Survey summery

The study examines the attitudes of audiences towards online theatre and in particular to performances created specifically for a digital environment and active interaction with the audience. The main goal is to analyze the interests and needs of audiences in relation to cultural events in the digital environment and to provide guidance to artists and organizations in the cultural sector to help create productions that meet these expectations. Emphasis is also placed on awareness of different cultural content and the degree of need for it by the public.

The results of 20 main and 1 supplementary question are summarized in this document, as the information was collected through an online survey, completed by 141 people and through 2 micro focus groups. The study was conducted in the period 23.10.2020 - 23.11.2021.

The information is directly related to the Bulgarian cultural context, as all of the participants in the survey are citizens of the country.

Would you “visit” interactive theater online?

Yes No I don`t know

Authors of the survey: the team of “Inner Theater Company “. Summary and analysis: Sasha Hadjieva and Ana Valcheva.

Link to the the complete study in Bulgarian:

http://bit.ly/anketnoprouchvane

Profile of surveyed participants

The leading group of participants were aged 35-44. Almost 90% of all participants reside in the capital city of Sofia, which unambiguously illustrates the fact that at this point in time cultural and economic life continues to be concentrated mainly in Sofia-city. More than half of those surveyed had long-term employment in the field of arts and culture. There is a clear tendency for the artists themselves to represent a large portion of the audiences of theatrical arts, including when dealing with their digital forms. The high share of participants that are employed in the field of information technology is quite self-explanatory, as more often than not these people have well developed habits, skills and consumption tendencies in the digital environment.

Attitudes towards “live” theatrical forms

A large number of respondents shared that they attend theatrical performances once every three or six months. 83% confirmed they have physically attended immersive or interactive forms of theatre. 81.9% said they were completely or highly satisfied with the attended interactive theatrical events. Over 60% of the respondents identified the immersive and interactive theatrical forms as extremely exciting and inspiring.

Attitudes towards theatrical, including interactive forms in a digital context

The results of the survey show that over 80% of respondents had watched online broadcasts of performances in the past, but only 13% felt satisfied.

Audiences appreciate significantly higher performances that are planned and created specifically for broadcast in a digital environment rather than those that were not (and basically represent filmed stage forms that were later uploaded in the online environment).

To what extent do you feel satisfied with the experience? How do you evaluate performances that are created and presented specifically for a digital environment?

73.8% of respondents confirmed they would watch interactive theatre online. A claim for the future sustainability of their interest is the fact that when asked about their main reason to “visit” this type of performance “the lack of live cultural events” was ranked at third place from all given options. Respondents point out that the most decisive factors related to their future attendance of similar performances are: “An interesting topic” and “Actors and creative team that I like”.

To what extent do you feel satisfied with the experience?

Actors and creative team that I like

An Interesting topic

I’ve attended the same kind of performance live (not online)

The Low price of the ticket

I don’t have access to live cultural events

Preferences and expectations regarding the prices for attending cultural productions

Respondents tend to pay a larger amount for performances created specifically for a digital environment and with direct interaction with the audience, with approximately twice as many respondents willing to purchase a ticket in the high-price categories - up to 20 BGN and up to 50 BGN. This is an essential indicator of interest, given that over 50% of the participants in the survey have a relatively low monthly income compared with the average for the country, up to 1000 BGN.

Accessibility/availability and information channels

Despite the active digitization and technological advances, nearly 40% of respondents said they do not have sufficient access to online theatrical performances. Respondents cited Facebook events and personal invitations from friends as the main sources of information for similar art forms. Only 33.3% of people actively follow the activities of specific theater organizations.