This international online conference will take place from 26-27 May 2021 from 1 to 5pm, offering two afternoons of presentations, discussions and an interactive programme devoted to European theatre audiences. The conference is organised by the Department of Arts Management at the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (DAMU), in collaboration with partners from five European countries. It is part of the European project ASSET – Audience Segmentation System in European Theatres.

Planned for two afternoon blocks on 26 and 27 May, the conference will include the presentation of the results of a two-year research project that took place in Prague, Zagreb, Vienna, Sofia and Helsinki. Experts from the United Kingdom and their European partners will introduce the methodology used to segment the theatregoing public and the results of this process in five European capitals. Through the resulting segmentation models, we will consider to what extent the European theatregoing public constitutes a homogenous whole, and how specific the situation in individual countries is.

Supported by the Creative Europe programme, ASSET (Audience Segmentation System in European Theatres) aims to build capacity for audience research and development in the performing arts. The project’s lead organiser is the Department of Arts Management at DAMU in Prague. Project partners include The Audience Agency (United Kingdom), the Arts and Theatre Institute (Czech Republic), Dubrava People’s University (Croatia), IG Kultur Österreich (Austria), Arts Project Foundation (Bulgaria) and Metropolia University (Finland). In addition to the project partners and the 20 European theatres directly participating, other theatres and cultural organisations involved in European Theatre Night took part in audience research and worked to implement it by deepening audience relationships through their artistic programming and marketing activities.

The conference will take place in English with Czech translation for certain sections. Further information can be found on the project’s website and via the Facebook event.