High Levels of Satisfaction
Audience satisfaction with these companies’ offerings is very high: 70% of respondents report being “very satisfied” and 29% “satisfied most of the time” with their experiences at the participating theatres. Several recurring themes running through the comments point to reasons for the high level of satisfaction:

• Quality: Respondents consistently cite the quality of productions – particularly the acting – as the best thing about the theatre experience. The audience clearly recognizes and appreciates that high quality does not necessarily require lavish production budgets.
• Intimacy: Audience members very much enjoy the intimacy of these theatre companies’ smaller venues – a few hundred seats at most – and repeatedly mention the excitement of being “close to the action” as a positive factor in their experience.
• Value: Respondents appreciate the affordable ticket prices offered by these theatres, as 95% rate “ticket price/value for money” as good or excellent.
• Content: Audiences cite content of the work itself as the most important factor in their decision of what theatre to attend – more important than “name” actors, reviews in the press, or low ticket prices – and express interest in having more information about the work in advance or printed in their program books. Many specifically mention an appreciation of work that is challenging and thought-provoking.