Site 1 : Understanding the Audience
The performances that make up the 'Trafalgar Voices' programme are advertised as 'suitable for families with children aged 6+ years' (website). However, audiences for the different tales vary in themselves. For example, audiences for The Gunner's Tale (to be confirmed in the course of the research) are mostly adult, even though the subject matter of the Tale requires a young boy or girl in the audience to respond to several questions; how old? Could you do the job of the Powder Monkey? (the only moment of audience interaction in the piece). They also involve varying levels of interaction, the Pensioner's Tale involving more interaction between audiences and interpreter than that of the Gunner. Due to the different locations of the pieces, the level of commitment required by an audience is also variable. So for example, those performances underneath the Propeller can be watched for their entirety, or 'dipped into' by members of the public passing by. Conversely, and by necessity, the Quarter Deck inspires a more closed (intimate?) audience experience which requires presence from start to finish.
- Social context of visit - At the National Maritime Museum, independent visitors will be the focus of the research. Interview and focus group research will clarify in those cases where the social context is unclear (eg is it family group? Some other gathering?).
- Social positioning - Locating audience positioning in terms of level of education, occupation, ethnicity, gender, age, and their own views on their current relationship (or otherwise) with museums and heritage. Interviews, focus group research, possibly questionnaires. This will enable us to address the 'social inclusion', learning and access aspect of the research questions. Are the sites meeting/challenging/ignoring their written/stated objectives in actuality? (if indeed those objectives can be located).
- As far as possible, we would like to identify 'preferred learning styles' (cf Verity's multiple-intelligences questionnaire) when selecting focus group members.
- Audience positioning - over course of performance. Observation (video, photography, tracking and mapping). At the National Maritime Museum this should not represent too much of a problem but will involve addressing issues surrounding the capturing of images of children. This involves liaison between the Museum and the University, and the acquisition of written confirmation of all agreements/permissions.
- Audience Response - It might be desirable to capture facial responses in some way (e.g. video, or photograph), but will not be essential. Physical response will be captured by video, tracking and mapping. Oral responses can (in part) be captured through video, and by the researcher in field notes. The above is slightly complicated by the practicalities of performances which involve the relocation and repositioning of audiences (as will perhaps be the case for The Pensioner's Tale ). At all times it must be ensured that the gathering of data does NOT interfere with the experience of the audience/visitor. This could lead to a skewing of research results. Overall response (self-narratives, shock, etc) can be picked up in greater detail through interviewing, focus groups and (to a certain extent) questionnaires.
- Primary research tool: focus group - one per performance. Some capture of spontaneous feedback from 'casual' audience members as they leave and/or questionnaires on seats will provide useful additional data.
All images © National Maritime Museum London
