Master of Arts, University of Akron, 2016, Theatre Arts-Arts Administration

The purpose of this study is to explore audience engagement efforts by local arts organizations, Neos Dance Theatre and Summit Choral Society, to determine the most impactful strategies for building and sustaining audiences for New World Performance Laboratory. This thesis also discusses the definition of development and engagement strategies in the 21st century, relationship between arts and community, and motivations and barriers related to arts attendance in order to obtain a broader knowledge of audience engagement. The strategies learned from local arts organizations may inspire other arts organizations to develop more creative strategies and to enrich the arts in the Akron community.

Committee: James Slowiak (Advisor); Beth Rutkowski (Committee Member); Elisa Gargarella PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Arts Management

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, Theatre

This dissertation considers how we engage with fellow human beings and how the common human practice of hospitality impacts those relationships, specifically the relationship between spectator and performer in theatrical performance. Hospitality has been the topic of scholarly consideration in several disciplines, ranging from philosophy to the hospitality industry. It has also been peripherally addressed in theatre practice through the proliferation of audience engagement strategies. Beginning from a sociological and theoretical understanding of hospitality, this project deepens the interplay between hospitality and performance. Its Practice-as-Research framework uses a theatrical performance experiment to address the question: How might one create hospitable content and circumstances that encourage the co-creation of meaning? I have embedded hospitality throughout the development, rehearsal, and performance. Data collection from this experiment has involved surveys, interviews, autoethnography, and retrospectives analyzing the procedures and impacts of the process and production of my performance experiment, a new work entitled Four People. Analysis of my results yields a new hospitality, the component parts of which are partnership and play. I argue that hospitality is the means by which we connect to other people and therefore, the best means to connect spectators and performers. Considering human interaction in this way, the framework of hospitality I am advocating can influence all modes of human engagement, from the classroom to the conference room to the political rally. The effective and affective use of hospitality I have developed will generate greater forms of human connection and contribute to a more empathetic society.

Committee: Jennifer Schlueter PhD (Advisor); Richardson Jack PhD (Committee Member); Zuniga-Shaw Norah MFA (Committee Member); Bergelson Vitaly PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Performing Arts; Social Research; Theater; Theater Studies

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2022, Media and Communication

The present study focuses on the online video site originated from China, Bilibili. The research examines this primarily user-generated content (UGC) video platform with the unique affordance of Danmu (bullet screen comment) and how it competes with the other video sites in China. The study investigates the topic from four aspects: the role of Danmu on the site, audience engagement, uses and gratifications and the niche of the site in the intense competition in the Chinese market with professional content sites that include iQIYI, Tencent Video and Youku; UGC short video sites that include Douyin and Kuaishou. The study employed two quantitative methods: computational analysis and online survey. The computational data include audience data about 8,314 videos posted on Bilibili to examine the role of Danmu on the other engagement metrics. The metrics of those videos are the number of views, number of Danmu (comments), number of upvotes, number of saved, and number of coins given to creators. The hypotheses test the relationships between Danmu and views/coins, upvotes/saved, and among upvotes, saved, and coins. Finance videos and anime videos have higher correlations between views and Danmu across all genres. The national survey data consist of the audience engagement behavioral sequence, uses and gratifications and the niche of the video sites especially for Bilibili reported by the 526 participants. This study finds that Danmu has positive relationships with the other audience engagement variables. The survey data analysis finds that the largest proportion of the users spend half to one hour a day and consume 50-100 videos a week. The most watched video genre is the food and travel videos and ACG videos are in the second place. Audiences build the online community by the engagement such as sending and reading Danmu. The competitive superiority of Bilibili to users are in learning knowledge and building online community. Based on the Niche Theo (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Louisa Ha Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Hrishikesh Joshi Ph.D. (Other); Frederick Busselle Ph.D. (Committee Member); Yanqin Lu Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, Dance Studies

Spaces of Encounter, Repertoires of Engagement: The Politics of Participation in 21st Century Contemporary Performance analyzes the use of audience participation in live performances that reexamine what it means to be a community. I study performances by United States-based artists and creative collectives that premiered and toured between 2014-2020 against the political backdrop of a rise in nationalism and nativism in the United States. Responding to social conditions fueled by hatred and greed, my case studies offer empathetic spaces where at least a subset of participants may experience modes of human interdependence. Through various choreographic and design strategies, which I call “repertoires of engagement,” the artistic works I analyze allow participants to imagine new ways of being together in these politically divisive times. Each performance scenario encourages audiences to envision alternative, more just, futures. In the process of future visioning, the artists call upon audience labor as a central creative component. By theorizing repertoires of engagement, I offer a model to interrogate both the political and aesthetic dimensions of performative structures that invite audiences into the artwork. The second function of my inquiry concerns the proximity between neoliberal governmentality and audience productivity, with a particular focus on shared practices of audience-consumer engagement. Neoliberal political-economic practices grounded in rhetorics of individualism and entrepreneurial freedom jeopardize forms of social solidarity. Immersive performance practices counteract this erosion of social connection, but they also call on participants to contribute in ways that mimic neoliberal structures. Therefore, my research additionally examines the contradictory politico-aesthetic aspirations of audience participation. Despite the inability for many participatory works to fully realize the democratizing or community ethos they rhetorically promote, I co (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Bench Harmony Dr. (Committee Chair); Keefe Maura Dr. (Committee Member); Kosstrin Hannah Dr. (Committee Member); Stokes Shilarna Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Dance

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2018, Mass Communication (Communication)

Transmedia is the practice of spreading content over multiple delivery channels to create a more immersive experience for the audience. In a transmedia project, the sum of its parts is always bigger than each individual part, but each individual part, while creating its own unique contribution to the overall project, also has to contain the key premises of the main story. This study explains what transmedia is and how transmedia content creators translate their concept and/or idea for a story into a storyworld for multiple platforms. This exploratory case study research focuses on transmedia content creation in independent production as it expands narrative structures from film to other media, guided by the assessment of audience engagement, as a type of approach to storytelling (narrative or documentary). The study examines organic transmedia story content and audience engagement in four projects: Zenith, Body/Mind/Change, Question Bridge, and The Deeper They Bury Me. Formal in-depth interviews were used as a data-gathering tool for case study evidence, on the premise that interviews are key to uncovering a participant's motives and techniques for executing them. The point was to learn about story development from the practical strategies of the four selected transmedia creators. The data were divided into two groups: 1) story structure as determined by creators and 2) the likelihood of audience engagement. Textual Analysis was used to look at the story content of the selected projects and to analyze audience engagement. All the projects demonstrate that using multiple platforms expands the dimensions of the story. Each project was different, had a different approach, and required different details in the incubation and production phases.

Committee: Joseph Slade (Committee Chair); Roger Cooper (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Film Studies; Mass Media; Multimedia Communications

Master of Arts, University of Akron, 2017, Theatre Arts-Arts Administration

Research has long supported the benefits of the arts, specifically to students in grades K-12. Although arts programs have been decreasing over the last decade, nonprofit organizations have created strong programs that enrich students in the arts and create opportunities for collaborations with the community. The Weill Institute of Music at Carnegie Hall developed the Link Up music education outreach program to provide a beneficial means of music education in collaboration with partner host organizations and schools and has proven to be highly effective.

Committee: Elisa Gargarella (Advisor); Ramona Ortega-Liston (Committee Member); Jonathan Willis (Committee Member) Subjects: Arts Management; Music; Music Education

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2015, Arts Policy and Administration

In the face of declining attendance rates and aging subscriber bases, American symphony orchestras have begun to seek out new ways to market classical music to a younger demographic. This target group includes the Millennial generation, which has displayed a widespread disinterest in classical music alongside a higher level of comfort with (and reliance on) technology than any previous generation. In response, many performing ensembles are experimenting with augmenting their concerts with technology such as social media interaction, projections and smartphone applications. It is important to note that although many new and interesting digital genres are made possible by the advancements of technology, this thesis focuses on classical music as performed by acoustically traditional symphonic instruments. This study explores the current phenomenon of implementing technology in the concert hall as an audience development tool using case studies of the Philadelphia Orchestra, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, and Elevate Ensemble. The data suggests that these performing ensembles are including technology in three main areas of their audience development strategy: targeting specific niche demographics, programming new and community-based repertoire, and increasing social engagement. These themes point to the conclusion that the injection of technology alone into the concert experience is not enough to make classical music concerts appealing to the next generation. Orchestra administrators must be willing to mindfully consider each part of the traditional concert structure as an opportunity to modernize, while still keeping the celebration of quality classical music central to their mission.

Committee: Wayne Lawson PhD (Advisor); Shoshanah Goldberg-Miller PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Art Education; Arts Management; Music

Master of Arts, University of Akron, 2014, Theatre Arts-Arts Administration

This thesis examined new media technology strategies for developing audience awareness and participation in the performing arts through a case study on GroundWorks DanceTheater (GWDT), a nonprofit dance organization based in Cleveland, Ohio. The purpose of this research was to explore if and how applying advances in new media technology strategies could broaden audience awareness and participation through an existing new media engagement project. The effectiveness of this project was assessed through internal evaluations from the organization and also through collected assessments from project participants. How these strategies may serve as effective tactics to strengthening or promoting the audience development future for this Cleveland-based performing arts organization and similar non-profits is ultimately discussed.

Committee: Neil Sapienza Mr. (Advisor); Elisa Gargarella Dr. (Committee Member); Beth Rutkowski Ms. (Committee Member) Subjects: Arts Management; Dance; Demographics; Marketing

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2012, Arts Policy and Administration

Involved in the visitor-centered paradigm shift and blurring boundaries of cultural participation, American museums are challenged to demonstrate their relevance to contemporary life and to meet the changing needs of visitors. Prior studies have experimented with the incorporation of social media into museum practices. Being aware of the disconnect between social media use and its potential, this research uses multiple case studies, set in the three major museums in Columbus, Ohio, to examine the rationales and processes of day-to-day social media implementation in museums. A mixed method of semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and observation are employed to collect qualitative data. By reflecting upon the social media implementation from the perspective of museums, the researcher conceptualizes the role that social media plays in engaging museum visitors and provides a strategic framework for social media use in museums.

Committee: Wayne Lawson PhD (Advisor); Margaret Wyszomirski PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Arts Management

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2012, Communication Studies (Communication)

E-government has emerged as an important phenomenon in 21 Century democratic practice. Increasingly, governments are utilizing the World Wide Web and the Internet to achieve a number of organizational goals including delivery of services to various constituents, improving public sector efficiency, enhancing public diplomacy and managing public perception of state institutions and their representatives. One important characteristic of the Internet is its capacity to facilitate communication and interaction between and among players in communication transactions, going beyond the scope of what was commonly allowed with traditional forms of media. In this context the use of the Internet and other new media technologies by governments warrant some scholarly analysis, particularly as it relates to the interactive nature of these technologies. Global democratic practices in the last two decades have led to calls for greater levels of civic engagement, transparency and public accountability. A natural outcome of these demands is the need for institutional structures and practices that are at once fully open and accommodating of all stakeholders in the democratic process. This level of openness which is contextualized within a democratic framework requires a reconstitution of the relationship between governments and stakeholders, especially since the involvement of the latter remains critical to the successful adoption and implementation of national policies and programs. This study therefore attempts an examination of how selected governments across Africa, Asia and Europe are using the Internet and newer forms of technology to foster citizen engagement and interaction. Secondly, the study offers an assessment of current e-government practices by utilizing Grunig and Hunt's Models of Public Relations to explicate the relationship between government and its key publics in relation to the delivery of and access to public service information. Further analysis sought to ascer (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Don Flournoy PhD (Committee Chair); Joseph Slade PhD (Committee Member); Joe Bert PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Journalism; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Multimedia Communications; Web Studies