Community Arts Support Grant

1) Increase in season ticket patronage and increased attendance through the Artist Spotlight Series. Also, by listening to our season ticket holders, we will see improvements being made to enhance their experience (much like the new seats recently installed, format changes on our programs to allow for larger fonts, time changes in shows based on the needs of our season ticket holders, and many others as they are drawn to our attention). 2) Increased single show revenue. 3) A broad base of artists to choose from as we cast and produce our season. 4) A thriving hospitality industry as it pertains to our show nights. 5) Increase in sponsorship revenue. 6) More community artists involved as we continue to build on collaborations with various organization including other theatre companies, venues, Saint Cloud State University, Saint Benedict's and Saint John's, and musicians.1) SEASON TICKET PATRONS - This is the easiest to measure because our season ticket base is a very vocal group. They enjoy sharing their opinions whether it is through open dialogue on show nights, or through email, they are always eager and ready to challenge our staff. We also survey our season ticket holders annually to gain insight into what we can do better, what they enjoy about Pioneer Place Theatre Company, and how we can improve their theatre experiences. These surveys have proven to be invaluable in our decision-making process. 2) INDIVIDUAL TICKET PURCHASERS - Of course the easiest way to measure this group is through attendance figures and our financial statements. But we like to go a little deeper and in the February slot each year, we insert surveys into our programs for this group to fill out so we can measure their experiences, demographic, reasons for choosing to see particular shows, and most importantly - rate our marketing efforts. We have also gone to an on-line survey through Constant Contact that allows us to reach very specific groups who've attended our shows, thus giving us the opportunity to gain even more insight into this group's experiences. 3) ACTORS/DESIGNERS/MUSICIANS/TECHNCIANS - For actors, the best way to measure our success is through the audition process. For example, when we held auditions for Romeo and Juliet, 88 people attended in hopes of being cast in the show. That is an amazing number to choose a cast from. This is pretty typical when we announce our auditions, so we immediately know that people want to work at Pioneer Place Theatre Company. We also use exit surveys twice a season to gain feedback from the artists on things ranging from facilities to hospitality, and audience engagement to payment structures. These exit surveys are filled with honesty and have really shaped the way we treat and respect our artists. Our brand new artist handbook is a direct result of these surveys. 4) BUSINESS COMMUNITY - This is also a pretty easy one to measure in terms of hospitality feedback. When we have restaurant and hotel owners approaching us saying they had a great night because of a show we were producing, we know it's working for the larger business community. We can also measure our goal of reaching out to the Chamber and CVB by the number of groups we book for shows - especially touring bus groups. And in terms of the larger business community, the measurement of success comes from their willingness to support the work we do both financially through sponsorships. 5) GREATER ARTS COMMUNITY - Collaborations can be measured by simply asking: Are you doing them? We take great pride in our many existing artistic partnerships and this goal will continue as we work with various organizations throughout Central Minnesota on collaborative projects.