we are inside or far away from the theatre institution when we conduct audience research interviews? This is a report on an experiment working with the framing of the focus group interview. It is our impression and experience that audiences often tend to want to give a good answer. They might have the notion that the theatre institution is seeking a specific answer from them, and that there is a correct answer to a very personal and complicated question. Is it possible to collect a different sort of answer if we change the setting? What happens if we replace the large group discussion with elements such as one-to-one dialogue, group discussions and space for individual reflections that are drawn on paper instead of spoken?

Read report #2: Capturing the Audience Response – Walking, Talking and Drawing the Experienced Relevance of Performing Arts by A Suitcase of Methods