Low barriers to access key to support for outdoor arts

It is a “consistent and demonstrable fact” that outdoor arts (OA) attract a more diverse, representative and wide ranging audience than other artform sectors, according to a new report based on the largest ever quantitative outdoor arts research project. The research found that low barriers to access, via low ticket prices, the ability to leave at any time during a performance, and an accessible and unassuming way of presenting activities, result in a diverse and locally representative audience base that “rates OA events highly”.

The research is based on 9,500 individual interviews conducted by 25 participating organisations, with questions relating to both specific outdoor events and the outdoor arts sector as a whole. It builds on similar research last year, but this year has incorporated a geo-demographic profiling system developed by the Audience Agency, which has shown that outdoor artforms attract audiences of mixed ages from a diverse economic and social background.

The latest statistics continue to show that 69% of the audiences are local, coming from within 20 miles of the event, and that outdoor arts activities are crucial in transforming the public’s perception of spaces. 70% of the people interviewed agreed strongly that the event they attended was good for the local area’s image.

The report acknowledges that the factors behind this success are specific to outdoor arts, and not necessarily immediately applicable to the wider theatre ecology. “OA does not somehow ‘magically’ produce a diverse audience,” the report notes. “It draws this audience because of the professional and carefully thought through way that events are managed.” Similarly, it recognises that further research into cultural, economic, wellbeing and social impacts is necessary, because although the research has provided a clear sense of who engages with outdoor activities, it is “limited in being able to articulate what has changed”.