For all the anticipation and excitement around Taylor Swift’s Eras tour this summer, fans have been reporting something strange. They can’t remember the show. Time and Psychology Today wrote articles about the phenomenon of Taylor Swift fans forgetting the experience of attending the concert itself. In the Time article, Ewan McNay, a psychology professor at SUNY Albany, attributes the phenomenon to the fans’ brains producing too much norepinephrine, as happens when we get too emotionally … [Read more...] about Forgetting Taylor Swift
Audience Research Literature
“Audiencing”: Introducing the Routledge Companion to Audiences and Performing Arts
Row X blog by Hannah Grannemann I wish I had known the term “audiencing”[1] during my arts management career. Fumbling with my words in meetings, I tried to get others to see audiences as more than ATMs, obstacles to work around, or sleepy citizens in need of moral awakening. Joining a noisy, packed lobby, I also couldn’t find words to describe the buzzy post-show feeling of elation on opening night after having been present when performers and audience had become enmeshed, creating a new … [Read more...] about “Audiencing”: Introducing the Routledge Companion to Audiences and Performing Arts
Too Little Heterogeneity?: Histories, Theories and Questions of Social Justice
Row X blog guest post by Lynne Conner, Chair and Professor at the Department of Theatre at University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA. This is the first in a series on Row X featuring short essays written by the co-editors of the Routledge Companion to Audiences and the Performing Arts, a major reference work published in April 2022. The series is introduced here.The Companion represents a truly multi-dimensional exploration of the inter-relationships between audiences and performance. … [Read more...] about Too Little Heterogeneity?: Histories, Theories and Questions of Social Justice
Our Methods Make Our World: Methods, Methodologies and Understanding Audiences
Row X blog guest post by Matthew Reason, Professor of Theatre and Performance at York St John University, UK. This is the third in a series on Row X will be featuring short essays written by the co-editors of the Routledge Companion to Audiences and the Performing Arts, a major reference work published in April 2022. The series is introduced here.The Companion represents a truly multi-dimensional exploration of the inter-relationships between audiences and performance. Spread over four … [Read more...] about Our Methods Make Our World: Methods, Methodologies and Understanding Audiences
Why Audience Research Matters, and Why It Matters Now: Policies, Politics and Practices
Row X guest blog by Ben Walmsley, Professor of Cultural Engagement at University of Leeds, UK This is the second in a series on Row X will be featuring short essays written by the co-editors of the Routledge Companion to Audiences and the Performing Arts, a major reference work published in April 2022. The series is introduced here.The Companion represents a truly multi-dimensional exploration of the inter-relationships between audiences and performance. Spread over four sections and … [Read more...] about Why Audience Research Matters, and Why It Matters Now: Policies, Politics and Practices