How Theatre Encourages Well-being – and Can Engage a Wider Audience

Abstract

A recent study of single-ticket buyers and subscribers at a major regional theatre – Actors Theatre of Louisville, Kentucky – focused on measuring quantitatively the psychological benefits of engaging with theatre and gathering qualitatively observations by focus groups. Both confirmed the hypothesis that regular attendance promotes flourishing and meaningful social interaction, psychological stimulation, and positive emotions. The study also affirms that attending theatre contributes to a shared sense of community, this at a time when such community appears starkly diminished in the United States. In addition, focus groups wished that audiences better reflected the demographic diversity outside the auditorium. Evident disparities include urban vs. rural, prosperous vs. not, more education vs. less, black vs. white – reflecting those that splinter national politics. One microcosm of one theatre's audience provokes suggestions to foster a more democratic audience and plural istic culture that endeavours to cross rather than ignore the divides. Russell Vandenbroucke is Professor of Theatre at the University of Louisville and Director of its Peace, Justice & Con flict Transformation programme. He was previously Artistic Director of Chicago's Northlight Theatre. Suzanne Meeks is Professor and Chair of the Psychological and Brain Sciences Department, University of Louisville. Her research focuses on mental health in later life.

Engaging the Arts for Wellbeing in the United States of America: A Scoping Review

“…Two studies, Ja (2014) and Meeks et al (2018) , reported a positive increase in global quality of life measures. In a study of theater involvement in Vandenbroucke and Meeks (2018) found a significant difference in global quality of life related to theater involvement (philanthropy and volunteers) and attendance (subscribers and attendances) (All measurement instruments used in studies in this review can be found in Supplementary Table 6 ).…”

Psychological well-being and work in the dramatic arts

“…The research included individuals who occasionally attend theater performances, as well as regular theater subscribers (Vandenbroucke & Meeks, 2018). The results showed advantages both on the personal level and wider level.…”

“…The results showed advantages both on the personal level and wider level. They found that regular attendance at theater performances contributed to the development of important social relationships, as well as that it leads to a sense of community, personal psychological stimulation, and positive feelings in participants (Vandenbroucke & Meeks, 2018). It is interesting to note that art, in this case theater, affects the perception of one's psychological well-being even if one participates in the performance as a spectator, and not as an actor.…”