The document discusses various ways for performing arts organizations to engage with their local communities, such as involving community members in programming decisions, hosting community performances, and co-creating content. It suggests digital engagement strategies like online communities and distributed performances. The overall message is that performing arts organizations should think strategically about how to better support their local artists and audiences.

1. Where to
for the future
Crispin Butteriss Ph.D.
What might community engagement look
like for the performing arts sector?

2. What is your role
in your community?
To run a performing arts facility?
or…
To support the performing arts?
To bring the performing arts to your community?
To cultivate an appreciation for the performing arts?
To expose your community to new artists, art forms,
ideas, stories, cultures…?

3. Why
Engage?
To get more bums on seats.
To develop deeper relationships.
To open up new funding opportunities.
To make your organisation more robust.

4. Engagement
Basics
People respond to things they understand.
People respond to things that directly affect them.
People respond to things with emotional content.
People respond to an opportunity to self-promote.
People respond to an opportunity to learn skills & knowledge.
People like to be mentored.

5. Engagement
Basics
People need to trust you. Flat structures
encourage this.
People need to know their input is genuinely
valued (to come back).
(Younger) people prefer to be involved
‘creatively’ and ‘constructively’ rather than
‘dialogically’ or ‘didactically’.

6. Digital
Engagement
What could your ‘business’ look like online?
How might (digital) engagement help you
achieve your organisational objectives?
How could you use digital to expand your
influence, reach and impact?

7. Online
Community
Who is your community?
How big is your community?
How are you leveraging that community?
Can you get more value out of your community?

9. Strategic
Thinking
What does your community think about your
priorities, plans, program and more…?

13. Programme
Co-Design
Who gets to decide what you put on stage?
Is there room for community input into part,
or all, of the calendar?

15. Performance
Hosting
Can you curate an online ‘space’ for community
performances?
Could you have YouTube, Vimeo, or Soundcloud,
channel for community content?
Could you stream this content to your website to
create an integrated hub for your local community?

17. Responsive
Content
Can you generate interest, enthusiasm, learning
(and theatre attendance) by asking people to
respond to your program creatively?
Would competitions work for your audience? Would
they grow your audience?

19. Distributed
Performances
Does your audience really need to be in the room?
Do the performers all need to be in one place?
Do the performers need to be a ‘troupe’ of professionals?
Can your community ‘perform’ and ‘direct’?

21. Content
Co-Creation
Can you harness local knowledge, interest,
skills, creative potential?

24. Performing
Artists Network
How can you support your local performance artists?
How do they connect with each other now?

26. Curriculum
Support
What would support VCE and younger students?

28. Global
Outreach
Can you help to bring international
performances to your community?

30. The fault, dear Brutus,
Is not in our stars,
But in ourselves,
that we are underlings.

31. The Endmobro.co/crispinbutteriss