We've been using an audience feedback system online at the University Musical Society in Ann Arbor for about two years. The system itself is still a little bit clunky from a registration perspective, but we do get audience responses on a regular basis (as well as some spammers, sadly). We're working to make it more user friendly, but we've also often requested comments via email after a performance and then used them in viral marketing campaigns for longer runs (we're a multi-disciplinary presenter and often only present one performance of any given event) -- being certain, of course, to include both the negative AND the positive comments. It's been a way that we can further engage our audiences, even when media coverage is scant.

Hi Hollis,

There have been precious few examples that I've found, beyond the fantastic early work (and continued success) of On the Boards in Seattle, WA. Their "Blog the Boards" feature hosts and encourages audience-member review and commentary on their performances. You can find it here: http://www.ontheboards.org/blog/

I'm the chairman of the board of the Irondale Ensemble Project, a theater company in Brooklyn. This sounds like an intriguing idea. Are there examples of theaters that have used blogs for their audiences to share their opinions about productions? I'd love to know so I could visit those blogs. Thanks.

I've become a bit of a social media evangelist here in North Carolina. Unfortunately, most people I talk to are still very closed minded about the possibility of allowing this type of conversation.

The way I look at it is that those people are talking already. If you don't think people are talking about your organization after they leave the building then you aren't facing reality. Allowing the conversation to be out in the open allows patrons to feel engaged and deepens their relationship with the organization.