OFF-CENTER @ THE JONES Charlie Miller and Emily Tarquin, Curators
THE NUMBERS
Off-Center’s eventful and successful second season continued its mission of serving as a test kitchen for The Denver Center and new entry point for artists and audiences by producing four prototypes in FY13:
Productions.............................................................4
CULT FOLLOWING – A monthly live movie in real 3-D where six
Ticketed attendance.........................................2,200
recurring actors improvise their way through a story that intertwines movie moments selected by the audience; n DRAG MACHINE – Captain Shirley Delta Blow takes us on a journey through the history of drag and the gay rights movement in her Drag Queen Time Machine; n AUDIO KICKS – An experiment in isolated collaboration: ten original photographs inspired ten different audio recordings that became the backdrop and soundtrack for a live performance by 3rd Law Dance/Theater; n SWEAT – A fully improvised indoor biking adventure led by two performers and a musician accompanying the action on a fully equipped musical tricycle.
Discounted tickets (including comps)................744 Total attendance...............................................2,944 Local artists with whom Off-Center collaborated......................................90+
DRAG MACHINE
Photo by Emily Tarquin
n
Performances........................................................19
Each show experimented with different types of programming, new collaborations, and new audience engagement techniques, expanding the show outside of the theatre. Off-Center succeeded in attracting new people. Sixty percent of ticketed accounts were new to The Denver Center. Off-Center brought in 7% of new audiences to the Denver Center Theatre Company (DCTC) with a budget that is 1.8% of DCTC’s total expenses. Off-Center’s audiences skew younger, with 82% of its Facebook fans and 74% of the DRAG MACHINE audience surveyed falling between ages 18 and 44. In the targeted efforts to reach people who don’t already attend The Denver Center productions, Off-Center learned word-of-mouth is key; the large majority of audiences heard about the shows from friends. Off-Center’s marketing and outreach focused on giving audiences tools and incentives to share information with their friends. Highlights from Season 2 included: n Riding with the Denver Cruisers to promote SWEAT. n The long line outside waiting for the DRAG MACHINE doors to open (all scheduled shows were sold out and two extra performances were added). n Winning the “Best Date Night at the Theatre” award from Westword. n Sharing what has been learned with the performing arts field by presenting at five national performing arts conferences and having our “Let Them Drink Beer” article featured on the Theatre Communications Group Blog.
OFF-CENTER wishes to thank the following businesses/organizations for their partnership: BikeDenver Biker Jim’s Gourmet Dogs Brian Brown Designs Denver B-Cycle Denver Cruisers Denver Film Society’s Reel Social Club
Denver Theatre District Gyro Imbibe Molson Coors Salvagetti Bicycle Workshop The Corner Office The Walnut Room Tour de Fashion, CO
Photo by Jennifer Davidson
AUDIO KICKS
13