FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 8, 2005

(Boston, MA) - The Theatre Arts Marketing Alliance (TAMA), an informal association of midsize, small and fringe theatre companies in Greater Boston, has announced the results of a year-long study of its audiences.  The research, conducted as a survey of audiences at twenty companies over a six-month period, includes responses from approximately 4,500 patrons, a 30% rate of return.

Janet Bailey, an arts marketing consultant, was engaged by TAMA to lead its research efforts.  The survey was funded by The Boston Foundation and FleetBoston Financial (now Bank of America).  Additional support was provided by two of the area's leading arts service organizations, StageSource and ArtsBoston, with in-kind support from the Boston Center for the Arts.

Jeff Poulos, executive director of StageSource, the organization that founded TAMA in 2001, provided key support for its research study.  “TAMA had a real opportunity here to undertake a collaboration that could prove beneficial for their individual theatres while serving the theatre community as a whole.  There has been a real lack of statistical information about audiences at the small, midsize and fringe theatres – information that could be most helpful in strategic marketing.  Repeatedly, in the theatre community, we hear about the need for more marketing support. These theatre companies have been organized and proactive, conducting research on a shoestring budget that has provided meaningful results.”

TAMA's research represents an unprecedented collaboration among theatre companies in the Boston area.  The organizations involved range from well-established, $1-million-plus companies to emerging organizations with annual budgets under $50,000.  In all, the twenty companies have a total combined annual budget of approximately $6.8 million and serve approximately 250,000 audience members each year.

“We found the survey to be successful and informative,” says Charles Baldwin of Wheelock Family Theatre.  “What surprised us most was how closely our statistics matched those of other theatre companies that don't cater to the same audience.  When theatergoers begin having families, exposing their children to the performing arts remains important.  The results of this research confirm that this cycle is occurring.”

The survey yields important information in a number of areas, including buying behavior, audience satisfaction rates, and information sources.  TAMA is pleased to learn that audience satisfaction rates are strong among all participating companies, with 70% of respondents reporting being “very satisfied” and 29% “satisfied most of the time.”  Anecdotal responses show particular satisfaction with the quality of productions, intimacy of the venue, content of the work, and value.

According to the results, audiences at participating theatres are distributed through all age brackets, with the greatest concentration in the 45-64 age groups.  The audience tends to be affluent, with a median annual household income of $75-$80,000, and the vast majority do not have children under the age of 18 living at home.  Nearly 40% of respondents were attending their first performance by the theatre company at which they filled out the survey, demonstrating that participating theatres are reaching out successfully to new audiences.

With results in hand, TAMA is now planning collaborative marketing initiatives in four priority areas: capitalizing on word of mouth, embracing the last-minute buyer, working more closely with public radio, and increasing diversity of its audiences.  Other collaborative efforts are under consideration for the future, and participating companies also intend to use the results of TAMA research to inform their individual marketing strategies.

“Now that we've received the results of the TAMA research, we're using the findings to help guide our decision-making process,” says Jeremy Allen Thompson, a representative of Stoneham Theatre.  “The information from this survey will help a great deal as we finalize our marketing strategies for the coming season.”

Participating companies include Actors Shakespeare Project, Boston Playwrights' Theatre, Boston Theatre Works, Company One, Devanaughn Theatre, Gloucester Stage Company, Jewish Theatre of New England, Lyric Stage Company of Boston, Mill 6 Theatre Collaborative, New Repertory Theatre, Nora Theatre Company, Publick Theatre, SpeakEasy Stage Company, Stoneham Theatre, Súgán Theatre Company, The Theater Offensive, Theatre Cooperative, TheatreZone, Wheelock Family Theatre, and Zeitgeist Stage.

The Theatre Arts Marketing Alliance, formed in 2002 by StageSource, is a group of marketing personnel representing over twenty of Greater Boston's midsize, small and fringe theatre companies.  TAMA's mission is to increase ticket sales and audiences through cooperative and collaborative marketing efforts, as well as through the sharing of ideas and resources.  For detailed results of their research, or for more information, visit www.tamaboston.org.

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