The TheatreSpace Project, Its Partners and Its Purposes

Abstract

This chapter describes and discusses the TheatreSpace Project and its development from the recruitment of partners to the negotiated design process of the methodology. In the chapter we tell the story of the development of this project and in doing so provide a few of the benefits of the experience to anyone interested in trying a research project on this scale. We provide a narrative of the way the project developed and the various influences that shaped the design and the implementation of the Project. We discuss the way the study evolved from the negotiations with the partners to the development of the research team and the design of the methodology of the project. The chapter concludes with a series of reflections about the design and development of the project with some discussion about what has been learnt through the process. The chapter discusses the successes and some of the difficulties and setbacks to give a sense of the struggle that large scale research projects often entail.

INTERLUDE

2.1.1 Case Studies 3 and 4

CASE 3: Yibiyung by Dallas Winmar

COMPANY: Malthouse Theatre (co-production with Company B Belvoir).

VENUE: Beckett Theatre, CUB Malthouse.

CASE STUDY PERFORMANCE 4.30 pm, Sunday 9 November 2008.

SEASON: 30 October – 13 November 2008.

KEY INFORMANTS:

Wesley Enoch, Director.

Annie Byron, Actor.

AUDIENCES DETAILS: All the young people who were interviewed were secondary school students in years 10 or 11 from two Victorian schools (one country government school and one suburban Catholic school).

Pre-show audience surveys	33
Post-show interviewees	39
6 month interviewees	2

RESEARCH TEAM:

Partner Chief Investigator: Angela O’Brien.

Chief Investigator: Kate Donelan.

Lead Research Assistant: Richard Sallis.

State Project Officer: Tim Stitz.

Research Assistants: Jane Bird, Georgina Capper, Grant Cartwright, Sheree Cartwright, Sharon Davis, Zoe Stark.

• The Malthouse appealed to students as modern, relaxed and welcoming, although almost none of the students knew about the venue or had been there before.

• Many students saw a theatre visit as a special occasion but most commented that it was too expensive for regular attendance. A significant number of students reported that school drama helped them to appreciate and appraise the theatre experiences they attended.

CASE 4: Fake Porno by Milena Bogavac, Jelena Bogavac and Filip Vujosevic. Translated, adapted and directed by Bojana Novakovic

COMPANY: Ride On Theatre Company.

VENUE: The Turbine Room, Brisbane Powerhouse.

CASE STUDY PERFORMANCE: 8.30 pm, Fri 30/Sat 31 January, 2009.

SEASON: 27 January – 1 February 2009.

KEY INFORMANTS:

Alana Henry, Marketing Manager.

Dan Koop, Producer.

AUDIENCES DETAILS: The audience sat at tables, cabaret style and could purchase beer or Slivovika, a Serbian liqueur. The audience could come and go at will. Because of the nature of the play, there were no school children in the audience, and the interviewees ranged in age from 19 to 30.

Pre-show audience surveys	60
Post-show interviewees	25
6 month interviewees	6

RESEARCH TEAM:

Partner Chief Investigator: Bruce Burton.

Chief Investigator: Penny Bundy.

Lead Research Assistant: Patrick Mitchell.

State Project Officer: Andrea Burton.

Research Assistants: Lisa Boyle, Amy Bradney-George, Ali Clinch, Candace Diana.

• The Powerhouse was a key attractor: respondents described the venue as amazing, eclectic, beautiful, intimate, retro, raw, and contemporary.

• Respondents reported that the unusual staging contributed to a heightened sense of intimacy, which meant that they became more immersed in the performance.

• A number of audience members were either of Serbian extraction or had an interest in the Balkans – most often through having Serbian friends. One respondent stated that seeing the play was an opportunity ‘to see his own story told on stage’.