Key Strategies AC C E S S
PROGRAM APPEAL
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Total paid attendance: 43,057 (61% capacity)
In 2014, patrons surveyed on their responses to a range of customer service elements from purchasing their subscription online/over the phone to the e-newsletter and email updates received, which included relevant and timely communication. Many recognised our outstanding customer service (94% up from 68% in 2013). Anecdotal evidence also suggests an increase in business partner satisfaction – in terms of servicing, event attendance and the associated value proposition on benefits (88% up from 70% in 2013).
Total attendance:
55,435 (79% capacity)
Total subscribers:
2,774 (26.6% increase from 2013)
The productions in 2014 proved very popular, receiving good reviews and consistently excellent feedback from patrons. This translated into continued patron growth with paid audience numbers increasing to 43,057, an 8.5% increase compared to 2013.
AUDIENCE LOYALTY
EDUCATION
Most significant was the increase in subscriptions by 26.6% achieving a new record high of 2,774 subscribers. Much of this can be attributed to the high level of interest in the program, the Company branding and also some patrons who subscribed specifically so as not to miss out on good seats for A Streetcar Named Desire, as single tickets for the production were released later in the year.
A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams was a standout production in attracting school audiences with 2,551 students, 182 teachers and 26 accompanying parents attending over the three week season. As You Like It by William Shakespeare and The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, adapted by Hilary Bell, were also very popular due to these works being listed as part of secondary school Drama and English Literature set text lists.
As part of Black Swan’s strategy to reach out to new audiences, the Black Swan Lab production of Flood by Chris Isaacs was presented in the Studio Underground as part of the 2014 Fringe World Festival. It exceeded budget expectations, as did The House on The Lake by Aidan Fennessy, the second Black Swan Lab production presented in 2014. This indicates that these works are likely to be a growth area for the Company in the future.
Total student attendances increased across English, Literature, Drama and tertiary student cohorts with an increase from 6,470 students in 2013 to 10,602 students in 2014. This equates to 25% of total paid attendances in 2014. Accessibility of productions for student groups continues to be enhanced with the development of comprehensive Education Resource Kits for use by students and teachers. The kits are distributed free of charge to any school that makes a group booking.
DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT On Flood, with funding from the Australia Council, we conducted a unique R&D project with Inkubator – creators of interactive, content rich experiences that aims to find, activate and retain new audiences. FLOOD Digital gauged audience’s willingness to participate in story or character extension pre or post attendance of the performance.
The Company’s workshop program, presented by professional teaching artists, ran across primary and secondary schools, both regionally and in metropolitan Perth. There were 753 high school students that attended workshops about performance, design and arts management.
The project was designed to ‘take the theatre beyond the auditorium’ and included foyer theming by India Mehta, digital projections and soundscape, in addition to iPads where patrons could further immerse and engage with the story after the performance. Although there were some challenges, 194 patrons participated in the project. It was an exciting initiative that demonstrated how we could engage with digital mediums to further extend the theatre experience.
A highlight of 2014 was teaching artist Caitlin BeresfordOrd delivering 12 drama workshops to 120 Year 5 students at Christchurch Grammar School. The three day program was unique and successful in its ability to teach literacy through Drama. Education Program gratefully supported by Chevron.
AUDIENCE ACCESS
Black Swan’s online communication channels strengthened; with Facebook followers increasing by 32% and Twitter by 3% from 2013, and a nominal but important presence on Instagram and LinkedIn. Vimeo holds the videos produced by Lush Digital and remains an important component of the marketing plan for each mainstage season. Blog posts are still an important vehicle through which to tell our stories.
Add-on events offered by Black Swan maintain audience interest with strong attendance to Rio Tinto Pre-show Talks and Post-show Q&A’s. The Company’s exclusive subscriber briefings during the production week continue to receive great feedback and build loyalty.
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