What do audiences for Shakespeare look like today? As theatres prepare to mark the 400th anniversary of the bard’s death, The Audience Agency reveals some valuable insights.
We accept income as a strong predictor of cultural taste. But why should this be, asks sociologist Aaron Reeves. And does taste matter as much as actual participation?
Festivals may no longer benefit from regular funding streams, but Owen McNeir is optimistic that they can still thrive on a mixed-income approach to fundraising.
Rachel Grunwald flinches every times she hears someone – including herself – use terms such as ‘cultural offer’, ‘digital’ or ‘diversity’. Is it time to rethink the language we use?
How many theatres offer audio description services to blind and partially sighted people? Matthew Cock carried out some research and is disappointed with his findings.
Tech and data-savvy millennials are ideal employees for arts organisations, but how can we make the sector attractive enough to recruit them, asks Libby Penn.
Is ‘live art’ the perfect medium for intergenerational arts projects? Liz O’Neill explains how children can help adults embrace the fun of experimental performance.
Angered about how few young people with learning disabilities are involved in the arts, Richard Hayhow urges the sector to open its eyes to the talent and creativity out there.
Make full use of the senses – even those you don't have: Deafinitely Theatre’s Paula Garfield explains how to create theatre for deaf and hearing audiences.
Touring companies have trailed behind venues in their access to meaningful audience data, but new insight tools are now benefiting touring companies and venues alike. Rosie Hanley reports.
How do we best manage an economy in which many people don’t have a salaried job? Michelle Wright discusses the move away from 9 to 5 employment in the arts.
From an all-male ‘CarMen’ to a gay-themed Tosca, Robin Pietà reveals how Secret Opera is helping opera to shed its stuffy, elitist image and boosting LGBT representation in the industry.
Dance offers older people many physical and social benefits, but performing to an audience makes the greatest impact on wellbeing, believes Jemma Bicknell.
The arts and health may have been officially coupled with the launch of a new evaluation framework, but will they ever be comfortable bedfellows? Frances Williams has her doubts.
How can arts organisations present their offer more effectively to public service commissioners? Five pilot consortia have been working to do just that and Jessica Harris reports on what they’ve learned.