1. Audience Outreach and E-marketing Coordinator Report
By Liz McLoughlin
Work-study Position - 2015/2016
Compiled May 2016
Summary
The 2015/2016 Hart House Theatre Season consisted of four productions, each
fulfilling a particular genre or theatrical aspect that contributed to a well-balanced season.
The shows consisted of a brand new Canadian work by George F. Walker, ‘We The Family’,
directed by Andrea Wasserman; a modern re-telling of William Shakespeare’s classic
tragedy ‘Hamlet’, directed by Paolo Santalucia; a dark musical twist on familiar fairytales with
Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Into The Woods, directed by Jeremy Hutton; and, finally, a classic
French farce, Marc Camoletti’s ‘Boeing Boeing’, directed by Cory Doran.
We The Family
‘We The Family’ was a world premiere production of a new script by George F.
Walker, directed by Andrea Wasserman. It premiered to good technical reviews, but varied
praise and criticism of the script. In both automated (via ConstantContact) and in-person
reviews there was a readiness to praise technical elements such as the direction, lighting,
and set design, but many expressed concerns about the subject matter. The Varsity’s
reviewer observed that “...the jokes began to feel unbalanced, pandering towards an
audience that held little relation with the subjects themselves.” (Kassim, 2015) However,
online survey responses were split, with about 50% of respondents making positive
observations and comments about the show. Many responses were also split, containing
compliments with caveats, such as
“The production was very well acted. The play was depressing.
I would not recommend the play.” (CC Exported Report - We The Family,
2016)
Overall there were a mixture of positive and negative reactions, as can be expected with a
script that tackles difficult subject matters with humor. I will note that, while doing in-person
surveys. I noticed a tendency for older patrons to express positive reviews of the show and
script, with younger patrons appearing hesitant about critiquing the script and being more
likely to offer positive commentary on the technical aspects of the show. This aligns with the
tendency for people faced with anonymous responses to be more forthcoming with sensitive
information than those asked in person (Ong & Weiss, 2000). However, though there was an
option for online responses to be anonymous, no respondents chose that option, which does

2. suggest that there may have been a sampling bias towards those who were comfortable
expressing their views with some degree of identification possible.
Hamlet
‘Hamlet’, directed by Paulo Santalucia, was a modern adaptation of Shakepeare’s
classic tragedy, which opened to mixed critical reviews, however much praise was given via
audience feedback both online and in person. Some reviews, such as the one from the
Varsity’s Alec Wilson, highly praised Paolo,
“In his debut at the helm of a Hart House production, Santalucia achieves the
difficult feat of making a classic feel new, while still preserving its delicate
familiarity” (Wilson, 2015)
while others, like the Strand’s Shamaila Anjum, questioned the ultimate purpose of a modern
setting (Anjum, 2015). In contrast to the trend observed during ‘We The Family’, this
production had much more verbal praise from younger audience members than older ones,
which was echoed to a small degree in the online responses as well. One notable audience
reaction came in the form of an email immediately after the curtain closed from a “long time
supporter of Hart House Theatre”, a Mrs. Luciana Benzi. Mrs. Benzi stated,
“I was very , very disappointed in this production of "Hamlet" That is not the
way to treat one of the masterpieces of English theatre. The young man who
played Hamlet has no voice nor presence for such a part. The staging was
too preposterous for comments.”
Aside; in my personal opinion, if we are inciting such passionate responses with the shows
we produce at Hart House Theatre, whether positive or negative, then we’re clearly doing
something right. The majority of online responses praised both actors and technical aspects
of the show, with many expressing a love of the lighting and set design (CC Exported Report
- Hamlet, 2016). This was echoed in in-person surveys conducted after the show, and below
I have reproduced some of the comments made on various nights of the production;
"Well designed, well acted, nice fights." - Unnamed patron
“Design was fabulous. Hart House is killin' it.” - Nikolas
Patron 1: "Two thumbs up"
Patron 2: "I don't have enough thumbs."
Into The Woods

3. The musical production for this year, Sondheim’s ‘Into The Woods’, was directed by
Jeremy Hutton and inspired incredibly positive viewer-response both in-person and via
email. Of the 18 in-person responses collected after several shows, not a single one had any
negative commentary to make. Nearly the same was true for online respondents, of which
there were 22 responses, and only a few had any critical commentary about the show itself.
There was some concern about crowd management when the theatre was opened for
seating from two responders, and one person mentioned the theatre being too warm. The
only real negative comment about the show itself was from an audience member who felt the
sound levels were off and often too loud. Other than that, the overwhelming majority of
online and in-person responses were completely positive. One particularly enthusiastic
patron, by the name of Joan Harvey, spoke to me for at least twenty minutes on how much
she loved the production. She asked that I include the following in my report,
“Bravissimi! If you want to introduce anyone from any background to theatre,
this would be the production to do it with. [Hart House Theatre productions
are] as good as anywhere on the planet.”
Critical response, while not as thoroughly positive as much of the patron response, was
generally positive in many aspects as well. Glenn Sumi of Now Toronto praised costuming
and set design, as well as Jeremy’s staging choices (Sumi, 2016), and Saphire Demitro’s
Witch was almost universally loved by critics and audience alike (CC Exported Report - Into
The Woods, 2016; Sumi, 2016; Lank, 2016; Gillis, 2016).
A few other selected in-person and online responses can be found below,
“Excellent, so well done. We loved the moving set, the set and lighting were
fabulous, such incredible talent, the acting was so great.” - Patrons Peter,
Michelle, and Caroline.
“The show was great. It was the best show we've ever seen at Hart House.” -
Sophia and Joe (long-time attendees of HHT shows, and student theatre
community members)
“Jeremy Hutton's productions are always spectacular. This was an amazing
production - very creative, intelligent, and thought provoking. The actors were
amazing. Loved the choreography - very creative. The cast was stellar. Loved
it!!” - Exported CC Report (limnoel1@gmail.com)
Boeing Boeing

4. Boeing Boeing, our final production of the year, was a period farce directed by Cory
Doran. It’s set and costume design, as well as ensemble cast, were praised, for the most
part, in print reviews, with the Varsity’s Corey van den Hoogenband states,
“In an age of digital streaming and private viewing, it’s unique and refreshing
to find one’s own chuckles drowned out by the laughs of the surrounding
crowd; Boeing Boeing delivers that rarity.” (Van den Hoogenband, 2016)
Similarly, Tracey Beltrano of Mooney on Theatre observed that “This play was so much fun
to watch and I felt like I ran a marathon when it was done.” (Beltrano, 2016) Audiences
expressed similar enjoyment, however general reactions were more mixed for both in-person
and online commentary from patrons. While some echoed the praise for costuming and
direction, others took issue with sound levels and difficulty in understanding the accents
used in the show (CC Exported Report - Boeing Boeing, 2016). It is interesting to note that in
the online responses for Boeing Boeing there was a tendency for respondents to comment
on the season as a whole, often including commentary on other shows. One respondent
made no commentary on Boeing Boeing itself, but did complain that the Shakespeare
productions have historically been too long, in their opinion (CC Exported Report - Boeing
Boeing, 2016). Many complimented the theatre in general on a balanced and interesting mix
of shows, and one respondent said they consider Boeing Boeing “this year’s highlight” (CC
Exported Report - Boeing Boeing, 2016).
Below are a few selected comments from audience members from post-show surveys:
“Very good job. This season was all very different shows, but all good.” - Jeff
and Mike
“Excellent. My wife goes to Mirvish all the time and she says it was a 9/10.
We enjoyed every show of the season. All of the shows this year have been
excellent.” - John
Audience Survey Metrics
In this section I’ve included table and graphs relating to various metrics of data
gathered in post-show in-person surveys for Hamlet, Into the Woods, and Boeing Boeing.
Data was collected at a total of 11 performances across the season, and a total of 105
people were spoken to, many of them in groups of 2 or more. Below is a graph of group

5. percentages for those interviewed, with the majority, 42.2%, of those interviewed belonging
to a group of two patrons.
Of all patrons spoken to, the majority belonged to a group ‘Other’ or did not otherwise
indicate their affiliation with the University or Hart House Theatre. The available categories
for patron self-description were, ‘Student’, ‘Alumni’, ‘Arts Worker’, ‘Subscriber’, and ‘Other’,
and 69 out of a total 105 people either indicated ‘Other’, or were members of a group
interviewed who did not respond to the question when asked. (Note: often times when
interviewing groups of 2 or more, one person would answer the majority of the questions).

6. Based on a question asking how patrons had first discovered Hart House Theatre, it was
determined that 13 patrons were at the the theatre for the first time, and 14 were repeat
patrons (more than 2 visits), with the remaining patrons either not responding, or having one
of several other answers to the question.
When asked about advertising reach of the theatre for particular shows, respondents
answered in a wide variety of ways, many of them surrounding social media and online

7. advertising, however there were still those who saw posters, heard about the production
from someone involved, or saw postcard advertisements. The graph below shows all
answers given.
A similar question asked patrons whether they used any form of social media to find out
about arts events, and, as the chart below indicates, the vast majority of those asked, 70%,
use Facebook at least some of the time to get information on arts events around Toronto,
including those at Hart House Theatre.

8. Finally, a question that, mostly due to time constraints, was only asked to 18 out of the total
40 patron groups, concerned whether audience members considered Hart House Theatre to
be Student, Community, or Professional theatre. 11 out of 18 groups said they considered
HHT’s productions to be Professional or Professional-quality, and 5 indicated that they
considered HHT to be in an “Other” category, with some combination of Professional and
Community. Below are the complete percentages for those asked.
Conclusions

9. Overall this season at Hart House Theatre was positively received by most
audiences. Critics and patrons alike expressed their love of production choices and variety,
and it seemed that a good balance of comedy and drama was achieved. There were select
patrons and critics who expressed negative feelings towards the subject matter of “We the
Family”, the staging of “Hamlet”, and some of the direction choices in ‘Boeing Boeing’,
however among the majority of online and in-person survey responders there were far more
positive comments and expressions of praise for these shows.
CITATIONS

10. 1. Kassim, Ayan. “Theatre Review: We The Family”. September 20, 2015. The Varsity.
http://thevarsity.ca/2015/09/20/theatre-review-we-the-family/
2. Constant Contact Exported Report - We The Family. 2016. (see attached appendices
containing full report)
3. Ong, Anthony D. and Weiss, David J. 2000. ‘The Impact of Anonymity on Responses
to Sensitive Questions’. Journal of Applied Social Psychology. Vol. 30, No. 8. Pp.
1691-1708.
4. Wilson, Alec. ‘Theatre Review: Hamlet’. November 18, 2015. The Varsity.
http://thevarsity.ca/2015/11/18/theatre-review-hamlet/
5. Anjum, Shamaila. ‘To be or not to be? Hart House production of Hamlet was both.’
November 10, 2015. The Strand. http://thestrand.ca/to-be-or-not-to-be-hart-house-
production-of-hamlet-was-both/
6. Constant Contact Exported Report - Hamlet. 2016. (see attached appendices
containing full report).
7. Sumi, Glenn. ‘Review: Into The Woods’. January 20, 2016. NOW Magazine: NOW
Toronto. https://nowtoronto.com/stage/musicals/review-into-the-woods/
8. Constant Contact Exported Report - Into The Woods. 2016. (see attached
appendices containing full report).
9. Lank, Hannah. ‘Theatre Review: Into The Woods’. The Varsity.
http://thevarsity.ca/2016/01/17/theatre-review-into-the-woods/
10. Gillis, Jess. ‘Review: Into the Woods (Hart House Theatre)’. January 17, 2016.
Mooney On Theatre. http://www.mooneyontheatre.com/2016/01/17/review-into-the-
woods-hart-house-theatre/
11. Van Den Hoogenband, Corey. ‘Theatre Review: Boeing Boeing’. February 28, 2016.
The Varsity. http://thevarsity.ca/2016/02/28/theatre-review-boeing-boeing/
12. Beltrano, Tracey. ‘Review: Boeing Boeing (Hart House Theatre)’. February 28, 2016.
Mooney On Theatre. http://www.mooneyontheatre.com/2016/02/28/review-boeing-
boeing-hart-house-theatre/
13. Constant Contact Exported Report - Boeing Boeing. 2016. (see attached appendices
containing full report).